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Japan Times
Places
Jan 28, 2015

Tokyo's menagerie of pet cafes

Japan's animal cafes fill a very important niche, as many people, especially in urban areas, live in cramped apartments with strict no-pets policies. The pet cafe allows them to connect with the domesticated animal kingdom for the price of a cup of tea. Cat cafes got the ball rolling (after the first cat cafe landed in Osaka in 2004) and over the years that's expanded to a menagerie that includes rabbits, birds, goats and even penguins. Here is a selection of pet cafes in Tokyo.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 25, 2015

Potential Republican presidential candidates compete for support in Iowa

For Republicans, the long road to the 2016 presidential election began in earnest on Saturday in Iowa when a group of potential candidates jockeyed for support among conservatives in the state that will hold the country's first nominating contest.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 24, 2015

New Marinos manager Mombaerts ready to get ball rolling

New Yokohama F. Marinos manager Erick Mombaerts says his players have exceeded expectations after one week on the job, and is determined to make a swift start to the 2015 J. League season.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jan 23, 2015

Former catcher Furuta voted into Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame

When bespectacled catcher Atsuya Furuta was ready to set out on a professional baseball career, he was told by many that pro ballplayers don't wear glasses.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 22, 2015

Social media pressure Cambodian leaders

The CCTV footage is blurry but graphic. A gunman stands over a cringing victim, firing bullet after bullet into his body until the Phnom Penh street is spattered with blood.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 21, 2015

Islamic State likely gave hostage ultimatum knowing difficulty of meeting it

The militant group, which aims to establish an Islamic caliphate, is likely using the hostage situation to generate renewed international attention, according to leading analysts.
EDITORIALS
Jan 21, 2015

Tough times for law schools

The slashing of overnment subsidies to underperforming law schools could lead to a dearth of legal education opportunities outside large metropolitan areas.
Japan Times
JAPAN / DAVOS SPECIAL 2015
Jan 21, 2015

Spreading culture through cuisine

"One of the easiest and most effective ways to understand a culture is through its food," said Yoshiko Nishihama, owner of Zurich's Nishi Shop, a store specializing in Japanese imports and an affiliated company of Japan Restaurant Bimi in Zurich. "That's why, as representatives of Japan, we take our...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 20, 2015

Perseverance wins Ningen Isu an encore

Kimonos and heavy metal. It's a combination that few groups have pulled off convincingly. While the aesthetic may have been used last year to turn (or bang) more than a few heads in the West by heavy metal idol unit Babymetal, the tiny trio certainly wasn't the first to attempt it.
EDITORIALS
Jan 19, 2015

Okada has his work cut out

Katsuya Okada, the new leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, had better set a clear policy direction for Japan's largest opposition party if he hopes to have it come back from its 2012 fall from power.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2015

Russia's European home

If Western sanctions are to be an effective tool in countering Vladimir Putin's ambitions, they must combine a firm hand toward Russia's president with an open one toward its people.
EDITORIALS
Jan 18, 2015

Rajapaksa's surprise

While the new president of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena, says he wants to build a nation based on Buddhist principles of nonviolence and compassion, it is not clear if he is prepared to investigate charges that war crimes were committed during the 26-year-long civil war with the Tamil Tigers.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 18, 2015

Authorities probe Paris attackers' prison ties to charismatic Islamist

The French investigation into this month's Paris shootings is exploring the possible role of Djamel Beghal, an Islamist suspected of first bringing the gunmen together and putting them on the path from impressionable youths to cold-blooded killers.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 17, 2015

Five key questions as 2015 NPB season approaches

With just two weeks to go until spring training camps open for the 12 Japanese pro baseball teams, here are five things to look for during the 2015 season:
Japan Times
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 16, 2015

USOC gets Olympic bid wrong again

"Once you become predictable, no one's interested anymore."
EDITORIALS
Jan 16, 2015

The Kobe quake, 20 years on

A new generation has grown up since the Great Hanshin Earthquake of Jan. 17, 1995 — the first mega-quake to hit a large metro area in postwar Japan — and we still have much to learn from the experience.
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2015

Car costs to rise as deadly flaws lead to greater safety demands

Auto-parts suppliers are feeling the pressure as car manufacturers move to raise quality standards after last year saw a record number of vehicles recalled in the U.S.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 16, 2015

Malaysian contractor pleads guilty in U.S. Navy corruption case

A Malaysian businessman accused of bribing high-ranking United States Navy officers to steer millions of dollars of contract services to his company pleaded guilty to corruption charges in federal court in San Diego on Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 15, 2015

Neeson is taken on another adventure

It's hard to believe that, a decade ago, Liam Neeson was better known for prestige Oscar dramas than high-octane action blockbusters. The Academy Award nominee spent the first 30 years of his career making his name in films such as "Kinsey" (2004), "Rob Roy" (1995) and Steven Spielberg's celebrated "Schindler's...
WORLD / Politics
Jan 11, 2015

Netanyahu tells French Jews a welcome awaits them in Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu coupled a show of solidarity with France on Sunday with a reminder to shaken French Jews that Israel is keen to welcome them as immigrants.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 11, 2015

Fear and retribution rule amid Xi's crackdown on corruption in China

Chen Zhenggao, a member of the Communist Party's elite Central Committee, clearly has enemies.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2015

Half of new adults strangers to romance: survey

Nearly half of Japan's 20-year-olds have never been in a romantic relationship and 1 in 5 has never fallen in love, a survey by a marriage counseling firm says.
BASKETBALL
Jan 9, 2015

Bridgeman, Hill to bid on Hawks

Former NBA players Junior Bridgeman and Grant Hill are leading a group that will bid on the Atlanta Hawks, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation.
BASKETBALL
Jan 9, 2015

Ex-Apache C Swift arrested for robbery

Former Tokyo Apache and NBA big man Robert Swift's legal troubles are growing. He was arrested on suspicion of robbing a home in Snohomish County, Washington, on Tuesday, according to published reports.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 8, 2015

College entrance exams fail to make the grade

Before Japan's Central Council for Education undertakes the formidable task of revising Japan's university entrance exam, it needs to understand why such exams, both here and in the U.S., fail to make the grade.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 7, 2015

DPJ leadership campaign begins, with three candidates running

Goshi Hosono, a former minister in charge of dealing with the Fukushima disaster, Akira Nagatsuma, a former welfare minister, and deputy leader Katsuya Okada are vying for the party's top post.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat