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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 22, 2017

The art of the North Korean deal

Unless the North Korea problem is separated from the strategic competition between the U.S. and China, diplomatic efforts will continue to fail.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 21, 2017

Trump taps military strategist McMaster as national security adviser to replace ousted Flynn

President Donald Trump on Monday named Lt. Gen. Herbert Raymond McMaster as his new national security adviser, choosing a military officer known for speaking his mind and challenging his superiors.
EDITORIALS
Feb 17, 2017

Time to repair Tokyo-Seoul ties

Tokyo and Seoul can't afford to let bilateral ties languish given the regional threat posed by North Korea.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 17, 2017

Contentious plea deal as man admits buying rifles used in San Bernardino massacre

In a plea deal criticized by the father of a victim, a California man pleaded guilty Thursday to providing the high-powered rifles used to kill 14 people in the San Bernardino terror attack.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 15, 2017

'One Week Friends': Groundhog day in the 'friend zone'

Someday soon someone is going to come up with an algorithm for commercial seishun eiga (youth films). Plug in the variables — teenaged love in its more innocuous variations being first and foremost — and pop out a script for another hit.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 13, 2017

Toshiba's nuclear reactor mess winds back to a Louisiana swamp

If you want to understand why Toshiba is about to report a multi-billion dollar writedown on its nuclear reactor business, the story begins and ends with a onetime pipe manufacturer with roots in the swamp country of Louisiana.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 13, 2017

Germany's new president sees rocky trans-Atlantic relations ahead under Trump

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a vocal critic of Donald Trump elected as Germany's 12th postwar president on Sunday, predicted "difficulties" in relations with the U.S. as the global order is upended by the new administration in Washington.
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 10, 2017

Trump in-laws in talks to purchase Marlins: sources

The Kushner family, relatives by marriage to President Donald Trump, is in talks to buy the Miami Marlins from art dealer Jeffrey Loria, according to people familiar with the discussions.
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 10, 2017

European nations worry about spread of deadly diseases from overseas

Europe is facing a growing risk of new disease outbreaks — which may prove difficult to quickly detect and stop — as rising temperatures make the region more vulnerable to illnesses brought in by travelers and trade, a leading health expert has warned.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2017

Even without casinos, pachinko-related gambling accounts for 4% of Japan's GDP

Even before Shinzo Abe's government opened the door to casinos in Japan, the nation's gamblers wagered ¥23.3 trillion on pachinko and related slot machines in 2015.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Feb 4, 2017

New housing options get smaller in the city

Last month this column discussed how lack of city planning in the suburbs had led to an over-supply of new housing that exacerbated the well-publicized vacant-home problem. It should be noted, however, that populations in suburbs throughout Japan are declining — some slowly, others rather rapidly....
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2017

Japan Tobacco sees no quick output fix for alternative smoking device

The capacity constraints that have dogged the domestic launch of Japan Tobacco Inc.'s heated-tobacco device will take a while yet to resolve, according to a company executive, handing a further boost to Philip Morris International Inc. in the world's most advanced market for next-generation tobacco products....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 31, 2017

Naoki Ishikawa: the full picture

Naoki Ishikawa does not seem to want to take fantastically dramatic photographs. He has travelled from the North to South Pole, climbed "The Seven Summits," the highest mountains of every continent, and traveled the length of the Japan, but his images are remarkable for their restraint and subtlety....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jan 29, 2017

Tokyo court rulings chip away at labor unions' right to free speech

Workers sued for millions of yen over protests outside the company that fired them take their case to the Supreme Court.
EDITORIALS
Jan 29, 2017

Beware risks in China's economy

China's economy appears rather fragile, and any problem there will most certainly be felt in Japan.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 28, 2017

2017: a year for sumo nostalgia

On Jan. 22, 30-year-old ozeki (champion) Kisenosato (real name Yutaka Hagiwara) emerged victorious in the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament with an outstanding record of 14 wins and only one loss. His promotion to history's 72nd yokozuna (grand champion) was confirmed by the Japan Sumo Association three...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / HOOP SCOOP
Jan 28, 2017

Barnett enjoys TV work for Warriors

First in a two-part series
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2017

Vague U.S. policies may speed China's buildup

Without clarity on how it intends to prevent China's militarization in the South China Sea, the Trump administration may give Beijing an excuse to do it even faster.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 25, 2017

Merkel's bid for fourth term is complicated by coalition partner SPD's choice of popular Schulz as leader

Angela Merkel's path to a fourth term as Germany's chancellor just got more complicated.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 23, 2017

Conspiracy bill's fourth bid dressed in Olympic clothing

As the debate on counterterrorism heats up ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, some are pushing for stronger measures and others are warning against the potential for government overreach and the loss of constitutional rights.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake