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ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 16, 2014

About 300 Chinese said fighting alongside Islamic State in Mideast

About 300 Chinese people are fighting alongside the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, a Chinese state-run newspaper said on Monday, a rare tally that is likely to fuel worry in China that militants pose a threat to security.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2014

Why CIA torturers won't be punished

U.S. Department of Justice memos gave CIA a free pass to torture without being punished. Serious crimes were committed, but interrogators will go unpunished.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 15, 2014

Deflation Watch: bean sprouts

Bean sprout producers are demanding retailers pay higher prices than the retailers are willing to pay.
WORLD
Dec 15, 2014

Hundreds missing after boat sinks in Lake Tanganyika

More than two hundred people were believed missing after a boat sank in Democratic Republic of Congo's waters on Lake Tanganyika on Thursday night, a senior Tanzanian official said on Sunday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 14, 2014

JCN on mission to tackle Japan's stray-cat problem

Japan Cat Network rescues abandoned felines and advocates for spaying and neutering as a means of cutting the country's stray cat population.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 14, 2014

American in North Korea reportedly denounces U.S., seeks asylum in Venezuela

A U.S. citizen who illegally entered North Korea delivered a lengthy denunciation of U.S. domestic and foreign policy Sunday and said he was seeking political asylum in Venezuela, the North's official media said.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Dec 13, 2014

Twelve ways to spend 2015 with nature

As 2014 winds down and the promise of another year lies ahead, it's time to come up with a few New Year's resolutions. Instead of planning for the future or trying some new-fad diets or exercise regimes, how about a resolution to spend a little more time connecting with our wonderful natural world?
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 13, 2014

Night train to Shimane's land of the gods

The 10th month of the lunar calendar is known throughout most of Japan as Kannazuki, or the "month of no gods." During this time, Okuninushi, the kami (Shinto god) enshrined at the renowned Izumo Taisha shrine, summons myriad deities to decide the fate of all people for the year ahead. For this reason,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 13, 2014

Fight or flight: Narita's history of conflict

The recent increase in international flights in and out of Haneda Airport has clearly pleased Tokyo residents, who, since the late 1970s, have had to trek out to Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture when they wanted to go overseas.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 12, 2014

Ice Bucks strive to build brand, promote league

"Hard work, every day."
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 12, 2014

Shonan complex offers a curated lifestyle

A discreet black sign, concrete floors, industrial-style ceilings, wooden shelves filled with design toys and gourmet treats. This may sound like the minimal interior of an urban lifestyle store in some hip corner of Tokyo, but the reality is more surprising. It is, in fact, a new branch of one of Japan's...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 12, 2014

Oil extends slide below $60

Oil extended losses below $60 a barrel amid speculation that OPEC's biggest members will defend market share against U.S. shale producers. Brent also slid after closing at the lowest price since July 2009.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 12, 2014

Did torture report restore U.S. moral leadership?

Global reaction so far to the U.S. Senate report on CIA torture practices suggests there's still a lot of work to be done before the U.S. can fill the global vacuum of moral authority.
WORLD
Dec 12, 2014

French forces in Mali kill Islamist on U.S. wanted list

French forces in northern Mali have killed a senior commander of the al Mourabitoun Islamist group who was wanted by the United States, a defencs ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
COMMENTARY
Dec 11, 2014

Elusive gains from Putin's eastern gas deals

The deal struck earlier this year in which Russia's Gazprom agreed to supply natural gas to China for 30 years does not appear to be moving forward as hoped.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2014

Ecology product confab at Big Sight kicks off with higher youth turnout

In the face of pressing environmental challenges, the nation's biggest event on eco-friendly products kicked off Thursday in Tokyo, giving everyone from elementary school kids to businesspeople an opportunity to think about what's good for future generations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 11, 2014

Armies ready for battle in final 'Hobbit' film

There's a scene in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill: Volume 2" where Michael Madsen's Budd character asks Daryl Hannah's Elle: "Now you ain't gonna hafta face your enemy on the battlefield no more, which 'R' are you filled with: relief or regret?"
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Dec 10, 2014

Electoral dysfunction leaves Japan's voters feeling impotent

This Sunday's poll could well prove a high-water mark of pointlessness even for Japan: an election campaign waged against the unelected.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 10, 2014

Two prisoners killed, 13 escape in Indian chilli powder jailbreak

Two prisoners were killed, three were injured and 13 escaped in India's eastern state of Jharkhand on Tuesday after they threw chilli powder in the faces of police bringing them back to jail from a court appearance.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 9, 2014

Japan now at a crossroads

Japan has the opportunity in the Dec. 14 election to break away from its past obsession with measuring GDP growth. Voters can change the national scorecard to a system-wide view of infrastructural assets and quality of life.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Dec 9, 2014

Sake specialists give a lesson in culture

In Saijo, Hiroshima Prefecture, the largest room in the home of Hisao Maegaki, president of the sake brewery Kamoizumi Shuzo, is set for a feast.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 9, 2014

World Order says it wants us all to 'Have a Nice Day'

For someone who made a career out of pounding people as a kickboxer, Genki Sudo comes across as a courteous, peace-loving guy who doesn't take life too seriously.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 9, 2014

U.S. artist gets a major photo opportunity from Mr. Children

Rock act Mr. Children's newly released single "Ashioto — Be Strong" ("Footsteps, Be Strong") has attracted a lot of attention. This is par for the course with a Mr. Children song, but it's also the opening track for the ongoing Fuji TV drama series "Nobunaga Concerto," which features stars such as...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 9, 2014

China arming stealthy subs with long-range nuclear missiles

China is preparing to arm its stealthiest submarines with nuclear missiles that could reach the U.S., cloaking its arsenal with the invisibility needed to retaliate in the event of an enemy strike.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 9, 2014

Methamphetamine use soars in Iran as lifestyles speed up

Women in headscarves and men in tatty clothes puff on a glass pipe as smoke swirls around their faces. The pictures published by Iranian media and blogs in recent months are a sign of a new drug epidemic: shishe, or methamphetamine.

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