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BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 2, 2020

Financial stimulus in rich countries could worsen fates of poorer economies

A massive exodus of capital from emerging economies has left many in a Catch-22 position, where adopting the kinds of monetary and fiscal stimulus measures the rich world is deploying could perversely make things worse.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2020

Britons to receive 'stop-gap' loan relief to weather pandemic

British consumers will get a three-month freeze on loan and credit card payments to weather the COVID-19 epidemic, under plans outlined by the country's financial regulator on Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2020

Abenomask? Prime minister's 'two masks per household' policy spawns memes on social media

Social media has expressed shock at what they see as a tone-deaf policy.
Japan Times
EDITORIALS
Apr 2, 2020

Is the nation ready for a long battle against COVID-19?

Many major cities around the globe have implemented lockdowns, but Japan’s big cities such as Tokyo and Osaka have not yet followed suit. Because of that, a sense of crisis about the coronavirus pandemic among the public seems relatively low. In New York, a ban on eating in restaurants and cafes was...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 2, 2020

Policy goal: How to get from good to great

As Japanese and global policymakers are rushing to design policies to counter the looming economic depression, advice from one of my favorite economists, Jean-Baptiste Say, comes to mind. In 1803 he wrote: “In policy as well as in morality, the grand secret is not to constrain the actions, but to awaken...
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 2, 2020

Coronavirus casts shadow over Japan's timeline for casino resorts

With the Diet focused on responding to the worsening spread of COVID-19, the timeline for the central government to approve the nation’s first casino resorts has been thrown into doubt.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 2, 2020

Japan sees record 4,300 cannabis offenders in 2019

A record 4,321 individuals were involved in cannabis cases in Japan last year, up 743 from the previous year for the sixth consecutive year of increases, with abuse of the drug by young people showing a marked rise, police said Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 2, 2020

Demand for health gadgets soars amid lockdowns

Fitness-tracking gadgets are selling out, home exercise classes have never been more popular and robotics crews are pivoting to making sanitation robots. The Covid-19 pandemic has triggered a seismic wave of health awareness and anxiety, which is energizing a new category of virus-fighting tech.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2020

All bets are off: Casino capitals Macao and Las Vegas slammed by virus

The vast, glitzy gaming halls of Macao are open, but thousands of baccarat tables are empty. The world's biggest gambling hub has barred entry to most travelers and hotels are being used to isolate new arrivals in case they have been infected by coronavirus.
Reader Mail
Apr 2, 2020

A desperate plea from London to lock down Japan

As a Japanese medical student studying in the U.K., I had watched with pride and comfort that Japan seemed to be limiting its COVID-19 case numbers despite being so close to the source. A country of efficiency, sanitation and respect. I was reassured that if any country could contain the disease, it...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 2, 2020

The unstoppable rise of Regal Lily

Regal Lily is supposed to be on tour at the moment. But instead of enjoying what the band’s members like about touring — eating hotel breakfasts, trying local dishes or simply exploring new towns — they’re staying put. There will be no early April show at Mynavi Blitz Akasaka, Tokyo, wrapping...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 2, 2020

'Step': Parenthood drama that tugs at the heartstrings

By now there are many films about single fathers, but for me the eye-opener was 1979’s “Kramer vs. Kramer.” In it, Dustin Hoffman plays a workaholic adman who struggles to raise his young son after being abandoned by his wife (Meryl Streep), but resists giving up the boy when she returns to claim...
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 1, 2020

Over half of Americans are postponing their weddings as industry reels

One of the last weddings performed in public in Las Vegas was on St. Patrick’s Day. The groom wore a dark suit. The bride wore a rockabilly-style black halter dress. The minister was Slash from Guns N’ Roses — or, rather, a licensed officiant performing as the shaggy-maned, top-hatted guitarist....
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 1, 2020

NSC change prepares Japan for new global realities

Japan is moving toward a wiser decision-making process when it comes to key security questions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 1, 2020

The Battle of Okinawa: Could more civilians have been saved?

The true lesson of the Battle of Okinawa may be that civilian deaths in war can and should be kept to the absolute minimum.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2020

Wannabe autocrats love the COVID-19 pandemic

In Hungary and Poland — as in Israel and elsewhere — liberty suddenly seems cheap. Even in a pandemic, it shouldn't be.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 1, 2020

Amid shutdowns elsewhere, government plans to continue Diet business as usual

While Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike has urged residents in the capital to work from home, and the nation appears to be inching toward declaring a state of emergency over rapid spread of COVID-19, the government seems set to maintain business as usual — at least for now.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2020

China’s global influence operation goes way beyond the WHO

The U.S. hoped bringing Beijing into international organizations would change it for the better, but the opposite is happening.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 1, 2020

Stranded tourists flock to Tokyo immigration bureau already overwhelmed by seasonal rush

Scores of foreign nationals queued up at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau on Wednesday, as tourists unable to return home — after international flights from Japan were suspended due to COVID-19 — added to the typical numbers attending the bureau.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 1, 2020

Are Tokyo's hospitals and health care system ready for a COVID-19 storm?

With the number of COVID-19 cases in Tokyo having nearly quadrupled in 10 days, it seems no longer a question of whether Japan will declare a national emergency, but when and how.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Apr 1, 2020

Sports streaming service DAZN to stop paying rights fees to leagues: source

Streaming service DAZN has told sports leagues it will not pay rights fees for any suspended or canceled games amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Apr 1, 2020

Ep. 37 'Another Terrace!!'

Most weeks, watching “Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020” is a fun indulgence that lets viewers bask in the low-stakes drama of six 20-somethings (and an occasional 30-something) pursuing crushes, following their dreams, going on dates and cooking meals. But Episode 37 was different because when it comes...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 1, 2020

With U.S. 2020 race all but halted over coronavirus, Joe Biden quietly widens lead over Trump

Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden has quietly expanded his lead over President Donald Trump among registered voters, even as the rapidly spreading coronavirus has all but sidelined the former vice president's campaign, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 1, 2020

China starts to report asymptomatic coronavirus cases

Chinese health authorities began on Wednesday reporting on asymptomatic cases of the coronavirus as part of an effort to allay public fears that people could be spreading the virus without knowing they are infected with it.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2020

Cardboard and plastic: Tottori Prefecture goes low-tech to protect officials from COVID-19

In a nation famed for its cutting-edge robots and toilets, one prefecture is going defiantly low-tech in its effort to defend its officials against COVID-19.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 1, 2020

U.S. and South Korea near tentative troop-funding deal, report says

The U.S. and South Korea have tentatively reached a military cost-sharing agreement, the Yonhap news agency reported, potentially ending months of bickering over demands from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump for a massive increase.

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers