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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 25, 2016

With U.S. divided, China struggling, government and business leaders fret about power vacuum

A polarized U.S. presidential race; question marks over China's economic management; and a once-dominant German chancellor suddenly under threat.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 25, 2016

Trump credits self for Sanders' surge against Clinton, rules out attacking him

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump claimed Sunday that he's responsible for Democratic rival Bernie Sanders' recent polling surge over front-runner Hillary Clinton.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 24, 2016

Kyu Won Han's advice to new opera fans: immerse yourself

Baritone Kyu Won Han says the best piece of advice he can give to opera newcomers is: read up.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 24, 2016

The Polish threat to Europe

Jaroslaw Kaczynski's far-right Law and Justice Party has shown a disturbing contempt for democratic norms since its overwhelming election victory in October.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jan 24, 2016

Afrirampo reunion may save 2016

While 2016 kicked off for most of the music world with David Bowie tricking hundreds of thousands of people into buying a jazz-prog concept album about death, the message from the heart of J-pop was loud and clear: "DO NOT WORRY, NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE."
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Jan 24, 2016

Politics heating up over Hokuriku Shinkansen Line's undecided last leg

The opening last March of the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line extension to Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, brought the Hokuriku region closer to Nagano and Tokyo than ever before, and similar efforts are underway to connect the region with Kansai.
BUSINESS
Jan 24, 2016

Kuroda sees limited impact of market turmoil on Japan's outlook

Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda plays down the prospect of market turmoil causing Japanese companies to pare back capital spending and wage increases, and expressed confidence in the underlying pace of inflation.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 24, 2016

'Plane wreckage' found in Thailand fuels talk of missing Malaysian jet

A piece of suspected plane wreckage has been found off the coast of southern Thailand, a local official said on Saturday, prompting speculation it might belong to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished nearly two years ago.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 23, 2016

Hiroko Kuniya's ouster deals another blow to quality journalism in Japan

Hiroko Kuniya, the widely respected anchor for NHK's stellar "Close-up Gendai" news analysis program, has been ousted from her position after 23 years with the show. She now joins a growing list of prominent news presenters and commentators who have discovered the apparent perils of not kowtowing to...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 23, 2016

Insect Literature

The Berlin-based author Yoko Tawada recently remarked that one of the difficulties she faced when translating Kafka's short story "Metamorphosis" into Japanese was that the associations Japanese people had with insects — even presumably giant beetles — were different to those of Europeans. Tawada...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jan 23, 2016

Barefoot Gen

With the recent announcement by North Korean authorities that they had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, Keiji Nakazawa's classic anti-nuclear manga, "Barefoot Gen," once again deserves a full reading — both for newcomers or for those revisiting its brilliance.
Reader Mail
Jan 23, 2016

Keene dives into Japanese hearts

The article "A life found in translation" in the Jan. 3 edition reminds us of our deep respect for Dr. Donald Keene.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 23, 2016

Trump retweets neo-Nazi account, drawing outrage

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump retweeted an account called "@WhiteGenocideTM" on Friday, prompting a backlash on social media over the real estate billionaire's sharing of an apparent neo-Nazi's depiction of rival candidate Jeb Bush.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 23, 2016

Amazon founder Bezos' space company launches, lands rocket for second time

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' space transportation company, Blue Origin, has successfully launched and landed a suborbital rocket for a second time, a key step in its quest to develop reusable boosters, the company said on Friday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 23, 2016

China drops online notice of oil rig location after Vietnam complaint

Chinese maritime officials on Friday removed an online notice giving the location of a $1 billion deepwater oil rig in the South China Sea two days after issuing it, following a warning from Vietnam about drilling in disputed waters.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2016

Abe indicates pivot toward reduction of wage disparities in policy speech

In a key policy speech for 2016, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledges to promote measures to reduce wage disparities.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2016

Sander's rise fueled by the failure of propaganda

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' growing support reflects public contempt for everyone in charge.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 22, 2016

Otako: A 93-year-old 'oden' joint that still keeps its hot pot simmering

On a bitterly cold winter evening few sights are more welcoming than the cheerful glow of the large red lanterns that hang outside traditional restaurants. They promise noodles, eel or yakitori chicken, or advertize an all-purpose izakaya tavern. But the underlying message is the same: Here you will...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE UNRELIABLE FOOD CRITIC
Jan 22, 2016

Downtown Osaka's faded replica of Korea's kaleidoscopic markets

There's something suspicious about the way Japan and Korea differ so much in the taste and presentation of their foods, as if a kind of sibling rivalry were going on, some struggle for distinction and specialization.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2016

Davos forum kicks off with dour mood amid tough global conditions

The mood was glum as the World Economic Forum's annual meeting of academics and leaders from business and politics kicked off Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland, with worries ranging from energy to geopolitics and China's slowdown causing widespread unease.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 21, 2016

Japan Post Bank unfazed by global stocks turmoil

The worst-ever start to a year for stock markets and oil's historic slump have not deterred Japan's postal savings bank, which is preparing to shift more of its $1.8 trillion portfolio into equities and alternative assets.

Longform

Pedestrians commute through Shibuya Station in central Tokyo, an area that is almost never devoid of people.
As the rest of Japan shrinks, Tokyo grows