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Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 23, 2016

SMAP dodges bullet; Becky isn't so lucky

When media leaked intelligence on Jan. 10 that eternal boy band SMAP might be dissolving, the outpouring of fan emotion overwhelmed anything else that was happening in the show business world. One person who was probably grateful for the distraction was Rebecca Eri Ray Vaughan, the TV personality better...
EDITORIALS
Jan 23, 2016

Fears over personal data security

People are understandably worried about the security of the My Number system, and the government has done little to reassure them.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 22, 2016

Seoul to set up intelligence data link that connects it to Japan-U.S. system

South Korea will set up a military data link to share imagery and real-time intelligence with Japan and the United States.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Jan 20, 2016

Hatoyama dreams of a Japan anchored within a united Asia

Former leader apologizes for his failures as PM and shares his views on Fukushima, Tokyo 2020 and his hopes for Okinawa, Japan and the wider region.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 19, 2016

SMAP fans relieved but perplexed by apology over rumored breakup

Exceptional TV ratings, the apparent overloading of Twitter's servers and even a comment by the prime minister show the importance that Japan placed on the announcement that SMAP isn't breaking up.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 19, 2016

MLB confirms probe in Darvish gambling case

Texas Rangers star pitcher Yu Darvish is being investigated by Major League Baseball in the wake of his brother Sho being charged last year with running an illegal gambling ring that allegedly took bets on both MLB and NPB games, The Japan Times has learned.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jan 18, 2016

China to build biggest cloning factory

The world's largest animal cloning factory is under construction in the northern port city of Tianjin
WORLD
Jan 17, 2016

In talks to free American prisoners held by Iran, U.S. blinked on new sanctions

The day before the Obama administration was due to slap new sanctions on Iran late last month, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif warned U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry the move could derail a prisoner deal the two sides had been negotiating in secret for months.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 15, 2016

China seeks investment for disputed islands, plans to launch flights

China will invite private investment to build infrastructure on islands it controls in the disputed South China Sea and will this year start regular flights to one of them, state media said Friday, moves likely to anger other claimants.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 15, 2016

Renault raided in emissions probe, says no emissions-dodging device found

French carmaker Renault said fraud investigators had inspected three of its sites to look into its vehicle emissions technology.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2016

Don't believe all the myths about North Korea

Before figuring out what can be done about North Korea and its seemingly crazy dictatorship, we mustn't fall prey to four common myths about the hermit kingdom.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2016

The hidden goods of 2015

If we were to judge the state of the world by the news headlines, 2015 was the year of Islamist terror, especially in Paris. But there were two major positive developments as well.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 9, 2016

Iran complains to U.N. about Saudi "provocations"

Iran's foreign minister has complained to the United Nations about Saudi Arabia's "provocations" towards Tehran, as a diplomatic crisis between the region's two major powers entered its second week.
EDITORIALS
Jan 7, 2016

North Korea's latest nuclear blast

If North Korea set off its latest nuclear test to gain political and economic concessions, the international community needs to be united to make sure it doesn't pay off.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 7, 2016

North Korea bomb claim a new challenge for Clinton campaign

To Republican U.S. presidential contenders, North Korea's claim that it tested a hydrogen bomb may further make the 2016 race what they dearly want it to be: a referendum on President Barack Obama's foreign policy and, by extension, Hillary Clinton's.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 6, 2016

Japan slams North Korean 'H-bomb' test

The government slammed North Korea on Wednesday after it apparently conducted another nuclear test, its fourth, which involved what Pyongyang described as a powerful hydrogen bomb.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 4, 2016

Abe to push for constitutional revision as ruling bloc seeks Upper House majority

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his long-held goal of amending the pacifist Constitution will be one of the key issues in the Upper House election this summer.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 3, 2016

Battles over history, the media and the message scar 2015

A rundown of the top 10 human rights issues of the past year as they affected non-Japanese residents.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jan 3, 2016

Readers hoping for a reunion in the new year

Does anyone have any information that might help these readers reconnect?
Japan Times
JAPAN / 2016 NEW YEAR SPECIAL
Jan 1, 2016

Helping refugees requires more than financial help

Children wrapped in emergency blankets stand on a beach after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey. Long lines of refugees wait to enter a camp in Macedonia. Trains packed with hundreds of refugees arrive at the Munich railway station. Such images of desperate Syrians fleeing their war-torn country were...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 1, 2016

Obama may announce executive action next week to boost background checks on gun sales

U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce executive actions expanding background checks on gun sales, media outlets reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with White House proposals and planning.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jan 1, 2016

Pope urges media to play up the positive to counterbalance abundant 'arrogance of evil' coverage

The media should give more space to positive, inspirational stories to counterbalance the preponderance of evil, violence and hate in the world, Pope Francis said on Thursday in his year-end message.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 31, 2015

Supporters share 'ekiden' drama with athletes

As Daichi Kamino crossed the finish line at the end of the first day of last year's Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden (relay marathon) championship, he ran straight into the arms of his ecstatic teammates.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Dec 31, 2015

The issues that grabbed you or got your goat in the Year of the Sheep

Readers praise and pan Community articles from the past 12 months.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 30, 2015

Missouri flood death toll hits 13 as storms ravage U.S. midsection; quakes knock out power

Missouri residents struggled through a fourth straight day of storms on Tuesday, fighting rising floodwaters that inundated homes, forced evacuations and closed highways and even part of the Mississippi River.

Longform

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