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July 10, 2025
 

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OFFBEAT

Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 28, 2019
Basketball robot Cue3 and B. League's Alvark Tokyo join Olympic effort to teach students math
In an unusual combination of disciplines, a basketball-shooting robot created by Japan's leading automaker helped students at a Tokyo elementary school on Friday to learn math.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 25, 2019
Fake Kim goes as real Kim comes: Vietnam expels North Korean leader lookalike
An Australian comedian who impersonates North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Monday authorities were deporting him from Vietnam, some 24 hours before the real Kim was due to arrive for a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 13, 2018
Taiwan grandpa catches 'em all playing 'Pokemon Go' on 15 phones
Chen San-yuan turns heads as he cycles through a suburb of Taipei, Taiwan's capital.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 22, 2018
Hitler runs for mayor despite threat from Lennin in Peruvian Andes
Hitler hopes to return to power in a small Peruvian town in the Andes, despite a threat from a detractor named Lennin.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 22, 2018
Thousands sign online petition to 'let people drink' reddish liquid found in 2,000-year-old Egyptian sarcophagus
Ancient elixir, skeletal soup — or something less insidious — thousands of people have signed an online petition to "let people drink" a reddish liquid discovered in a 2,000-year-old sarcophagus unearthed in Egypt.
WORLD
Jul 22, 2018
Leaving on a jet-suit? London store offers chance to hover like 'Iron Man'
Ever fancied a dab at being "Iron Man"? Now you can. A jet-suit created by a British former commodities trader has gone on sale in a London department store with a cool price tag of £340,000 ($446,522).
JAPAN / Society
Apr 7, 2018
Tokyo elementary school welcomes students in controversial Armani uniforms
A public elementary school in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district has welcomed new students amid a lingering controversy over its pricey Armani uniforms.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 4, 2018
South Korea has a sting in the tail for drinkers who mix wasps and soju
South Koreans who enjoy a rare flavor of soju, the country's most beloved alcohol, have been discouraged from mixing wasps into their drinks as a tonic after a health warning from the food ministry.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 27, 2018
Toilet paper crisis in Taiwan sparks government intervention
Taiwan's premier is urging the public to avoid hoarding toilet paper after a reported spike in prices by manufacturers spurred a run on supermarket supplies.
WORLD
Feb 21, 2018
German newspaper gets dog registered as a Social Democrat
Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) were forced on Tuesday to declare that a 3-year-old dog called Lima would not be allowed to vote with party members on a coalition deal with Angela Merkel's conservatives, despite joining the party.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 16, 2018
Wallaby gets the jump on police in Sydney Harbour Bridge chase
Australians often joke that tourists expect to see kangaroos hopping across the Sydney Harbour Bridge but the joke was on police on Tuesday when a wayward wallaby led them in an early-morning chase across the famous landmark.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 25, 2017
Chinese barber deftly wields straight razor to give customers eyelid shaves
Chinese street barber Xiong Gaowu deftly scrapes a straight razor along the inside of his customer's eyelid.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 21, 2017
'Diplocat' takes office in Jordan as British Embassy's newly appointed chief mouser
At the British embassy to Jordan, a former rescue cat is settling into his new position as chief mouser — as a traditional well established in the ministries of London goes global.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 20, 2017
James Bond villain? Steven Mnuchin takes that as a compliment
Steven Mnuchin has fought back against a fair share of criticism since becoming Treasury Secretary, sparring with Democrats who questioned his role in the housing crisis and calling media reports that chastised him "fake news." But now, he's embracing attacks.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 8, 2017
Car kills New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern's famed cat, Paddles
Paddles, the New Zealand prime minister's ginger cat, had six toes and a wide social media following but has run out of lives.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 30, 2017
Unilever insists new KJU shower gel has no link to North Korean leader
Unilever, which is trying to make a splash in the Asian cosmetics market, came to a surprising realization after it developed a new shower gel for China. The initials of the KJU Perfumed by Lux label matched those of North Korea's supreme leader.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 20, 2017
Filipino wins first Elvis in Asia contest
More than 20 Elvis Presley impersonators shimmied, gyrated and belted out classics like "Jailhouse Rock" in Manila on Saturday at the first Elvis in Asia contest.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jul 29, 2017
Chinese woman undergoes plastic surgery in failed bid to evade $3.7 million debt
A 59-year-old woman from the central Chinese city of Wuhan transformed her appearance through plastic surgery in order to avoid 25 million yuan ($3.7 million) of personal debts, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 6, 2017
Some day my prince will come, say Vanuatu worshippers of mere mortal royal Philip
The retirement of Britain's Prince Philip from public life led world headlines Thursday, but his most devout and remote followers have only just heard the news.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Apr 14, 2017
Tweeters spill their guts on #gaijinconfessionfriday
Things got real this Friday — real funny —u00a0as non-Japanese living in Japan admitted their biggest blunders, mistakes and unpopular opinions using the #gaijinconfessionfriday hashtag.
Japan stands its ground after Trump letter delivers 25% U.S. tariff shock
U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at Morristown Airport, New Jersey, on Sunday. Trump on Monday sent letters to 12 countries notifying them of new "reciprocal" tariff rates effective Aug. 1.
Japan to set up 'control tower' for crimes by foreign residents
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
China’s housing crisis is worse than it seems
Residential buildings under construction in Shanghai in July 2022. The Chinese government risks long-term decline by repeating Japan’s policy mistakes in handling its real estate and demographic crises.
Japan and Canada ink key intel-sharing deal
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand shakes hands with Japan's top diplomat, Takeshi Iwaya, at the end of a signing ceremony for an information security agreement, after bilateral talks in Tokyo on Tuesday.
NGOs condemn rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of Upper House vote
Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya holds a board that reads "Japanese First" in Tokyo on July 2. In a joint statement on Tuesday, eight human rights nongovernmental organizations described the far-right party's stance as "hate speech."
Japanese dancers find a home abroad at Houston Ballet
“Giselle” lead Yuriko Kajiya (center), performing with Connor Walsh as Albrecht, is one of six Japanese dancers at Houston Ballet.
From the Abes to the Ohtanis: How siblings shape athletic development
Olympic judoka Uta Abe (second from left) and Hifumi Abe (second from right) with their brother Yuichiro (center) and their parents. “I’m always consciously trying to be a good older brother,” Yuichiro said.
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
Scams involving police impersonation surge
A video by the National Police Agency warns about fake scams.
Lawson to let visitors use larger parking lots as paid car campsites
A Lawson convenience store in Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture. A new service from the company comes amid the rise in inbound tourists, making hotels and inns harder to book and more expensive.

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