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Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2016

U.N. rapporteur on freedom of expression slams Japan's 'press club' system, government pressure

A United Nations expert on freedom of expression concludes that Japan's media independence is being jeopardized by government pressure.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 19, 2016

Front-runner in Philippines presidential race apologizes for rape remark

A Philippine mayor who built a reputation for fighting crime apologized Tuesday for a rape comment that caused a political storm and could dent his chances of winning the presidency in an election just three weeks away.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Apr 18, 2016

China steps up war of words with Taiwan over fraud suspects

China on Monday stepped up its war of words with Taiwan after Taipei freed 20 suspects in a telecom fraud case linked to China, with state media accusing Taiwan of tolerating crime and being taken hostage by anti-Chinese forces.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 18, 2016

Kuczynski leads Fujimori ahead of Peru runoff election, opinion poll shows

Centrist economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski is expected to beat Keiko Fujimori, the conservative daughter of a jailed former president, in Peru's June 5 presidential runoff election, according to an Ipsos poll published on Sunday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2016

Trump campaign taking 'banana republic' tack by griping over GOP nomination process: Cruz adviser

A senior adviser to Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz on Sunday accused rival Donald Trump's campaign of taking a "banana republic approach" by complaining that party rules for selecting a nominee are rigged against him.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 17, 2016

Rebooting the stalled 'comfort women' deal

Salvaging the 'comfort women' agreement between Japan and South Korea may require a dramatic and seemingly outlandish decision — moving the Japanese Embassy to a different part of Seoul.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 16, 2016

Obama has unfinished business in Hiroshima

Barack Obama will attend the G-7 Ise-Shima summit of leading industrial nations in Mie Prefecture next month, sparking speculation that the U.S. President might venture to Hiroshima to pay respects at the Peace Memorial Park.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2016

Casualties of globalization sound 'Brexit' alarm

A vote for 'Brexit' is a vote against Britain's political mainstream.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2016

Japan's open Olympic logo selection process wins disapproval from designers

Professionals sneer at the four short-listed emblems, saying soliciting public proposals resulted in designs of low artistic quality.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 13, 2016

Line in Clinton-de Blasio skit iks some as untimely racial gaffe

A comic gag turned into a gaffe for Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, triggering a storm of social media comment accusing them of being insensitive to African-Americans.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 12, 2016

Hokkaido and Kyoto by-election campaigns, measure of Abe's strength, get underway

By-election campaigns kick off in Hokkaido and Kyoto in what are expected to be a litmus test for how Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party will fare in the crucial Upper House election this summer.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 12, 2016

Europe's rule-of-law crisis

Hungary and Poland are the leading edge of a far-right agenda that has taken hold throughout Europe.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 11, 2016

China Internet regulator says Web censorship not a trade barrier

China's online censorship system protects national security and does not discriminate against foreign companies, the country's Internet regulator said, after the United States labeled the blocking of websites by Beijing a trade barrier.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 11, 2016

Keiko Fujimori heads to Peru runoff presidential poll after bagging most first-round votes

Keiko Fujimori won the first round of Peru's presidential election on Sunday, though the race to be her opponent in the June runoff was locked in a virtual tie between two contenders, three exit polls showed.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Apr 9, 2016

Former Apache team members, staff reflect on fateful 2010-11 season

First in a three-part series.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Apr 6, 2016

'No One's Perfect' writer Ototake couldn't live up to the 'Supercrip' media ideal

Hirotada Otatake's 'inappropriate relationships' are indefensible. But even more disappointing was the way the media presented Ototake and the story.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 5, 2016

Transfixed by 'Archers' radio drama, Britons donate to charity, debate domestic abuse

A downtrodden wife tries to leave her abusive husband but in the course of a confrontation ends up stabbing him in front of her young son.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 5, 2016

Preserving Okawa Elementary School is the right thing to do

All things considered, it makes sense to preserve Okawa Elementary School as a memorial, as a warning and as a site for disaster education.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2016

Now Germany can take that smug look off its face

Across the industrialized world, the middle class is finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet and the losers of globalization are channeling their aggression into fringe politicians who know who's to blame. Germany is no exception.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2016

Trade realities take a beating in U.S. politics

In this bitter U.S. presidential campaign, one area of agreement unites the major candidates: they're all against big trade deals.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Apr 3, 2016

An open letter to Japanese womankind

Some advice on how to take the best parts of the stereotypes without becoming one yourself.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2016

Under military rule, Thais turn to social media

As the space for public political debate and opinion shrinks, Thais have moved their political debate to cyberspace.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 2, 2016

Finding the locus of David Mitchell

David Mitchell's world is always growing. Raised in England's West Midlands, Mitchell lived in London for a time before moving to Japan in 1994 — while he was in his 20s — to work as an English teacher. After eight years in Hiroshima, he returned to the U.K. to launch his career as a novelist.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2016

Will America turn isolationist?

If the U.S. is going isolationist again during a period of global instability, that may not be a good thing for the rest of us.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 1, 2016

Trump spin doctors call abortion slur on women 'simple misspeak' as rivals pounce

Republican front-runner Donald Trump's campaign sought on Thursday to contain the fallout from his comments on punishing women for having an abortion, characterizing the flap as a "simple misspeak" as his White House rivals pounced on the controversy.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 31, 2016

Obama's last atomic summit finds nuclear fears high, momentum against proliferation low

Just as fears of nuclear terrorism are rising, U.S. President Barack Obama's drive to lock down vulnerable atomic materials worldwide seems to have lost momentum and could slow further.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 30, 2016

The onsen odyssey of the Japanese snow monkey

A new commercial features a monkey traveling from Nagano to Tokyo —u00a0via train — to take a dip in a hot spring.

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