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JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Apr 22, 2018

Security issues worry Osaka residents ahead of 2019 G-20 summit

Beginning this month, both the city of Osaka and the prefecture began preparations to host next year's Group of Twenty leaders' summit, with political and business leaders forming task forces to help with local assistance and promotional efforts prior to the event.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 20, 2018

Trump looking to rid North Korea of chemical and biological weapons as well as nuclear arsenal: ambassador

The U.S.-North Korea summit could see U.S. President Donald Trump push for eradicating its chemical and biological weapons as well, U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty says.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Deep Dive
Apr 19, 2018

Dual citizenship in Japan: A 'don’t ask, don’t tell' policy leaves many in the dark

Do you have to renounce citizenship? Do you switch passports at the airport? Has anyone ever been punished? Dual nationals tell their stories.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 17, 2018

With Trump golf outing, will Abe find himself in the bunker or on the green?

Yes, they will hit the links again after all. The question is, will Prime Minister Shinzo Abe find himself in the bunker or on the green when he meets U.S. President Donald Trump this week?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Apr 16, 2018

Nagoya's Shachihoko Boys look to make global splash

Men wearing gold, full-body suits and costume hats, themed as taiyaki (a waffle-like cake shaped like a fish, typically filled with red bean paste), have started to appear in central Nagoya, attracting the attention of pedestrians. The men call themselves the Shachihoko Boys — a reference to a golden...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 16, 2018

Former Prime Minister Koizumi sees embattled Abe quitting in June: magazine

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, plagued by suspected cronyism scandals and cover-ups and with his ratings sliding, will likely step down in June, former leader Junichiro Koizumi was quoted Monday as telling a weekly magazine.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Apr 15, 2018

Doubts cloud Minamisoma robotics project as Fukushima attempts to revive tsunami-hit city

A coastal area in Fukushima Prefecture's Minamisoma, which seven years ago was overtaken by tsunami debris, is set to be resurrected as a major robotics research site.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2018

Afghan Embassy plans to deploy mascots

If a public entity wants to promote itself in Japan, one of the most effective ways may be to create a yuru-kyara — a lovable mascot that catches people's hearts. And that's exactly what the Afghanistan Embassy in Tokyo is doing.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Apr 13, 2018

Okinawa angling to become cruise liner hub, not just waypoint

Okinawa has unveiled a road map to develop the southern island prefecture into a major hub for international cruise ships in East Asia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Apr 12, 2018

Hiroshima hibakusha turns to tanka for anti-nuclear message

For Sachiko Tanaka, her battered Japanese dictionary, the Kojirin, is not just any other lexicon.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 11, 2018

Zuckerberg's internal notes advised him to cite Chinese competition if Senators suggested breaking up Facebook

Facebook Inc.'s Mark Zuckerberg was prepared to cite competition with China if asked whether the social media giant should be broken up, according to internal notes the chief executive officer took to a congressional hearing on Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Apr 9, 2018

Host cities prepare for 2019 Rugby World Cup with ball-shaped lanterns and manjū cakes

Cities and prefectures hosting games in the 2019 Rugby World Cup (RWC) to be held in Japan in fall 2019 are gearing up to promote the sports spectacle as the application deadline for priority ticket sales for their residents draws near.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 7, 2018

Magazines indulge Japan's healthy obsession with staying spry

There has been a recent surge of articles in Japan's weekly magazines about diet, health and avoiding illnesses.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 7, 2018

In Japan no one wants to talk about sex education

The English 'penis' — which rhymes with 'Venice' in katakana — is the preferred technical term when discussing male genitalia in Japan, but even that seems to be taboo in broadcast situations.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2018

Sports agency's recommendation of downtime for student athletes draws mixed response

The Japan Sports Agency has introduced a policy of granting at least two days of rest per week for sports teams at public and private junior high schools, in hopes of reducing the risk of injury for students by shortening their practice hours.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 29, 2018

'Roseanne' returns to ABC with monster TV ratings and timely Trump era topics

"Roseanne," the 1990s television comedy about a working-class American family, scored monster ratings on its return to ABC after 20 years, attracting more than 18 million viewers.
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2018

Conservatives can't force YouTube to be free-speech zone: California judge

A producer of online civics lessons with a conservative bent got schooled by a federal judge on why it's hard to sue Google for censorship.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Mar 26, 2018

Toyohashi man, 93, was oldest to summit Mount Fuji in 2017

The oldest person to climb Mount Fuji last year was 93-year-old Masashi Toyoda, from Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, according to records at Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha, a shrine at the foot of the mountain.
EDITORIALS
Mar 25, 2018

China's coming propaganda offensive

Beijing is overhauling its state media to better control domestic content and to create a propaganda behemoth that will spread its message around the world.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 24, 2018

Blog post sparks a constructive debate on office culture in Japan

One person’s cultural observations can be another’s daily gripes but, with any luck, they can lead to an enlightening debate. That was the case last week when a blog post about one non-Japanese individual’s experience working in the country’s information technology sector proved popular with...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Mar 19, 2018

Aichi finds wartime elementary school teaching materials

Teaching materials for third-year students who attended Kokumin Gakko (equivalent to a modern-day elementary school) in Aichi Prefecture during the Pacific War have been discovered in Aisai, Aichi Prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Mar 18, 2018

Fukushima professor develops rubber that can make and store power from light and vibration

Kunio Shimada, a professor of fluid mechanics and energy engineering at Fukushima University, has developed a special rubber that can generate electricity from solar and kinetic energy and save the power generated.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Mar 17, 2018

Miki Bartley: A guiding spirit for Japanese tourists

After 27 years in the United Kingdom, Blue Badge tourist guide Miki Bartley still loves to show visitors around.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 14, 2018

YouTube to display Wikipedia blurbs alongside conspiracy videos

YouTube will begin displaying text from Wikipedia articles and other websites alongside some videos in a couple of weeks as the unit of Alphabet Inc.'s Google attempts to combat hoaxes and conspiracy theories on the service, its chief executive said on Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Mar 12, 2018

Aichi farm machinery firm taps foreign talent in the region to drive overseas sales

Kohshin Engineering Co., which produces and sells agricultural equipment for poultry farming, has successfully expanded its overseas sales by hiring foreign employees.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 10, 2018

Over wine and spirits, Kim Jong Un poked fun at himself: South Korean officials

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un joked about his image in international media while serving South Korean officials local spirits and cold noodles during their unprecedented visit to Pyongyang this past week, two South Korean government sources said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 9, 2018

Democrats dissatisfied as ex-Trump aide Corey Lewandowski clams up and GOP cool to subpoena

Democrats said they'll seek a subpoena to force former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski to answer all of their questions after he refused for the second time to respond to some inquiries about his communications with President Donald Trump.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Mar 7, 2018

Foreign tourists push up Okinawa lobster prices, putting delicacy out of reach for many local residents

Chinese tourists, who tend to have a big appetite for shellfish, have increasingly pushed up prices for Ise-ebi (Japanese spiny lobster) in Okinawa fish markets to the point that many local residents can no longer afford the delicacy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Mar 6, 2018

Solemn Peace Park belies trove of buried A-bomb artifacts

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, located in Naka Ward, was full of international visitors during the New Year's holiday. Some were from America and Europe, others were Chinese speakers and women from Islamic nations could also be seen. People stood in line to pray before the Cenotaph for the A-bomb...

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight