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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Sep 22, 2014

Jailed American lived enigmatic life

Matthew Miller, the U.S. citizen imprisoned in North Korea on espionage charges, spent months in South Korea pretending to be an Englishman named "Preston Somerset," acquaintances who met or worked with him say.
WORLD
Sep 21, 2014

Afghan presidential rivals Abdullah, Ghani sign up to power-sharing deal

Afghanistan's rival presidential candidates on Sunday signed a deal to share power after months of turmoil over a disputed election that destabilized the nation at a crucial time as most foreign troops prepare to leave.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / ASIAN GAMES
Sep 21, 2014

Om grabs Asian Games gold with record lift

North Korean pocket rocket Om Yun Chol broke his own weightlifting world record at the Asian Games on Saturday, while host South Korea matched powerhouse China's gold medal haul with five on the first day of competition.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2014

Thai junta hounds opposition across borders

Even as the Thai junta claims to promote democracy despite having overthrown the previous elected government, its representatives hound anti-coup groups in Thai neighborhoods across borders.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 21, 2014

Hong Kong students to boycott classes to protest China curbs on democracy

Hong Kong students are preparing for a showdown with Beijing over democratic reforms by boycotting classes on Monday as a restive younger generation challenges the Chinese Communist Party's tightening grip on the city.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Sep 20, 2014

Importance of China trade not lost on Kansai leaders

Judging by the frequent overheated rhetoric coming out of parts of the Japanese media, you'd think Japan and China were heading toward war.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 20, 2014

Glimpses of Lafcadio Hearn's Matsue

The Matsue-bound train I boarded at Okayama Station was pointedly named Yakumo, a reference to its destination's best-known former resident: Greek-Irish writer Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), whose adopted Japanese name was Yakumo Koizumi.
CULTURE / Books
Sep 20, 2014

Oh, Tama!

Mieko Kanai, a prize-winning poet, eminent critic and author of experimental fiction that evokes comparisons to the works of Borges and Kafka, has also, in her "Mejiro" series, produced a series of novels notably lighter in tone. In these books, two of which have been translated into English, philosophical...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 20, 2014

Angry with Washington, 1 in 4 Americans are open to secession

The failed Scottish vote to pull out from the United Kingdom has stirred secessionist hopes for some in the United States, where almost a quarter of people are open to their state leaving the union, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll has found.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 20, 2014

Alibaba surges 38% on massive demand in market debut

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. .'s shares soared 38 percent in their first day of trading on Friday as investors jumped at the chance for a piece of what is likely to rank as the largest IPO in history, in a massive bet on China's burgeoning middle class.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 19, 2014

Japan-born Filpino teen wins right to stay but parents get boot

In a rare ruling, the Tokyo High Court exempts a Filipino teen whose parents illegally entered Japan from deportation, hinting at a potential shift in immigration policy.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 19, 2014

North Korea says abduction probe will take another year

Pyongyang tells Tokyo it is still at 'an early stage' of its re-investigation into possible Japanese abductees and plans to finish the probe in about a year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 19, 2014

All systems go for second stage of tax hike: Tanigaki

Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Sadakazu Tanigaki said Friday the second stage of the consumption tax rate hike should proceed as planned next year, but said the ruling party is closely monitoring the economic situation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2014

Obama must get Congress to approve conflict

Today's issue for the U.S. is not whether the president should declare war but only whether he should even seek congressional authorization, for the protracted use of force against the Islamic State.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 19, 2014

Cameron says Scottish independence issue settled 'for a generation'

British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Friday that the question of Scottish independence had been settled "for a generation" after what he called a clear vote by Scots to stay part of the United Kingdom.
WORLD
Sep 19, 2014

Islamic State sells seized Syrian oil on cheap to profiteers to fuel its advances

In an oil field in northeastern Syria, a line of trucks lines up daily to load crude sold cheaply by Islamic State militants who have hijacked parts of the country's energy industry in their bid to build a caliphate.
JAPAN
Sep 18, 2014

Tokyo assemblyman leading gender equality panel apologizes for sexist remark

Only a few months after a Tokyo lawmaker was heckled by her sexist colleagues, the metropolitan assembly rekindles the controversy as another male politician steps in it.
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Sep 18, 2014

Tasting the 'Tapa-tizer'; renewing wedding vows; relaxing welcome to autumn

Tasting the 'Tapa-tizer'
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 18, 2014

Line says shopping app to eclipse sales of stickers, games

Line Corp., operator of the nation's largest mobile messaging service, says its shopping mall application could become its biggest source of revenue, eclipsing sales from games and character stickers.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Sep 17, 2014

Basketball star Oh reflects on journey to Japan

Asako Oh, a Japan women's basketball national team center, balked at enrolling in a Japanese high school about a decade ago. Now she has no regrets about her decision.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 17, 2014

Sony hikes expected annual loss as smartphone business falters

Consumer electronics maker Sony Corp. is running out of ways to reverse its declining fortunes as the Tokyo-based company's smartphone business struggles to compete.

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