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Reader Mail
Aug 24, 2018

Gov. Onaga and Okinawan soft power

On Aug. 8, Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga passed away. Over the last two years, I communicated with him several times at such occasions as a celebration event for World Uchinanchu Day (Uchinanchu means an Okinawan person) and the Okinawa Peace Prize Award ceremony, among others.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2018

Reconstruction Agency to help Tohoku tourism industry market the region abroad

The Reconstruction Agency will help travel firms in Tohoku market themselves overseas to bring more tourism to the disaster-hit region, informed sources say.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 24, 2018

South Korean court extends former President Park Geun-hye's prison term to 25 years

A South Korean appeals court on Friday sentenced former President Park Geun-hye to 25 years in jail, Yonhap news agency reported, in a case arising from a far-reaching corruption scandal that toppled her in 2017.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 23, 2018

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern repeats offer to resettle refugees held by Australia

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern again offered Thursday to resettle 150 asylum seekers sent by Australia to offshore camps including one in Nauru, a Pacific island nation where leaders from both countries are set to meet next month.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2018

What would a 40% cut to phone bills mean for Japan's mobile carriers?

Japan's mobile carriers have come under government scrutiny for high phone bills that have helped bring years of enviable profit margins and given them a combined market value of more than $250 billion.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 23, 2018

Stormy Daniels' suit against Trump gets boost from Cohen's guilty plea

An explosive plea agreement by Donald Trump's former lawyer may give porn star Stephanie Clifford a second act in the courtroom and renew her effort to question the president under oath.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 23, 2018

Congo OKs more experimental Ebola treatments as cases rise, deaths reach 59

Democratic Republic of Congo has approved four more experimental treatments against the deadly Ebola virus, the health ministry said as it raced to contain an outbreak in its violence-torn east.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 22, 2018

Chinese phone giant Xiaomi struggles to live up to IPO hype

Xiaomi Corp. raised $5.4 billion by selling investors on its promise as a high-growth internet company. Some are starting to lose faith.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 22, 2018

Japan's shogi champ makes all the right moves as AI startup hits stratosphere

Takahiro Hayashi won his first nationwide title in shogi while still in high school and by the age of 22 he was the world amateur champion. His coaches were urging him to turn pro.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 22, 2018

Tech giants dismantle global Iranian propaganda push

Facebook Inc., Twitter Inc. and Alphabet Inc. collectively removed hundreds of accounts tied to Iranian actors that a cybersecurity firm said on Tuesday were promoting Iran's geopolitical agenda around the world.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 22, 2018

Japan to send helicopter destroyer for rare long-term joint exercises in South China Sea and Indian Ocean

The Maritime Self-Defense Force will link up with five Asian navies and the U.S. during a dispatch involving three vessels that is certain to stoke anger in Beijing.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2018

Japanese firms creating green areas to boost biodiversity at factories

With a goal of preserving nearby ecosystems, Japanese manufacturers are stepping up efforts to create areas of greenery within the premises of their factories, which are gradually becoming resting places for birds and insects as a result.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 22, 2018

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, fighting for political life, dumps tax policy

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's grip on power slipped further on Wednesday when he was forced to abandon his centerpiece tax policy and a conservative rival in his own party canvassed support for an imminent second challenge.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 22, 2018

CDP leader Yukio Edano eyeing Bernie Sanders meeting in first visit to U.S. as party chief

Yukio Edano, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, will make a six-day trip to the United States from Sept. 11 in his first overseas visit since the main opposition party was formed last October, according to a CDP lawmaker.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 21, 2018

Mobile phone operators take ¥1 trillion blow after Suga says bills could be cut 40%

Wireless carriers tumbled in Tokyo after the government's spokesman said they have room to cut phone bills by about 40 percent, sparking concern that lawmakers will renew a push for greater competition in a sector dominated by three big players.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 21, 2018

Taiwan calls China ‘out of control’ as it loses El Salvador to Beijing

Taiwan vowed on Tuesday to fight China's "increasingly out of control" behavior after Taipei lost another ally to Beijing when El Salvador became the third country to switch allegiances to China this year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 21, 2018

Western acts take note: Joy and enthusiasm are the key to winning over Summer Sonic crowds

British rocker Noel Gallagher has developed a reputation in recent years for delivering biting, hilarious one-liners, both in interviews and at concerts. In front of the crowd as the Saturday night headliner for Tokyo's leg of Summer Sonic, however, the former Oasis brain trust was mostly quiet.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 21, 2018

Besieged Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hangs on but challenges grow

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull survived a leadership challenge by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Tuesday, government officials said, but the narrow margin of his win did little to dampen speculation about his future.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2018

Students develop fertilizer from shōchū distillation remnants

Students in Kumamoto Prefecture have developed a low-cost method to cultivate photosynthetic bacteria for use as fertilizer using the distillation remnants of shōchū, a traditional Japanese liquor.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 21, 2018

Jury weighs ex-Trump aide Paul Manafort's fate for third day after unsequestered weekend

The jury in the trial of Paul Manafort began deliberating for a third day on Monday about whether to convict the former Trump campaign chairman for financial crimes.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2018

Okinawa marines' version of Da Pump's 'U.S.A.' goes viral

U.S. Marines based at Okinawa's Camp Foster have sparked a viral internet craze with a rendition of the summer hit song "U.S.A." by Japanese hip-hop band Da Pump, raising hopes of improving the image of U.S. forces in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 20, 2018

Saudi PIF in talks to invest in aspiring Tesla rival Lucid: sources

PIF, the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund that Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk has said could help him fund a $72 billion deal to take his electric carmaker private, is in talks to invest in aspiring Tesla rival Lucid Motors Inc., sources said Sunday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 20, 2018

In first for a Taiwan leader, Tsai Ing-wen tours federal facilities during U.S. stopover

In an apparent first, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Sunday visited a U.S. federal building in an official capacity — a move that China protested Monday amid Washington's trade and security rows with Beijing and the United States' closer ties with Taipei.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 20, 2018

U.S. seeks to wiretap Messenger, trying to force Facebook to help: sources

The U.S. government is trying to force Facebook Inc. to break the encryption in its popular Messenger app so law enforcement may listen to a suspect's voice conversations in a criminal probe, three people briefed on the case said, resurrecting the issue of whether companies can be compelled to alter...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 19, 2018

Ex-Aum cultist Makoto Hirata has 'no special feelings' about Shoko Asahara's execution

Makoto Hirata, a former Aum Shinrikyo executive, says he has “no special feelings” about the execution last month of Shoko Asahara, the founder of the now-defunct doomsday cult.

Longform

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