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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 4, 2019

China vows 'reasonable' rise in defense spending ahead of budget's release

China will maintain "a reasonable and appropriate growth rate" for defense spending this year, a top government spokesman said Monday ahead of the release of the country's defense budget — a closely watched indicator of Beijing's strategic intentions.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 4, 2019

Tensions within Japan's LDP rise over backing of ex-DPJ heavyweight Goshi Hosono in Shizuoka poll

The two factions at the heart of the battle have a long history of conflict.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 4, 2019

In race with Boeing, SpaceX takes giant leap toward resuming crewed U.S. flights to ISS

The successful voyage of SpaceX's unmanned Crew Dragon to the International Space Station this weekend put the U.S. one tantalizing step closer to the day when American rockets will again ferry the nation's astronauts into space.
WORLD
Mar 3, 2019

Saudi Cabinet gives green light for electronic tourism visas for foreign travelers

Saudi Arabia's Cabinet has approved electronic visas for foreign visitors to attend sporting events and concerts, local media reported, as the world's top oil exporter tries to diversify its economy and open up its society.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 2, 2019

Dealing with gun issues in a nation with few guns

Japan's reputation as a country relatively free of gun crime is borne out by official statistics. In terms of individuals charged with crimes committed using firearms, the 2018 white paper issued by the National Police Agency listed eight homicides in 2017 — all of which involved members of crime syndicates...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2019

Next era name might draw from classical Japanese literature, say sources

In line with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wishes, candidate names for the new Imperial era apparently include at least one inspired by classical Japanese literature.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 2, 2019

Mountain lion strangled by Colorado man was orphaned cougar cub

The mountain lion strangled by a Colorado man after it attacked him on a jogging trail last month was a young cub, weighing no more than 40 pounds (18 kg) and likely orphaned but not starving, state wildlife officials said on Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 1, 2019

For Japan, 'no deal' at Kim-Trump summit beats a bad deal with concessions to nuclear North Korea

At a glance, this week's Kim-Trump summit meeting in Hanoi, held to foster progress toward the denuclearization of North Korea, generated few tangible victories — despite U.S. President Donald Trump's boasts of the "tremendous" achievements he had expected.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2019

SDF draws fire for recruitment poster featuring female anime characters in skimpy costumes

A Self-Defense Forces recruitment office in Shiga Prefecture has caused a stir by releasing a poster that features female anime characters wearing super-short skirts, which expose what appear to be underwear. Some people have described the image as a form of sexual harassment.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 1, 2019

Trump-Kim summitry a work in progress

Engaging with Kim to establish a working relationship that can greatly reduce the risks of a catastrophic war is a big deal.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 1, 2019

Japan's MUFG agrees to buy German lender DZ Bank's aviation finance arm for ¥710 billion

The unit acquired from Germany's second-largest bank will be one of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group's biggest acquisitions since it was created in 2005.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 1, 2019

Trump declares all Islamic State territory retaken, contradicting allied commander

President Donald Trump told American troops on Thursday that U.S.-backed forces in Syria have retaken 100 percent of the territory once held by Islamic State militants, contradicting the commander of the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces, who said it would take another week.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 28, 2019

In apparent first, North Korea's Kim responds to question from foreign media

In an apparent first, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has directly responded to a question from a foreign reporter Thursday in Hanoi, ahead of one-on-one talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the pair's second summit.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2019

Huawei wages charm offensive in the battle for hearts and minds amid U.S. pressure

Huawei Technologies Co. has turned to a blend of wit, sarcasm and defiance to publicly fight allegations that the world's largest maker of telecommunications equipment is spying for China. It's a remarkable shift for a giant whose founder, Ren Zhengfei, spurned the media and avoided overt displays of...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 27, 2019

Top U.S. government lawyer's presence at North Korea talks points to end-of-war declaration

In a potential sign that the U.S. is preparing to reach a deal in Hanoi with North Korea that could include a so-called end-of-war declaration and the opening of liaison offices in both countries, a top State Department lawyer who has handled key issues in East Asia is taking part in negotiations, sources...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 27, 2019

Train swapping: North Korea's Kim Jong Un reliant on Chinese for summit transport

When North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rolled into the Vietnamese border station of Dong Dang early on Tuesday, his vaunted specialized train was pulled by a red-and-yellow locomotive emblazoned with China's national railway logo.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 27, 2019

Half of North Korean defectors suffered violence, but rights is not a top summit issue

About half of 451 North Korean defectors questioned in a survey endured physical violence at the hands of North Korean authorities, a rights group has said as leader Kim Jong Un prepared to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for a summit.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2019

After disaster-filled 2018, lessons from 1995 Hanshin quake resonate with foreign nationals and Kobe officials

The image of a resilient Japan rebounding almost immediately from natural disasters is one that has taken root across the world, but sometimes that image can obfuscate the trauma and the panic of actually living through a disaster.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2019

GOP lawmaker tweets warning to Michael Cohen before public testimony against Trump

A top House Republican ally of President Donald Trump delivered a warning to former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen on the eve of Cohen's scheduled public testimony before a congressional committee investigating the president.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 26, 2019

Kim, Trump arrive in Hanoi ahead of second nuclear summit

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi on Tuesday for their second summit, where the two aim to find common ground in negotiations that could ultimately see the North relinquish its nuclear weapons.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 26, 2019

A month ahead of election, Thailand's billionaire rising political star is energizing young voters

Young people line up to take selfies with him. His hashtags are trending. And when billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit promises an end to Thailand's military "dictatorship," supporters of his Future Forward Party roar their approval.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 26, 2019

India says hundreds of terrorists killed in strikes on Pakistan, described as worst escalation in decades

India said its fighter jets destroyed a major terrorist camp in Pakistan in an incident described by Islamabad to be a "grave aggression," and reported to have been the worst escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals since 2001.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 26, 2019

Dodgers reportedly back in pursuit of free agent Harper

Bryce Harper reportedly met with representatives of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday in Las Vegas as the drawn-out pursuit of baseball's top free agent extends deep into spring training.

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