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ASIA PACIFIC
May 16, 2016

Russian yacht and crew detained by North Korea arrives in Vladivostok

A Russian yacht detained and then released by North Korean authorities has arrived in the Russian Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok, the nation's Interfax news agency reported Monday.
JAPAN
May 11, 2016

Obama steps into regional spat over victimhood

A plan for the first-ever visit to Hiroshima by a sitting U.S. president was expected to draw a mixed reaction in the region, where China and South Korea have accused Japan of glossing over its actions in World War II and playing up its own victimhood.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 10, 2016

U.S. sails warship near Chinese-claimed reef in South China Sea

A U.S. navy warship sailed close to a disputed reef in the South China Sea on Tuesday, a U.S. Department of Defense official said, prompting anger in Beijing which denounced the patrol as illegal and a threat to peace and stability.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 9, 2016

Constitutional scholar Kobayashi announces plan for anti-Abe party, Upper House bid

A constitutional scholar inspired by U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders jumps into the Upper House race to stop the 'uncontrollable' government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 9, 2016

North Korea detains, interrogates, then expels Tokyo-based BBC reporter

North Korea expelled a BBC journalist on Monday over his reporting, the broadcaster and a North Korean official said, as a large group of foreign media members visited the isolated country to cover a rare ruling party congress.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 6, 2016

Expert sees Japan's high level of digital rights offset by public disinclined to curb Big Brother

Japan's restrictions on freedom of expression are growing but its sleepy public might not wake up before it's too late, a U.N. special rapporteur warns.
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2016

Managing debt in our overleveraged world

Since the 2008 global financial crisis, austerity and balance-sheet repair have been the watchwords of the global economy. And yet today, more than ever, debt is fueling concern about growth.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 1, 2016

Scandal-plagued Mitsubishi Motors reliant on ASEAN as redress claims brew

Mitsubishi Motors Corp., embroiled in a car-rigging scandal in Japan, may find that its future increasingly hinges on its performance in Thailand — the automaker's biggest overseas production base.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 27, 2016

The muzzling of Japan's media is hurting Abenomics

How can Japan's fossilized politics and business change if media shies away from asking tough questions?
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 26, 2016

Australian politics, Japan's lack of experience behind failed bid to build subs

In a stunning reversal of fortunes, Japan — the onetime front-runner in the multibillion-dollar tender to build Australia's next-generation submarine — fails in its bid to assemble the vessels.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2016

Ominous collapse casts a shadow over Brazil

The collapse of an elevated cycling path in Rio de Janeiro last Thursday is an ominous sign as the scandal-rocked nation prepares to host the Olympics.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 24, 2016

Beijing, four ASEAN nations reach 'consensus' that South China Sea shouldn't affect ties

China has reached an agreement with Brunei, Cambodia and Laos that the South China Sea dispute "should not affect relations" with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2016

'Vagina artist' Rokudenashiko to marry British rock musician Mike Scott

Megumi Igarashi, who calls herself Rokudenashiko (good-for-nothing girl), announced Tuesday online that she will wed vocalist and guitarist Mike Scott of The Waterboys, a British folk rock outfit.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 22, 2016

Lawyers say official misconduct may be hard to prove in Flint tainted water scandal

The lead criminal charge brought on Wednesday against two Michigan state officials in connection with the tainted water supply in Flint, Michigan, could be difficult to prove, lawyers familiar with the state's criminal law said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 20, 2016

'The 5th Wave': Not quite on the crest of YA action films

The good news is that since the "Hunger Games" series of films, the young-adult (YA) action film genre is officially not only a thing, but also a Hollywood force to be reckoned with. The bad news is that not all YA movies are made equal, but the duds are still likely to spawn sequels.
SOCCER
Apr 19, 2016

PSG mum on Mourinho reports

Paris St. Germain on Tuesday issued a terse "no comment" following reports in England that the French champions had approached Jose Mourinho to become their new manager.
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.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2016

U.S. establishment trampling on democracy

If the ruling class can steal elections from someone as rich as Trump, there is nothing left of American democracy.
WORLD
Apr 18, 2016

Pulitzer Prizes mark 100th year with Monday's awards

The Pulitzer Prizes, established in 1917 with a bequest from trail-blazing publisher Joseph Pulitzer, are marking their 100th year on Monday with the announcement of the winners of what are regarded as the most prestigious awards in American journalism.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 17, 2016

North Korea's fifth nuclear test seen as imminent ahead of key party congress in May: report

North Korea appears to be laying the groundwork for a fifth nuclear test ahead of next month's ruling party congress, the first to be held in more than 30 years, a media report said Sunday, citing South Korean government sources.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 17, 2016

Iran asks EU to pressure U.S. to get access to WTO

Iran, seeking European leverage to secure better terms from the United States following last year's nuclear deal, asked the European Union to put pressure on Washington to let it into the global financial system.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2016

More powerful magnitude-7.3 quake rocks Kumamoto, kills dozens

Another strong earthquake rocked Kumamoto Prefecture early Saturday, killing dozens and injuring hundreds more, bringing the combined death toll since Thursday to at least 41.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 16, 2016

Can Japan make itself great again by 2050?

The bad news is, Japan is beset by seemingly insoluble problems. The good news is the word "seemingly." No nation whose rise to economic superpowerdom began a bare decade after being bombed to rubble in history's most destructive war will ever find anything truly "insoluble." Japan will astonish us yet....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2016

Korean schools in Japan riled by possibility of losing subsidies over anger toward Pyongyang

The head of the Korean School Principals Association is demanding that the education ministry retract its notice that local governments be cautious about providing subsidies to schools that serve the Korean community.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 11, 2016

G-7 ministers adopt Hiroshima Declaration hoping to add momentum to nonproliferation movement

The Group of Seven foreign ministers conclude a historic two-day meeting in Hiroshima that saw them discuss the goal of global nuclear disarmament in the first city destroyed by an atomic bomb.

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