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JAPAN
Feb 21, 2018

Japan to buy at least 20 more F-35A stealth fighters, with some or all assembled in U.S.: sources

Japan plans to buy at least 20 additional F-35A stealth fighters over the next six years, some or all of which it may purchase directly from U.S.-based Lockheed Martin Corp. rather than having them assembled by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., its primary defense contractor, three sources said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 21, 2018

North Koreans dropped out of meeting with Pence at last minute, U.S. says

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was prepared to hold a historic meeting with top North Korean officials during his visit to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea earlier this month but was rebuffed by the North at the last minute, U.S. officials said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2018

Japan's discretionary labor system: What you need to know

As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and government officials clash with opposition lawmakers over a proposal to expand an overtime work system called the discretionary labor system, here's a look at how the system works.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 19, 2018

North Korea 'fully ready for both dialogue and war,' state media says

North Korea is "fully ready for both dialogue and war" and prepared to respond to any U.S. "provocation by prompt counterstrike," state-run media said Monday as the Winter Olympics continued in South Korea.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 19, 2018

After Daifuku's 1,200% stock surge, departing Japan chip CEO aims for more

Masaki Hojo, who built Daifuku Co. into the world's largest maker of machines for handling chip materials, is once again challenging market expectations even as he prepares to make his exit from the company.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 19, 2018

How information technology poses a threat to democracy

Social media could be just the start of a slippery slope leading to an Orwellian world controlled by Big Data Brother, accelerated by convergence with the sensors in our devices and rapid advances in artificial intelligence.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 19, 2018

Ministop ends sale of porn magazines at convenience stores nationwide

Unrestricted displays of pornographic magazines at retail stores are rare overseas. With the number of inbound tourists expected to increase sharply for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo, calls for the removal of porn magazines from convenience store shelves in Japan have been increasing.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Feb 19, 2018

SoftBank's IPO plan raises doubts about guarantees on bonds worth $33 billion

Billionaire Masayoshi Son's plan to list his cash-cow telecom business is raising concern among observers that the company might stop guaranteeing the debt of its parent, SoftBank Group Corp., worsening the quality of its credit.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 19, 2018

John Kelly and Secret Service agent scuffled with Chinese security officials over nuclear 'football' in Beijing, report claims

White House chief of staff John Kelly, a U.S. Secret Service agent and the U.S. military aide in charge of the so-called nuclear football were involved in a skirmish with Chinese security officials during President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing in November, a report said Sunday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 19, 2018

Ankara calls alleged Turkish gas attack in Syria's Afrin 'just a fabricated story'

Turkey never used chemical weapons in its operations in Syria, and takes the utmost care of civilians, its foreign minister said, after Syrian Kurdish forces and a monitoring group accused it of carrying out a gas attack in Syria's Afrin region.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 18, 2018

Kuroda must channel his inner Greenspan

The BOJ governor must shift from being a man of bold action to one of courageous words.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 18, 2018

British euroskeptic party UKIP removes leader Henry Bolton

British euroskeptic party UKIP was thrown into turmoil again on Saturday when its members removed leader Henry Bolton after less than five months in charge following criticism of his leadership and a scandal about racist comments made by his lover.
OLYMPICS
Feb 17, 2018

Majestic Yuzuru Hanyu defends Olympic figure skating title

Yuzuru Hanyu etched his name into the pantheon of skating legends with a second straight Olympic gold medal in the free skate at the Pyeongchang Games on Saturday.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Feb 17, 2018

Kansai executives offer advice on improving nation's diplomacy

'Track II diplomacy" is the official neutral-sounding phrase used to refer to diplomatic efforts by "nonstate" actors. In thriller films and books, it's usually portrayed as a game of shadows between powerful but mysterious groups and individuals who may, or may not, be working to save the world.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2018

ICC eyed to condemn North's '59-'84 repatriation program

Eiko Kawasaki, an ethnic Korean woman who spent 43 years in North Korea, announced a plan Friday to file a petition with the International Criminal Court to declare Pyongyang's postwar repatriation program a crime against humanity.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 16, 2018

U.S. top envoy Rex Tillerson says Hezbollah role poses threat to Lebanon

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Lebanon on Thursday that the Iran-backed Hezbollah group's growing arsenal and involvement in regional conflicts threatened Lebanon's security.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 16, 2018

FBI admits being alerted to Florida gunman last year but couldn't pinpoint him

The Federal Bureau of Investigation was warned in September about an ominous online comment by the 19-year-old man accused of killing 17 people at his former high school but was unable to locate him, an agent said on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2018

Japan's next ambassador to U.S. firm on stance against North Korea

Shinsuke Sugiyama, the next Japanese ambassador to the United States, said Thursday that he will do all he can to resolve issues pertaining to North Korea's nuclear arms and missile programs and its abductions of Japanese nationals.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2018

Shogi showdown pits 'god' against 'genius'

The match of the century. The battle between a "god" and a "genius." The faceoff between the undisputed champion of shogi and his touted successor.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past