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Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 21, 2019

Jomon revival: Interest in Japan's indigenous hunter-gathers grows

From his hilltop studio in the suburbs of Tokyo, Taku Oshima is reviving an ancient form of body art tradition he believes was practiced by the indigenous hunter-gatherers that inhabited Japan thousands of years ago.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 20, 2019

Sweden ends five years of negative rates with hike to zero

Sweden's central bank ended five years of negative interest rates on Thursday when it raised benchmark borrowing costs by a quarter point to zero, defying an economic slowdown and global uncertainty.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2019

Boeing faces huge test with Friday's launch of Starliner to ISS

NASA's effort to resume flying American astronauts on American spacecraft — something that hasn't happened since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011 — faces a major test this weekend.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2019

Hitachi to sell chemical unit and diagnosis imaging equipment business

Machinery giant Hitachi Ltd. said Wednesday that it will sell its subsidiary Hitachi Chemical Co. to Showa Denko K.K. and its diagnosis imaging equipment business to Fujifilm Holdings Corp. for a total of about ¥700 billion.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2019

Japan approves reduced post-3/11 reconstruction budget, citing progress

The government approved a plan Thursday to drastically reduce its budget for reconstruction of areas hit by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster due to progress in ongoing projects.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2019

'You can't go home': Monthlong escape to Ogasawara Islands a hit with teleworkers

Liner service Ogasawara Kaiun Co. is looking for participants for a 28-day, 27-night tour to the Ogasawara Islands, an archipelago of over 30 subtropical islands some 1,000 kilometers south of central Tokyo, highlighting a special chance to escape into nature.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 17, 2019

Japanese securities firm SMBC Nikko to offer option of three-day workweek

SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. is planning to introduce in fiscal 2020 a system that allows employees to work three or four days a week, according to President Yoshihiko Shimizu.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 15, 2019

Could merger talks finally produce a credible opposition force in Japan?

With the close of the extraordinary Diet session on Dec. 9, some of the largest opposition parties once again entered talks about merging before year's end, with an eye toward increasing their seats in the next general election. Here's a look at the talks and what they might mean for Japan's political...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 13, 2019

EU leaves Poland out of 2050 climate deal after standoff

The European Union left Poland out of a 2050 climate neutrality agreement Friday after hours of summit haggling with three poorer eastern member states that demanded more funds for economic transition and support for nuclear power.
WORLD
Dec 13, 2019

U.S. tests ground-launched ballistic missile after INF treaty exit

The Pentagon on Thursday tested a conventionally configured ground-launched ballistic missile, a test that would have been prohibited under the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 12, 2019

Japan submits bid for 2023 Women's World Cup to FIFA

Japan is considered a frontrunner in a field that may include a joint Australia-New Zealand bid, a rumored unified Korean bid, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil.
EDITORIALS
Dec 12, 2019

The nation's falling number of newborns

Fewer newborns means the nation's population will be aging and declining faster.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2019

Short electric flight advances fossil fuel-free air travel

A five-minute test flight of an all-electric commercial aircraft by Vancouver-based Harbour Air has taken a significant step in the quest to replace aircraft powered by fossil fuels, a mode of transportation increasingly viewed through the prism of global warming.
EDITORIALS
Dec 11, 2019

Russia banned again from world competition

Russian misbehavior must be punished, but it is also imperative to recognize flaws in the drug-testing regime; it too must be reformed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 6, 2019

Most Japanese firms want Abe to finish term, but only 16% support him staying longer

A majority of Japanese firms want Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to finish his current term to September 2021 but fewer than one in five say he should stay beyond then, a Reuters poll has showed as allegations that he broke campaign laws erode public support.
EDITORIALS
Dec 5, 2019

China-Russia partnership deepens

Closer ties between Beijing and Moscow have impacts that reach far beyond those two countries, and Japan must accurately assess and respond to them.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 4, 2019

What throws a monkey wrench in trade talks

What makes an area of trade negotiations crucial is not its economic size but its political importance.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 4, 2019

New law strengthens independent checks on major firms in Japan

A new law strengthens independent checks on major listed firms by obliging them to have outsiders on their board of directors and make executive compensation more transparent.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2019

Diet passes bill giving teachers more holiday but longer work hours during busy periods

As part of work style reforms, the Diet enacted a bill Wednesday to introduce a new working-hour system that will enable public school teachers to take extended holidays.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 4, 2019

Bach to basics with father and son maestros

Masaaki Suzuki and his son Masato are decidating their time to promoting the music of Johann Sebastian Bach through Bach Collegium Japan
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 3, 2019

The road gets bumpy for billionaires investing in China's electric cars

Some of China's wealthiest tycoons steered billions of dollars into electric car companies in order to fuel the country's dreams of becoming a leader in the field.

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