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COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2017

Vague U.S. policies may speed China's buildup

Without clarity on how it intends to prevent China's militarization in the South China Sea, the Trump administration may give Beijing an excuse to do it even faster.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2017

Trump and anti-Russia frenzy

Donald Trump is a creature of instinct, and sometimes instinct can be closer to the truth than the dogmas of our allegedly better educated elites.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2017

How space could trigger an economic crisis

The World Economic Forum's annual assessment of global risks, published this month, rates extreme weather events as the most likely risk to the world.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jan 18, 2017

The long goodbye: making sense of Brexit from Japan

What Brexit will mean in practice remains a mystery. Also unknown is what effect — if any — Britain's divorce from the EU will have on 'Brexpats' in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Jan 15, 2017

Fukushima to play direct role in pitching its produce in Tokyo-area supermarkets

To fight harmful rumors about Fukushima farm produce and to revive sales, the prefectural government plans to set up permanent sales spaces for susceptible products in major supermarkets in the Tokyo metropolitan area this summer.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2017

U.S. report reveals cover-up of Osprey mishap in 2014

Details in a report recently obtained via the U.S. Freedom of Information Act suggest the U.S. Marine Corps misled the public about an incident involving an Osprey aircraft in 2014.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / OKINAWA BEAT
Jan 13, 2017

Okinawa prepares for new effort to block Henoko base by rallying local opposition

Okinawa Prefecture is scrambling to plot its next move in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling siding with the central government's effort to relocate the operations of a U.S. military base within the prefecture despite fierce local opposition.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices
Dec 14, 2016

Views from Kansai: What are your hopes and fears about the coming Trump presidency?

John Ashburne took to the streets of Osaka and Kyoto 
to find out what people expect from the Donald Trump administration in 
the U.S. See the online version of this article or the Japan Times YouTube channel for a video of these vox pops.
Reader Mail
Dec 9, 2016

Absurd for Japan to pay more to U.S.

Asked about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's urging on the campaign trail that Japan pay more for the U.S. forces stationed here, Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said at a recent news conference that Japan pays enough for hosting the U.S. military.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 7, 2016

On Japan stop of Asia tour, Carter reassures Inada over Trump fears

The defense secretary says the United States remains committed to the alliance and the broader Asia-Pacific region.
EDITORIALS
Dec 4, 2016

Diverse views on abdication

The government must reflect the will of the people when it decides how to respond to Emperor Akihito's desire to abdicate.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 3, 2016

What shape will populism take in modern Japan?

Populism isn't new. A wave of it generated democracy in ancient Greece, circa 500 B.C. Its modern form, born in America in the early 19th century, was a revolt against the planter aristocracy that had governed since independence in 1776. Andrew Jackson — said to be the first president born in a log...
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 30, 2016

Callers for dollars: Inside India's IRS scam call centers

In late September, a woman in National City, California, received a voice message on her phone saying she was in trouble with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over "tax evasion or tax fraud."
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 28, 2016

China protests to Singapore over troop carriers in Taiwan

China said on Monday it had lodged a protest with Singapore after Singaporean armored troop carriers were seized by Hong Kong customs en route back from Taiwan, as a state-owned newspaper warned against Singapore's "hypocrisy."
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2016

Appointments will determine Trump's legacy

If President-Elect Donald Trump wants to transform policy, especially involving international affairs, he must not appoint those determined to uphold today's interventionist status quo.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2016

Abe's Cabinet approves more muscular SDF peacekeeping role

For the first time since World War II, Japanese troops under certain circumstances will be allowed to use deadly force beyond self-defense.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 5, 2016

Amid Rakhine violence, rights monitors voice concern about Myanmar's freedom of speech

Human rights monitors have raised concerns about press freedom in Myanmar after a journalist at an English-language newspaper said she was fired following government criticism of her reporting of allegations of rape by soldiers.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 13, 2016

I'm Russian, and Hillary Clinton makes me nervous

Hillary Clinton has declared war on dictators, but Russia can't be forced onto a democratic path.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Oct 7, 2016

Rating, ranking — and ruining? — Japanese sake

On Aug. 31, the Wine Advocate, a publication started by the influential U.S.-based wine critic Robert Parker, released its first "official" ratings guide to sake with reviews written by Chinese critic Liwen Hao. Parker, who gained fame for creating the 100-point scoring system widely used to rate wines,...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 2, 2016

Xi said consolidating grip on power in China by curbing rival bloc, giving allies more power

One year before a Communist Party conclave that could decide who will eventually replace him as China's next leader, President Xi Jinping is maneuvering to reduce the power of a rival political bloc while seeking to get members of his own faction onto the country's top ruling body, according to three...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / HOME TRUTHS
Oct 1, 2016

Tokyo faces declining condominium prices

In Japan's housing market, there has always been one verity: Certain parts of Tokyo will always be popular and, therefore, profitable for developers. However, according to various media reports, that verity may have collapsed, at least when it comes to new condominiums.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 24, 2016

Yahoo faces growing scrutiny over when it learned of data breach

Yahoo on Friday faced pointed questions about exactly when it learned about a cyberattack that exposed the email credentials of 500 million users, a critical issue for the company as it seeks to prevent the breach from affecting a pending takeover by Verizon Inc.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2016

Snowden is turning into a liability for Putin

The Kremlin does its best to squeeze local critics out of the country or discredit them, but it's stuck harboring a foreigner whose initial gratitude may have worn out.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Sep 15, 2016

Enthusiastic players unite to promote new league

Players were upbeat and enthusiastic, and a positive vibe filled the room.
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
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 13, 2016

China names new Tianjin Communist Party boss amid corruption probe

China has appointed former Communist Party secretary of Hubei province Li Hongzhong as the new party chief for the strategic port city of Tianjin, days after announcing a corruption investigation into the northeastern city's former mayor.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Sep 12, 2016

Pop group SMAP to split up at year's end

Hugely popular boy band SMAP will break up at the end of the year, their management agency has announced.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years