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Ju-min Park
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2021
In Okinawa, ruling party's tough China stance helps win young voters
Older voters are mostly sticking with left-wing parties, mindful of Okinawa's past as one of the bloodiest battlegrounds of World War II.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 7, 2021
Fair way: Women slowly become more welcome at Tokyo Olympic golf venue
At the moment, there are just a dozen women among the 1,200 full members at the Kasumigaseki Country Club.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2021
School's out for the Tokyo Olympics as parents and teachers reconsider trips
Many schools have pulled out of a program intended to let hundreds of thousands of children see the world's best athletes compete.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2021
Sapporo unprepared for Olympics amid COVID-19 resurgence in Japan
Officials in the city say they still don't have key information, including how many athletes to expect and details on health facilities.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 24, 2021
Japan state-funded hotel deal pays rent to Myanmar Defense Ministry
The payments, starting in 2017, are not illegal but are potentially embarrassing for Tokyo given alleged human rights abuses by Myanmar's military.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2021
How a student battled a culture of silence to help oust Tokyo's Olympic chief
In less than two weeks, Momoko Nojo's petition campaign gathered more than 150,000 signatures, galvanizing global outrage over sexist remarks by Yoshiro Mori.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2021
Dream of running Olympic torch relay now prompts feelings of guilt for Japan doctor
The Olympic torch relay is set to begin on March 25, even though Tokyo and nine other prefectures are set to remain under a state of emergency through March 7.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 31, 2021
No Plan B: Japan's sponsors shelve ads as mood sours over Olympics
Sponsors also worry that organizers have not told them what contingency plans there are in case the pandemic derails the games again this year.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2020
Suga under fire for year-end dinners as coronavirus cases mount
Suga's outings came after the government abruptly halted a government travel subsidy program he had long defended.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 28, 2020
South Korea's conscripted doctors feel like 'human shields' in virus battle
As the coronavirus pandemic began sweeping through South Korea late in February, Dr. Nam Ha-jong received an order to report overnight to Daegu, a city that was to become the epicenter of infections.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 22, 2020
South Korea union says 14 delivery staff died from pandemic overwork
CJ Logistics publicly apologized for five of the deaths and vowed to improve working conditions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 8, 2020
Can K-pop superstars be exempt from military service?
Calls are mounting within South Korea for members of megaband BTS to be granted alternatives or delays to mandatory military service, with some lawmakers and fans arguing they are doing plenty for their country without wearing a soldier's uniform.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Aug 4, 2020
Last Korean war criminal in Japan still pushing for compensation
'Listen to me. Why are they treating us differently? It's unfair and doesn't make any sense. How can I accept this unbelievable situation?' 95-year-old Lee Hak-rae says.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 28, 2020
Cushy coronavirus aid contract puts Japan ad giant Dentsu under spotlight
The ad giant has acquired the task of distributing a $20 billion package to help ailing businesses.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 28, 2020
As Japan reopens, coronavirus testing slowed by red tape and staff shortages
Health ministry technocrats wanted to maintain a tight grip on information rather than cooperate with private institutions, critics say.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 7, 2020
How lax rules and missed warnings led to Japan's second coronavirus-hit cruise ship
Costa Atlantica cruise ship crew members' movements in Nagasaki went largely unmonitored and unregulated as virus spread across Japan.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / FOCUS
Nov 27, 2019
No money, no hope: South Korea's 'dirt spoons' turn against President Moon Jae-in
Hwang Hyeon-dong lives in a 6.6-square-meter (71-square-foot) cubicle near his university campus in Seoul, which comes with a shared bathroom and kitchen plus all the rice he can eat, that he rents for 350,000 won ($302) a month.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2019
Anti-Moon YouTubers in South Korea win fans in Japan
Japanese citizens angry at South Korea's role in a diplomatic row over their wartime history that has spilled into trade have found some unlikely allies: South Korean commentators using YouTube to attack their own president, Moon Jae-in.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 7, 2019
K-Pop stardom lures young Japanese hopefuls to South Korea despite diplomatic chill
Yuuka Hasumi put high school on hold and flew to South Korea in February to try her chances at becoming a K-pop star, even if it means long hours of vocal and dance training, no privacy, no boyfriend and even no phone.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 23, 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un departs by train for Vietnam ahead of summit with Trump: report
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un set off by train for Vietnam on Saturday for his second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump next week, Russia's TASS news agency reported.

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