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COMMENTARY / World
Aug 22, 2014

Was U.S. ransom policy a factor in Foley's death?

Hostage-taking by extremist groups is now so pervasive that at least one major aid organization has stopped sending U.S. workers to areas where they might be abducted. Instead, they are sending citizens from European countries — with governments that will pay ransoms.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 21, 2014

Doctor treated with experimental Ebola drug to be discharged Thursday

An American doctor who contracted Ebola while treating victims of the deadly virus in Liberia has recovered and will be discharged Thursday by the Atlanta hospital that treated him with an experimental drug, his charity said.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 21, 2014

Malaysian militants inspired by the Islamic State plotted bomb attack on Carlsberg brewery

Suspected Malaysian militants loyal to the extremist Islamic State movement bought bomb-making material ahead of a proposed attack on a Carlsberg brewery near the capital, Kuala Lumpur, a top anti-terrorism official said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 21, 2014

Sukiyaki Meets the World ... and the world gets to meet Toyama

In June of 1963, Kyu Sakamoto's "Ue wo Muite Aruko" — better known as "Sukiyaki" overseas — became Japan's first, and only, No. 1 hit single in the United States.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Aug 21, 2014

Ogaki Mini Maker Faire, a great place to make stuff up

Who says you have to be a professional to be an inventor? The Ogaki Mini Maker Faire 2014 this weekend in Gifu Prefecture brings together all manner of people to share their unique ideas — from craftsmen, artists and developers to absolutely anyone who likes electronics and gadgets.
Events / Events In Tokyo
Aug 21, 2014

Celebrate summer at one of Tokyo's most popular traditional festivals

Of the many local summer festivals in japan, the Azabu Juban Noryo, which takes place in the heart of Tokyo from Aug. 23-24, is one of the most popular in the city, attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. With a history of more than 40 years, it takes place in Roppongi's Azabu Juban...
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Aug 21, 2014

Shinjuku becomes a hub of student art

If you're interested in new art, but don't have the time to visit dozens of small galleries, the Shinjuku Creators Festa 2014 is a good opportunity to discover up-and-coming artists, without traveling all over the metropolis. For 17 days from Aug. 22 through Sept. 7, the city of Shinjuku is showcasing...
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Aug 21, 2014

Go dancing in the streets of Roppongi

Home to numerous shopping areas, nightclubs and bars, Roppongi is probably not the first place you would think off when you want to experience some traditional Japanese culture. But despite its reputation, the district has a traditional side and its own Obon holiday event.
BUSINESS
Aug 21, 2014

U.S. job market gains yet to convince Fed to hike rates

The Federal Reserve has been surprised by how quickly the U.S. labor market is healing but doesn't want to bring forward a planned rate hike until the recovery looks more convincing, according to minutes of its last policy meeting.
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2014

U.S. ice bucket challenge picked up by Japan's movers and shakers

A U.S.-based social media challenge daring people to douse themselves with buckets of ice water spreads to Japan, with celebrities from billionaire Masayoshi Son to singer Ayumi Hamasaki taking up the gauntlet to boost awareness of what is known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Aug 20, 2014

Osaka mayor paints ambitious picture of prefecture in 2025 plan

If Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto has his way, by 2025, as it prepares to host that year's International Expo, Osaka will have become an international entertainment capital, home to a casino resort, the site of a major electronic car race and a bicycle race that rivals the Tour de France.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 20, 2014

Hackers steal encrypted passwords of MeetMe social network users

Hackers gained access to some names, emails and encrypted passwords of users of MeetMe Inc.'s social network, the company said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 19, 2014

Liberia says all 17 runaway Ebola patients have been located

Liberia has found all 17 suspected Ebola patients who fled a quarantine center in Monrovia at the weekend and transferred them to another clinic, the information minister said on Tuesday.
WORLD
Aug 19, 2014

China punishes Xinjiang official for openly practicing faith

China has reprimanded 15 Xinjiang officials for violations that include adhering to religious faith, state media said on Tuesday, amid a crackdown on what the government calls illegal religious activities in the unruly western region.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 19, 2014

Heinz to tighten supplier controls in China after infant food scare

U.S. foodmaker H.J. Heinz Co. said on Tuesday it will tighten controls over ingredients suppliers in China after it was forced to recall some infant food products from Chinese store shelves due to excess levels of lead.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2014

Tokyu Corp. taps foreign students to help make Shibuya more tourist-friendly

Railway operator and real estate developer Tokyu Corp. has kicked off a nightly seminar during which some of its employees will live with foreign exchange students for two weeks, and discuss how to make Shibuya "the world's most fascinating tourist spot."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 19, 2014

Musician Rory Viner turns Japan's suicide statistics into a song

Train delays due to jinshin jiko, which euphemistically translates to "human accident" — often a suicide on the tracks — are far from an infrequent occurrence in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 19, 2014

Eurasia's 'Reagan revolutions' degrade democracy

The three boastful, rabble-rousing leaders of Turkey, India and Russia possess ideological bases like the one U.S. President Ronald Reagan had among Christian fundamentalists and neoconservative intellectuals.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 19, 2014

Two California youths accused of plotting high school shooting spree

Police in the Los Angeles suburb of South Pasadena said Monday they had thwarted a mass shooting plot with the arrest of two teenagers who were conspiring to kill several staffers and as many fellow students as possible at their high school.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 19, 2014

As Gaza war subsides, a battle over how it is investigated begins

Even before starting work as chairman of a U.N. human rights commission investigating the Gaza war, Canadian law professor William Schabas has been vilified as an apologist for Iran who is incapable of setting aside his perceived anti-Israel bias.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 19, 2014

Julian Assange hopes to exit embassy in London if U.K. lets him, spokesman says

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has spent over two years inside Ecuador's London embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden, said on Monday he planned to leave the building "soon," but his spokesman said that could only happen if Britain lets him.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2014

Nonprofit group aims to help female students meet their potential

Tokyo-based nonprofit organization Hanalabs is offering female college students in Japan a chance to advance their careers by devising solutions to social problems affecting communities in need of revitalization.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 18, 2014

New 'Bernanke shock' in cards for emerging markets: ex-IMF exec Kato

Emerging markets are at risk of revisiting last year's "Bernanke shock" should the Federal Reserve signal an end to near-zero interest rates earlier than investors anticipate, according to Takatoshi Kato, once a deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Aug 17, 2014

Could the lingua franca approach to learning break Japan's English curse?

Learning English as a lingua franca (ELF) involves approaching the language as a tongue shared by non-native speakers around the world rather than as a lingo that must be mastered to native-speaker level.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 17, 2014

From 2015, you may not have to work 25 years to draw a pension

The period you have to pay into the system to be eligible to draw a pension is supposed to be cut down to 10 years in October 2015, but this is inextricably linked to a planned consumption tax hike.

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