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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 12, 2020

How China brought nearly 200 million students back to school

Under bright blue skies, nearly 2,000 students gathered this month for the start of school at Hanyang No. 1 High School in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Sep 10, 2020

I used the podium to protest. The Olympic Committee punished me.

The I.O.C. is on the wrong side of history, again. Commentary by track and field Olympian Gwen Berry.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 9, 2020

What to watch for in the LDP leadership race

With Yoshihide Suga's assured victory, we now have a clearer outlook of Japan's political landscape for the next twelve months.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Sep 8, 2020

Chess (yes, really) finds an eager audience during pandemic

The exploits of grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura and other top players have drawn thousands of viewers to Twitch in recent months.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 5, 2020

Trust and truth go hand in hand in a troubled year

COVID-19's most visible symbol is the mask, but 85 of 100 doctors surveyed by Shukan Gendai say masks are unnecessary in open outdoor spaces.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 4, 2020

Shigeru Ishiba offers raft of fresh policy ideas ahead of LDP election

The former defense minister pledged to retain the best of Abe's legacy, addressing wealth gaps while adopting a clear-eyed but hawkish stance on regional security.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 2, 2020

Xi doubles down on domestic focus as U.S. relations fray

China’s top leaders next month will lay out their economic strategy for the next five years that will include a new ambition to ramp up domestic consumption and make more critical technology at home in a bid to insulate the world’s second-largest economy from swirling geopolitical tensions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 29, 2020

Five points to make sense of post-Abe Japan

As questions swirl over what's next, here's a look at the core points underwriting the issue.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Aug 27, 2020

With new arrests, Hong Kong’s police try to change the narrative

Authorities have tried to recast the facts around an incident last year at Yuen Long station in which a group of men in white shirts struck unarmed commuters with bats.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 25, 2020

Trump re-election could calm China ties — or burn them down

With his plans to focus on the economy to secure re-election in tatters amid the pandemic, Trump needs another rallying point. Enter Beijing.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 18, 2020

North Korea calls party meeting to discuss ‘crucial’ issue

The announcement comes as the country battles catastrophic flooding that's dealt a blow to its staggering economy and tries to head off a coronavirus crisis.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2020

Where's the sympathy for lonely young people?

With job losses and support networks having closed down, some are feeling the effects of the pandemic more acutely.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 21, 2020

Russia meddled in Scottish vote, but unclear on Brexit, says report

Russia sought to meddle in the 2014 Scottish referendum and intelligence agencies should produce an assessment of potential interference in the Brexit referendum, a report by the British parliament's intelligence and security committee said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 21, 2020

Wave of promising study results raise hopes for coronavirus vaccines

Early data from trials of three potential COVID-19 vaccines released on Monday, including a closely watched candidate from Oxford University, increased confidence that a vaccine can train the immune system to recognize and fight the novel coronavirus without serious side effects.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2020

Kim Jong Un’s unfinished hospital shows North Korea sanctions are biting

Kim Jong Un’s latest appearance, in which he dressed down officials building a showcase hospital, illustrates why the North Korean leader can’t afford to languish under sanctions forever if he wants to fix his economy.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Jul 21, 2020

China begins to dismantle democratic Taiwan’s toehold in Hong Kong

For decades, Hong Kong served as a bridge between China and Taiwan. Now, that appears to be just one more thing that’s changing in the former British colony.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 17, 2020

'#Handball Strive' digs into the pitfalls of performing for the 'likes'

Daigo Matsui's comedy is about a fake handball team that chases Instagram fame and falls victim to online perils.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 5, 2020

Japan’s netizens make up for traditional media outlets' shortcomings in addressing Black Lives Matter

Social media users have offered a broader perspective of commentary on protests against systemic racism happening abroad.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2020

Modi’s resolute China policy

It takes courage to wage war, but it takes even greater courage to wage peace while protecting national interests.
Reader Mail
Jun 12, 2020

Bellicose claims won’t help Senkaku situation

As for Tetsuo Kotani's June 2 commentary "China steps up its offensive against the Senkaku Islands," Kotani intimates that the fishing boat was not actually engaged in fishing but probably trying to bait Chinese ships to take it.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Jun 10, 2020

'No justice, no peace': The sentiment that resonates in America, Japan and all over the world

The mainstream Japanese media continues to mess up on issues of race. It's time for a new generation of talking heads.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 8, 2020

HSBC’s tightrope act opens up internal fault lines in Hong Kong turmoil

HSBC Holdings PLC’s endorsement of a proposed Chinese security law in Hong Kong has begun to widen fault lines over the British institution’s relationship to the city’s masters in Beijing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 4, 2020

Okamoto's: Rock, rap and the road less traveled

The four-piece band marks 10 years of bucking expectations and musical risk-taking.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 28, 2020

China approves Hong Kong security legislation, defying Trump

The National People's Congress burst into prolonged applause when the tally showed 2,878 votes to one in favor of moving forward with legislation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
May 22, 2020

Ep. 42 ‘Woman Who Makes Everyone Dream’

I enjoy a good cliffhanger as much as the next person, but I wasn’t eager to see how Toshiyuki and Yume’s night in Sapporo would unfold. When we last saw these two, they were sitting close to each other in a dark bar. Toshiyuki was urging Yume to drink more alcohol as he mustered the courage to express...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 22, 2020

‘This is the end’: Hong Kong opposition decries China power grab

China will improve national security in Hong Kong, Premier Li Keqiang said Friday, a day after Beijing announced dramatic plans to rein in dissent by writing a new law into the city’s charter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 22, 2020

Daiki Tsuneta: From the top of the charts to the great unknown

King Gnu frontman, Daiki Tsuneta, heads for further glory as he pushes forward with his side project, Millennium Parade.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 17, 2020

Chinese media blasts 'lawless' Hong Kong schools over Japan history question

Chinese state media said Hong Kong schools have become "lawless" as controversy builds over a history question in a school exam, rekindling tensions over academic freedoms in the semiautonomous city.

Longform

People in cities across Japan will pop into their local convenience store for any number of products they believe will help them with a night of drinking.
Hangover cures are everywhere in Japan — but do they work?