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ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 21, 2016

North Korea may have resumed tunneling at nuclear test site: U.S. report

Satellite images show that North Korea may have resumed tunnel excavation at its main nuclear test site, similar to activity seen before the country's most recent nuclear test in January, a U.S. North Korea monitoring website reported Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2016

Chinese firm wants to turn the world's lights on

The idea of an electricity 'supergrid' that can power the world is now technically feasible and the chairman of the world's wealthiest power company wants to make it a reality.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2016

Trade realities take a beating in U.S. politics

In this bitter U.S. presidential campaign, one area of agreement unites the major candidates: they're all against big trade deals.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 21, 2016

China sought urgent advice from Fed to deal with 2015 market plunge

China's central bank last year asked the U.S. Federal Reserve to share its playbook for dealing with Wall Street's 1987 crash, emails show.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 16, 2016

Beijing sets up South China Sea tsunami alert center

China has set up a tsunami alert center in the South China Sea, the head of the country's maritime regulator said Wednesday, in Beijing's latest effort to bolster its jurisdiction in the disputed waters.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 8, 2016

Chinese foreign minister accuses Japanese government of 'double dealing'

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused Japan of "double dealing," as tensions linger between Asia's two biggest economies over disputed islands and Japanese officials join international criticism of China's efforts to build artificial islands in disputed waters.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 1, 2016

In Yemen, a humanitarian pause urgently needed

A humanitarian pause is badly needed in war-torn Yemen, where a majority of the population in urgent need of medical care.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 26, 2016

Japan welcomes 'stronger' U.S.-China sanctions against North Korea

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday that the draft resolution agreed to by the United States and China on expanding sanctions against North Korea for its latest nuclear test and rocket launch reflects Japan's call for stringent U.N. action.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 22, 2016

Beijing's Paracel military buildup seen as precursor to Spratly ambitions

From listening posts to jet fighter deployments and now surface-to-air missiles, China's expanding facilities in the Paracel Islands are a signal of long-term plans to strengthen its military reach across the disputed South China Sea.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 18, 2016

'Highly dangerous' radioactive material stolen in '15 in Iraq has arms potential

Iraq is searching for "highly dangerous" radioactive material stolen last year, according to an environment ministry document and seven security, environmental and provincial officials who fear it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 13, 2016

U.S. touts 'Batman' destroyer as Obama set to court ASEAN leaders

U.S. officials are looking to superheroes in their quest to preserve Asia's postwar security order in the face of an increasingly assertive China.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 31, 2016

Despite military build-up, China struggles with warplane engine technology

China has built a potent military machine over the past 30 years but is struggling to develop advanced engines that would allow its warplanes to match Western fighters in combat, foreign and Chinese industry sources said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jan 15, 2016

Sake workshops in Tokyo spotlight Japan's lesser known regional breweries

On a recent chilly evening, I found myself in the heart of Tokyo's touristy Asakusa district for the first time in many years. I came to visit Kurand Sake Market, a popular standing bar that specializes in the offerings of local brewers, where Chris Hughes, a U.K. sake expert who is helping Kurand reach...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 11, 2015

Secrets law, one year later

The controversial state secret law that took effect last year has already had a chilling effect on the media: no one is even talking about it anymore.
WORLD
Dec 7, 2015

Turkey says it won't send more troops to Iraq unless Baghdad gives its OK

Turkey shelved military plans to send more troops to support allies in northern Iraq, after the government in Baghdad said it may appeal to the United Nations to secure the withdrawal of Turkish soldiers deployed recently to the country.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 30, 2015

Declaring a 'new beginning,' EU and Turkey seal migrant deal

Turkey promised to help stem the flow of migrants to Europe in return for cash, visas and renewed talks on joining the EU in a deal struck on Sunday that the Turkish prime minister called a "new beginning" for the uneasy neighbors.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Nov 25, 2015

Ban blasts Balkan border curbs, 'profiling' of refugees; Greece arrivals ebb

The United Nations on Tuesday condemned new restrictions on refugees that have left around 1,000 migrants stuck at the main border crossing into Macedonia from Greece, denied entry due to their nationalities in violation of international law.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 20, 2015

Putin wants victory against IS, not detente

Putin wants to win the war against Islamic State and be acknowledged as the leader who brought about victory.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2015

Russian Navy's red tide rising

Short of naval assets but wanting to flex its muscles at sea, Russia is employing a maritime version of the 'hybrid warfare' it used to take control of Crimea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 14, 2015

Chinese media crucial in public diplomacy effort

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently had a cameo in the animated adult cartoon "South Park." In the episode, Xi (not the real Xi) revealed that Japan decides "who is gay or not" in Asia. The character also said the Japanese "are dogs who refuse not apologize to the Chinese Republic" and then kissed...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 1, 2015

Chinese supersonic ship killer makes U.S. Navy's job harder

Increased interactions between the Chinese and U.S. Navy in the contested South China Sea risk becoming more complicated by the increasingly sophisticated missiles being carried by submarines.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 1, 2015

With vast number of ships, Beijing takes quantity over quality approach in South China Sea

When a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed near one of Beijing's artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea last week, it was operating in a maritime domain bristling with Chinese ships.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 29, 2015

Despite labor crunch, Japanese firms slow to accept disabled applicants

Law graduate Yusuke Hatsuse says he thought his college degree and national sports success would make him an attractive recruit for Japan's best-known employers. When none invited him for interviews, he applied for virtually every job he could find.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 20, 2015

Abe eroding Japan's soft power

Japan's considerable soft power is being undermined by political insensitivity, provocative policies and a reluctance or inability to explain and justify.
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2015

Tokyo mulls cutting UNESCO funding after U.N. body registers Nanking Massacre documents

The U.N. body's acceptance of Beijing's documents on the Nanking Massacre prompts Tokyo to consider reducing or discontinuing funds.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 30, 2015

China's Xi struggles to show softer side during U.S. charm offensive

Before Xi Jinping flew to the U.S., his foreign minister promised a "people first visit" that would showcase the Chinese president's "extensive outreach to the American people."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 28, 2015

Several groups urge Abe to pledge to accept Syrian refugees

Private organizations supporting refugees on Monday urged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to express during his upcoming speech at the annual U.N. General Assembly session Japan's pledge to accept Syrian asylum seekers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 14, 2015

China unveils details of state-firm reforms as growth sputters

China unveiled details on Sunday of how it would restructure its state-owned enterprises (SOEs), including partial privatization, as data pointed to a cooling in the world's second-largest economy.
WORLD
Sep 12, 2015

IAEA officials to be present when Iran takes Parchin nuclear samples

United Nations inspectors will be present with Iranian technicians as they take samples from a key military site, two Western diplomats said, undercutting an objection by U.S. Republicans to the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami