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ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 14, 2016

Residents of Chinese democracy village tell of 'wild' new police crackdown on protest

Residents of a southern Chinese village once seen as a cradle of grass-roots democracy were in shock on Wednesday after a "wild crackdown" by police in clashes with protesters, which they said led to about 70 people being detained.
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2016

Fan club formed to promote Fukushima produce

Nearly 5½ years after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, a fan club was launched last week with an ambitious membership goal: gain 200,000 members by 2020 and boost the region's products in the process.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 14, 2016

Hacked again, Democratic Party blames Russians

The head of the Democratic National Committee said on Tuesday the organization had been hacked by Russian state-sponsored agents who were trying to influence the U.S. presidential election, after a similar leak in July roiled the party.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 13, 2016

U.S. flies bombers over South Korea in show of force, but leaves door open to 'sincere' talks with North

The U.S. sent two nuclear-capable strategic bombers buzzing over ally South Korea on Tuesday in a show of force meant to impress upon North Korea Washington's commitment to Seoul after Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test days earlier.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 13, 2016

Nam June Paik has the last laugh

Rapid, multilayered, fluid — the high-tech images created by Nam June Paik earned him the epithet the Father of Video Art. He may be most often associated with banks of television screens and intense, distorted video images, but as a new retrospective of his work at the Watarium (The Watari Museum...
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Sep 13, 2016

Medal haul in Yokohama shows depth of young talent

This past weekend's sweep of the women's singles at the Yokohama Junior Grand Prix illustrated just how deep Japan's talent pool is now.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 13, 2016

Online betting markets pare prospects of Clinton win amid health scare but she still tops Trump

Online betting markets cut back Hillary Clinton's prospects of winning the Nov. 8 election after a video showed the Democratic presidential candidate stumbling and having difficulty walking as she was helped into a van at a Sept. 11 memorial, raising concerns about her health.
WORLD
Sep 12, 2016

Bangladesh cafe attack suspect killed himself as police closed in on flat

A suspected militant believed by Bangladesh police to have been among the planners of a July cafe attack that killed 22 people killed himself during a police raid on a hideout in the capital, police said Sunday.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 10, 2016

Godzilla hits middle age but is still fueled by Japan's anxieties

Within one month of its July release, Toho's "Shin Gojira" ("Godzilla Resurgence") attracted more than 3.6 million viewers. Box-office takings are already estimated to have surpassed ¥5.3 billion, putting the film more than halfway toward the seldom-attained figure of ¥10 billion. Toho has great expectations...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 10, 2016

Asakusa: in the glow of Nippon kitsch

Every once in a while, the Japanese have to remind themselves that they're Japanese. We feel the need to reconfirm that we are part of a long and enduring traditional culture — one which includes kimono, samurai, ninja, eels on rice, and other weird items. Many like to pretend that these particular...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Sep 10, 2016

National trauma and the memory wars of Asia

It has been 15 years since 9/11, and America's nightmare has metastasized beyond anyone's wildest imagination. It is a bad dream that includes former President George W. Bush's Iraq War debacle, which plunged the Middle East into its current turmoil. But America's trauma pales when compared with the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Sep 10, 2016

Hiking with kids is not an uphill climb

Hiking in Japan is always fun with family, and with summer subsiding, some of the best months for a mountain walk are around the corner. Japan offers countless choices in its vast mountain ranges, but one of my favorite family hikes is only 90 minutes north of Kyoto. The mountain villages of Kibune and...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Sep 10, 2016

Pricing system offers scant protection as Amazon Japan hacks away at bookstores' benefits

Japan's saihan seido system may not be enough to save the country's remaining bookstores, whose advantages Amazon.jp has systematically worked to nullify over the years.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Sep 9, 2016

Japanese wine is no longer a novelty

Five years ago, Japanese wine was still considered a novelty, and finding it in Tokyo required a fair amount of searching. These days, most shops carry at least a few varieties and some have entire shelves dedicated to domestic wine. Popular magazines now run features on local producers and ways to match...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 9, 2016

Being young, Japanese, a woman and a chef — in Paris

Chiho Kanzaki has been cooking for as long as she can remember. Growing up in Tokyo, she used to watch her father prepare dinner for their family and would climb onto a stool to imitate his movements in the kitchen. Like a lot of little girls enamored of the food world, she imagined herself as a baker...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 8, 2016

The UNHCR Refugee Film Festival finds increased focus on Europe for 11th edition

The status of refugees and displaced people continues to worsen since the European refugee crisis first gained widespread attention in 2015. In the news refugees may be portrayed as powerless victims, but the tremendous strength they show in taking strides toward a better future is anything but. The...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 8, 2016

Actress Nanami weighs the pros and cons of going it alone

It has been estimated that around 1 in 10 actors are working at any given moment. For the other nine, that can make for a constant hustle — a Woody Allen character once described the film industry as being "worse than dog-eat-dog, it's dog-doesn't-return-other-dogs-phone-calls."
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 8, 2016

Manhole covers get new mission: predicting floods

Sudden storms called "guerrilla downpours" have been hitting with increasing frequency over the past five decades and are now considered a growing disaster threat.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2016

Head of Tsukiji cooperative urges governor to act over fish market relocation

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike should issue "a safety declaration" over soil contamination at the Tsukiji fish market's planned new site in Toyosu on Tokyo Bay to ease public concerns and allow the project to proceed, the head of the Tsukiji wholesalers cooperative said Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 7, 2016

North Korean nuclear envoy visits China as Beijing backs rebuke of missile tests

A senior diplomat from North Korea involved in stalled international talks to end its nuclear program has visited China, a South Korea news agency said on Wednesday, as China endorsed a fresh rebuke of the North by the United Nations.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Sep 7, 2016

Crowd-pleaser: a cat named Parco

Parco is the epitome of chill, with a relaxing laid-back attitude that is downright fetching.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 7, 2016

SoftBank's self-driving buses are coming soon to Japan's country roads

If you had to invent the perfect place to roll out self-driving buses, Japan would be it.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 6, 2016

Sumitomo 'liquidating Japan hedge fund' as clients pull out

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. is liquidating a Japan-focused hedge fund after investors withdrew money following poor performance, according to people familiar with the matter, adding to the list of casualties as the industry suffers its biggest outflows since 2009.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 5, 2016

North Korean missiles land in Japan EEZ as world leaders meet at G-20 in China

Three North Korean missiles land within Japan's exclusive economic zone, a move that Tokyo called a grave threat to national security.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2016

In report, Japan warns Brexit may drive finance, pharmaceutical investment to EU

Japan has warned Britain that its exit from the European Union could prompt Japanese financial institutions to relocate from London and listed a raft of concerns from Japanese companies about the transition away from the EU.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji