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Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 1, 2015

Overuse of mobile gadgets hampers students' ability to study, sleep

Excessive use of mobile phones causes students to fare poorly in elementary, junior high and high school, not only because it makes them lose their concentration due to a lack of sleep, but also because it apparently compromises what they have studied, researchers say.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 1, 2015

Sign-language robot ChihiraAico shows off its singing voice

Seven months after Toshiba Corp. surprised the public with a humanoid robot that can communicate using sign language, the same device is now serenading shoppers at a Tokyo department store by singing duets with a human partner.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 1, 2015

Bizarre homes around the world; legendary Korean drama series; CM of the Week: Nisshin

Real estate and home renovation programs continue to be popular, but the housing-oriented special, "Osekkaina Sawabe Fudosan" ("Meddlesome Sawabe Real Estate Company"; NHK-G, Mon., 10:55 p.m.), aims for something out of the ordinary.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 1, 2015

Shinagawa Station's great wall of sake

Finding a new favorite izakaya tavern is always cause for celebration, especially if it happens to be on your way home. Better yet, if it offers good food and a great sake selection. Nurukan Sato Gotenyama Saryo ticks all of those boxes — just as long as "on your way home" involves passing through...
EDITORIALS
May 1, 2015

Abe must address home audience

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe needs consider whether singling out China as the reason for strengthening of Japan's security alliance with the U.S. will, in fact, help make the region 'remarkably more stable.'
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 1, 2015

As sensors shrink in size, 'wearable' gadgets may fall out of sight

Forget "wearables." The next big thing in mobile devices is "disappearables."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 1, 2015

Japan Tobacco to buy U.S. e-cigarette brand as operating profit falls

Japan Tobacco Inc.'s first-quarter operating profit declined 8.4 percent as domestic cigarette sales fell and the weakness of the Russian ruble hurt earnings from its biggest overseas market.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 1, 2015

NRA's approval of Sendai nuclear plant ignores Nankai quake risk, seismologist warns

The nation's new nuclear regulator ignored earthquake risk and its own rules in approving the safety of the Sendai nuclear plant, said Kobe University professor and seismologist Katsuhiko Ishibashi.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 1, 2015

Italy hopes Milan's scandal-dogged Expo 2015 will feed economy, raise spirits

Italy opens the Milan Expo on Friday, torn between hopes that the showcase of global culture and technology will cheer up a gloomy national mood and fears that it will be overshadowed by scandal, delays and street protests.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 1, 2015

Besieged Aden sees worst fighting yet

Airstrikes and artillery fire rocked the Yemeni city of Aden overnight as combatants battled for control of the main airport in fighting residents said was the worst in over a month of war.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 1, 2015

Chile's Calbuco volcano erupts again with new cloud of ash

Chilean volcano Calbuco erupted for the third time in eight days on Thursday, sending a new cloud of ash and gas high into the sky, although officials said the latest eruption was less powerful than those of last week.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 1, 2015

North Korean diplomats drown out defector dissidents at U.N., draw U.S. ire

The United States accused North Korea of bullying dissidents on Thursday after diplomats from the isolated Asian country disrupted statements by North Korean defectors on human rights abuses at an event at the United Nations.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 30, 2015

Sticker used to catch gropers red-handed is a hit with female commuters

A sticker created by Saitama Prefectural Police to deter gropers on trains has proved so popular among women that stocks have almost run out.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 30, 2015

Ex-Aum Shinrikyo member Katsuya Takahashi gets life in prison over 1995 sarin attack

The Tokyo District Court has sentenced former Aum Shinrikyo member Katsuya Takahashi to life in prison for his role in the doomsday cult's 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo Metro.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Apr 30, 2015

Sendai's Johnson named MVP; Kyoto's Hamaguchi nabs coaching award

Since he made his debut in the fall, star guard Kejuan Johnson has excelled for the Sendai 89ers, leading the team to its best-ever regular season (37-15).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 30, 2015

Model-turned-actress Tao Okamoto gets ready for her closeup after landing roles in 'Hannibal' and 'Batman v Superman'

From renowned photographers and major fashion labels to famous Hollywood directors; it seems everyone wants a piece of Tao Okamoto these days. The model-turned-actress, who made her big-screen debut in the blockbuster "Wolverine" two years ago, is set to appear in the third season of the American TV...
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 30, 2015

Investors seek out risky U.S. loans in throwback to pre-crisis days

Japanese investors are plowing back into the same types of risky U.S. corporate-loan investments that caused them losses during the 2008 financial crisis.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 30, 2015

WSJ reports FBI facilitated 2012 ransom payment from family of al-Qaida hostage Weinstein'

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2012 helped facilitate a ransom payment from the family of American hostage Warren Weinstein to al-Qaida in an unsuccessful attempt to get him released, the Wall Street Journal said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 29, 2015

Will Smith gets under a waterfall of money in 'Focus'

Will Smith rarely smiles when he isn't running around in a "Men in Black" film. Which is a shame, because comedy and Smith seem like a natural match, especially when he is paired with Tommy Lee Jones, his trusted curmudgeon buddy in the MIB series.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 29, 2015

Tiny House documentary makes Tokyo apartments look like palaces

"Small is Beautiful" is a documentary about the TH (Tiny House) movement, the latest underground trend in housing and real estate in the U.S. In the next few years, though, TH could go mainstream thanks to a growing online community that shares information about what's on the TH market and how to actually...
WORLD
Apr 29, 2015

Nepal man trapped for 80 hours in collapsed building is pulled out alive

A Nepali-French search and rescue team pulled a 28-year-old man, Rishi Khanal, from a collapsed apartment block in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu on Tuesday after he had spent around 80 hours in a room with three dead bodies.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Apr 29, 2015

China says will hunt down those guilty of serial bribery

Chinese authorities will hunt down individuals and organizations that engage in serial bribery, especially in cases which cause serious public anger or accidents, state media said on Wednesday, as the government takes on deep-rooted graft.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 29, 2015

Woman seen slapping teen for rioting in Baltimore cheered as 'Mom of Year'

A woman captured on video slapping her teenage son for taking part in the Baltimore riots, a reprimand that went viral online on Tuesday, won praise from the city's police commissioner and was heralded on social media as "Mom of the Year."

Longform

The building of new high-rise residential buildings has some alarmed that they could empty and fall into disrepair as Japan's population shrinks.
The high cost of letting Japan's condos crumble