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Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Apr 16, 2018

Let's discuss women and sumo

A controversy over gender discrimination in sumo flared earlier this month after a referee urged two women to stay out of the ring as they tried to assist an unconscious official.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2018

Arab leaders demand probe into Syria chemical attacks, condemn Iran

An Arab League summit called on Sunday for an international probe into the "criminal" use of chemical weapons in Syria and condemned what it saw as Iran's interference in the affairs of other countries.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 12, 2018

Abe under threat as Kake Gakuen scandal roars back to life

A scandal centered on allegations that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe improperly wielded his influence to help a close friend cut through government red tape has roared back to life after seeming to have died down last year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2018

Eurocontrol warns airlines to be cautious about possible airstrikes into Syria in next 72 hours

Pan-European air traffic control agency Eurocontrol on Tuesday warned airlines to exercise caution in the eastern Mediterranean due to the possible launch of air strikes into Syria in next 72 hours.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 9, 2018

Holy smokes: South Korean envoy reportedly told Kim to kick cigarette habit

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, a notoriously heavy smoker, was advised by South Korean National Security Council chief Chung Eui-yong to quit smoking during their meeting early last month — an exchange that left Kim's onetime spy chief reportedly frozen in terror over how the supreme leader might...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Apr 9, 2018

Let's discuss Easter in Japan

Compared to other imported festivals, Easter in Japan has never really taken off. But why?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 4, 2018

'Yamato (California)': Hanae Kan does well as an aspiring rapper that's straight outta Japan

The American military bases in Okinawa are often in the news, usually because of an accident, protest or crime. The bases elsewhere in Japan, not so much. These reminders of a postwar occupation now seven decades in the past have mostly faded from the public imagination.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Apr 3, 2018

Could Hanyu headline a new pro tour in the future?

A thought crossed my mind recently.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Apr 2, 2018

Let's discuss hay fever

With tens of millions of people struggling to cope with hay fever caused by cedar and cypress pollen across Japan, companies are perpetually coming up with new ways to survive the season of itchy eyes and runny noses.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 2, 2018

Assemblies from Niigata to Tottori criticize handling of Moritomo probe as threat to democracy

Municipal and prefectural politicians are calling the document-tampering scandal a threat to Japan's democracy and ratcheting up calls for key figures to testify in the Diet.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 2, 2018

Seen as powerless to control military, Suu Kyi urges Myanmar to stay united amid 'challenges'

Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, called on Sunday for her people to remain united, saying the Southeast Asian country faces "challenges" at home and abroad, as she marked two years since her party swept to power in a historic vote.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Mar 31, 2018

'The Outsider' scores a few hits among the misses

Netflix last month released a yakuza film starring Jared Leto titled "The Outsider" to critical disdain. And as much as I expected to hate the movie, I didn't. It's portrayal of the world of organized crime in Japan after World War II is not entirely inaccurate. It even has its moments.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Mar 28, 2018

With historic meeting of leaders, North Korea and China shore up leverage as Kim-Trump talks loom

North Korea and China secured major diplomatic victories — and possibly more — this week with leader Kim Jong Un's visit to Beijing, a move that bolsters Pyongyang's leverage ahead of talks with Washington and returns Beijing to its role as a central player in the nuclear crisis roiling the Korean...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 28, 2018

Mystery no more: North Korea's Kim meets Xi, says he's 'willing' to talk with Trump

North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un, has made an unannounced visit to China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, state media confirmed Wednesday, apparently saying for the first time just weeks before a possible meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump that he is "willing" to sit down...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 27, 2018

Abe's right — it's time to codify the SDF

The importance of providing legal clarity to decision-makers — especially during times of crisis — cannot be overstated.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 26, 2018

Let's discuss the sushi restaurant YouTube video

A YouTube video filmed from a Tokyo sushi restaurant's conveyor belt has sparked a great deal of debate online.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 25, 2018

Abe attempts to rally from scandal, repeating Article 9 vows at LDP's annual convention

In a speech at his LDP's annual convention, the prime minister acknowledged the damage from the Moritomo Gakuen scandal and repeated his plans to revise the pacifist Constitution.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 19, 2018

Let's discuss learning English in the Philippines

Ahead of a change to university entrance exams and the Tokyo Olympics, a growing number of Japanese are opting to travel to the Philippines to study English.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 18, 2018

Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo: Womenswear brands add an extra dash of cool to elegance

Japan Times fashion contributors select eight womenswear collections to look out for during Tokyo fashion week
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 17, 2018

'Oh, konnichiwa': U.S. interior secretary's remark to lawmaker of Japanese descent draws fire

U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke came under fire this week for what critics said was a "flippant" and "juvenile" use of a Japanese greeting when responding to a question from a congresswoman of Japanese descent during a House committee hearing.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / View from Osaka
Mar 17, 2018

Moritomo scandal threatens Osaka leaders too

"A man once thoroughly endued with these three qualities of lying, impudence, and ingratitude will, I believe, scarce want any other titles to preferment and grandeur." — Henry Fielding, from a satirical article on the traits of successful politicians, 1740
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2018

For Putin's Russia, a poisoned spy sends a political message

The poisoning is a sign of how just committed Vladimir Putin's Kremlin has become at eradicating its enemies — and reminding others it can do so.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Mar 14, 2018

New top U.S. diplomat's hawkish views on Iran put North Korea detente in question

U.S. President Donald Trump has again cleaned house, this time firing his top diplomat and replacing him with his hawkish spy chief in a move that could have wide-ranging implications for a planned summit between the American and North Korean leaders slated to take place sometime before the end of May....

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes