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Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Feb 17, 2020

Climate change to open up 'frontier' farmland, but experts urge caution

Kenya’s livestock herders planting chile peppers, Pakistan’s mountain farmers rearing fish and tropical fruits being grown in Sicily — farmers around the world are already shifting what they grow and breed to cope with rising temperatures and erratic weather.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Feb 17, 2020

From SARS to COVID-19, cities plagued by inequality bear brunt of outbreaks

As the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus, becomes the latest urban center to face a deadly disease outbreak, city planners and physicians say such densely packed hubs are particularly vulnerable and may need a redesign.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Feb 17, 2020

Bureaucrats are to blame for copy-happy hotel clerks

With data privacy being a huge issue, you may feel uneasy about hotels photocopying your passport. However, Colin P.A. Jones says the rule is more about bureaucratic culture than privacy.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 17, 2020

Gay candidate Pete Buttigieg says he won't be lectured on morality by Rush Limbaugh

Openly gay Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg pushed back Sunday against recent homophobic comments from conservative radio personalities as he rises to become a 2020 front-runner.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 17, 2020

Trump takes limousine lap before Daytona 500 auto race

President Donald Trump took a loop around the Daytona 500 racetrack on Sunday in the presidential limousine known as "The Beast," drawing cheers from fans at NASCAR'S most prestigious race.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 17, 2020

German court delays Tesla Berlin factory preparation amid environmental challenge

Elon Musk's plan to build an electric car plant in Germany has run into legal trouble after a court said clearing a forest near Berlin for a new Tesla Inc. factory must stop immediately while it considers a challenge by environmentalists.
BUSINESS
Feb 17, 2020

Bayer, now with BASF, faces more Monsanto pain after trial loss

The first U.S. trial over the dicamba herbicide has landed Bayer AG and its German rival, BASF SE, with another potentially multi-billion-dollar problem.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 16, 2020

Power and money in Japanese politics

The income and terms of office for lawmakers can help explain Diet bribery and corruption.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 16, 2020

Tourism hit from coronavirus will carry into 2021, travel experts say

Even as infections of the novel coronavirus seemed to be slowing at one point last week, the effects of the epidemic on the global tourism industry were accelerating rapidly.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2020

With Javid's departure, Johnson has seized control

Sajid Javid's replacement, Rishi Sunak, is less likely to stand up to No. 10 and Dominic Cummings. U.K. spending may become more lavish as a result.
Japan Times
SATOYAMA CONSORTIUM
Feb 16, 2020

City events raise environmental awareness

Located on the Shimokita Peninsula in Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan's main island, Honshu, the city of Mutsu — with a population of about 57,000 — has been making constant efforts to keep the city attractive for both residents and visitors.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2020

Japan cancels brand protection for Aichi's Nishio Matcha tea as producers seek flexibility to boost sales

The agriculture ministry has removed Aichi Prefecture's Nishio Matcha tea from its list of geographically protected local specialty brand names so its producers can be given the freedom to try more efficient growing methods.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Feb 16, 2020

With racketeering charges, U.S. releases potent weapon against China telecom giant Huawei

By filing a racketeering charge against Huawei Technologies Co., U.S. federal prosecutors have unleashed a potent legal weapon in a multipronged and increasingly noisy American campaign against the Chinese technology giant.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 16, 2020

'The West is winning': Misgivings in Europe as U.S. takes on China

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended on Saturday his nation's global role despite misgivings in Europe, vowing that Western values would prevail over Russian and Chinese desires for "empire."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Commentary
Feb 16, 2020

Coast guard ship deal highlights growing Japan-Philippine security ties

Earlier this month, Japan and the Philippines inked a contract for the delivery of vessels that would constitute the largest in the Philippine Coast Guard. Though this was just one of many developments in the Japan-Philippine defense relationship, it is not without significance for their security ties...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Feb 16, 2020

China's Xi details hands-on approach in virus fight from early January

China released a two-week-old speech showing President Xi Jinping was leading the national effort to contain the coronavirus, in an apparent effort to quell public anger over the handling of the outbreak.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 16, 2020

China reports slight fall in new COVID-19 cases as France confirms first death outside Asia

The number of new cases of a coronavirus in China fell slightly on Sunday, more than three weeks after the outbreak's epicenter was locked down, and a Chinese tourist died from the virus in France, the first fatality in Europe.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Feb 15, 2020

Matt Kuchar holds two-stroke advantage at Genesis Open as Tiger Woods falls nine behind

Matt Kuchar was not at his best but did enough to maintain the lead in the second round at the Genesis Open on Friday, as Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott loomed large in the rear view mirror in perfect winter conditions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 15, 2020

Virtual idols, anime and a rock 'n' roll spirit: Nakamura Shido II leads kabuki's evolution

The audience, most of whom are in their 20s and 30s, wave glow sticks and holler as the lights go down for the start of the show. Above the stage, a frame of blue lights throbs and pulses like a circuit board before the curtain draws back.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 15, 2020

Unmarried single parents find an unlikely ally in scrap over tax deduction

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party submitted an amendment to the Diet in January to expand the "widow's deduction" to cover single parents who have never been married. This system allows single parents who have lost spouses to death or divorce to deduct a certain amount of money from their taxable income...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 15, 2020

News outlets weigh whether new virus will affect Olympics

Since mid-January, the name on the lips of increasing numbers of TV news announcers and commentators has been "Bukan," which is how the Chinese city of Wuhan is pronounced in Japanese.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Feb 15, 2020

COVID-19 reveals fractured moral impulse of social media

The outbreak of a new coronavirus in China, now officially named COVID-19, has sparked plenty of concern online — some valid, others more hyperbolic in nature. Like many global events in the social media age, the outbreak has also resulted in no shortage of fake news and racism. Both elements have...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Feb 15, 2020

Nao Hirano: A Japanese pillar of the Queensland community

Determined to give back to Australia's Gold Coast community, Nao Hirano's acheivements rank high — from senior police liaison officer to founder of Japan Community of Queensland Inc.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Feb 15, 2020

With the Kit Kat McFlurry, McDonald's continues its winning streak

Dessert Watch doesn't play favorites, but recently McDonald's Japan has been on a roll that's hard to ignore. The once besieged fast food chain has been scoring sweet hits (and online buzz) in the past few months, and its latest continues the streak.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 15, 2020

'Introduction to Zen Training': Sogen Omori's road map to enlightenment

An introduction to Zen practice, by one of Japan's leading practitioners.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Feb 15, 2020

Alvin Cheung: Coffee and keyboards — a perfect combo

Alvin Cheung talks about the caffeine-charged world of entrepreneurism, design and 'coffee terroir.'

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