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Japan Times
ESG CONSORTIUM
Jan 20, 2019

The rise of social impact bonds in Japan

Social impact bonds (SIBs) have been increasingly attracting public attention as a new method of social investment. The first batch of SIBs in Japan were launched in three municipalities during 2017 and 2018 following the themes of severe diabetes prevention in the city of Kobe and colorectal cancer screening in the city of Hachioji and Hiroshima Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2019

Cruise ship passengers dip for first time since '13

The number of visitors to Japan by cruise ships in 2018 dropped 3.3 percent from the previous year to 2,446,000, the first fall since statistics began in 2013, the transport ministry said Friday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 18, 2019

Madarao: The tree skiing capital of Japan?

The Madarao Kogen ski resort prides itself on two things: its powder snow ('Madapow!') — enjoying over 10 meters of fresh snow annually — and its tree skiing. It is less well-known than some of its rivals within the prefecture, but that just means emptier runs and shorter lift queues.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2019

Beijing's perilous Taiwan policy

The unfolding geopolitical contest between China and the United States has been described by many as a new cold war. If it ever becomes a hot one, the flash point could be Taiwan, owing in large part to Chinese policy toward the island.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2019

SpaceX's 10% workforce cut includes 577 layoffs at California HQ

Hours after launching its first rocket of the new year on Friday morning, Elon Musk's company told stunned employees that roughly 10 percent of SpaceX's workforce would be laid off. Workers were sent home early to await notification to their private email addresses about their fate.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Jan 11, 2019

Naomi Osaka's poise key for success at Australian Open

It's often said that getting to the upper echelon of tennis is the easy part.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 11, 2019

In 2019, how hungry is Japan for whale meat?

Japan is currently the object of criticism for its decision to leave the International Whaling Commission, and resume commercial whaling in territorial waters and its own exclusive economic zone. People who support the move cite either cultural reasons — Japan traditionally, they assert, is a whale-eating...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 11, 2019

Ocean temperatures rising faster than thought in 'delayed response' to global warming: scientists

The world's oceans are rising in temperature faster than previously believed as they absorb most of the world's growing climate-changing emissions, scientists said Thursday.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 11, 2019

White Sox land outfielder Jon Jay, continue pursuit of Manny Machado

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal with veteran free agent outfielder Jon Jay, the club announced Thursday.
SUMO
Jan 10, 2019

Hakuho and rivals seeking to taste success in opening tournament of new season

After one of the best years in the ring the past couple of decades, sumo heads into the final January tournament of the Heisei Era poised on the edge of its own era change.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 10, 2019

Mets avoid arbitration with catcher Travis d'Arnaud

The New York Mets and catcher Travis d'Arnaud has agreed to a one-year, $3,515,000 deal to avoid salary arbitration, according to published reports on Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2019

VW and Ford to reveal deeper alliance next week in tech quest amid trade frictions, sources say

Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Co. will unveil a deeper alliance next week that goes beyond cooperating in commercial vehicles in a move meant to save the automakers billions of dollars as they develop new technologies, two people familiar with the plan said on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 8, 2019

Think small to denuclearize North Korea

New Year's traditions differ across the Pacific. Americans break out bottles of champagne and wake up with headaches and fuzzy memories. Koreans try to maintain sobriety in order to bow to family elders on Jan. 1 and receive blessings for the peace, prosperity and health of their entire clan. Such cultural...
Japan Times
TENNIS
Jan 8, 2019

Kei Nishikori poised to have deep run in Melbourne after ending title drought

Joy, elation, exuberance.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 8, 2019

With hopes of sanctions-related gifts from Beijing, Kim spends birthday in China

As Kim Jong Un spent his birthday in Beijing on Tuesday, the young North Korean leader was likely hoping to take home more than just a few gifts during his three-day visit to the Chinese capital.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 8, 2019

Supreme Court snubs suit by actress Olivia de Havilland, 102, against FX Networks

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider reviving a lawsuit by 102-year-old Oscar-winning actress Olivia de Havilland accusing a Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. unit of falsely portraying her in a miniseries about a famous Hollywood feud.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2019

With nearly $900 billion in cash at the ready, Japan's M&A spending spree likely to continue

Japan outmuscled China to dominate mergers and acquisitions in Asia last year, and with companies in possession of more than $890 billion in cash, the spending spree is likely to continue in 2019.
EDITORIALS
Jan 6, 2019

Keep growing inbound tourism

Sustained efforts must be made to beef up tourism as a key future industry.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2019

Nuclear arms: A year of living dangerously

U.S. President Donald Trump's disdain for international institutions and rules established him as the disrupter in chief of the global nuclear order.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Taking the Lead
Jan 6, 2019

Changing times: Seiko eyes global luxury watch market as CEO takes iconic firm in a new direction

The executive floor at Seiko Holdings Corp. in Tokyo's posh Ginza district is a piece of history unto itself — the chambers have remained the same for almost a century. If these walls and museum-worthy carved moldings could speak, they would perhaps wax poetic about how Seiko evolved from a watch and...
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 6, 2019

German cyberdefense agency defends handling of data breach

Germany's BSI cyberdefense agency on Saturday defended its role in responding to a far-reaching data breach, saying it could not have connected individual cases it was aware of last year until the entire data release became public.
EDITORIALS
Jan 4, 2019

Russia brandishes hypersonic threat

Talks should begin to discuss limits on 'hypersonic' technologies to prevent a new major arms race.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / 2019 Outlook
Jan 2, 2019

Economic outlook for 2019: More uncertainty for Japan's economy amid planned tax rise and global slowdown

While it is not known which events will hold back global commerce, professional economic soothsayers appear in agreement that growing risks and uncertainty will slow Japan's growth.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 1, 2019

Japan's most exciting book releases in 2019

2019's impressive lineup of books on Japan, include classic reprints, new fiction and studies of the nation's international relations.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jan 1, 2019

Britain deploys extra patrol boats as English Channel migrant crossings rise, 12 turn up on beach

Britain is recalling two patrol boats from overseas deployments to help deal with an increase in the number of migrants trying to reach the country from France, interior minister Sajid Javid said on Monday.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 31, 2018

1912 Olympian Kanakuri helped create Hakone race

This will be the 95th winter featuring the New Year's tradition — the Tokyo-Hakone Round-Trip College Ekiden Race, or as it's more commonly known, the Hakone ekiden.

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