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Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 4, 2020

Japan's bureaucrats take top news honors in 2019

A year ago, the big news story in Japan was former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn languishing in a jail cell while the media discussed whether he should be there, thus sparking an overdue discussion about the country's so-called hostage justice system. It was a nice discussion while it lasted. 
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 4, 2020

Mo'mugi: A Canadian take on Japan's barley tea

In Japan, mugicha (barley tea) is a ubiquitous and generally unremarkable drink. But for Janice Ishizaka, CEO and cofounder of The Canadian Barley Tea Company, the drink's lack of appreciation represents an opportunity to create a new, healthy, made-in-Canada beverage.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 4, 2020

Four generations of British rulers mark new decade with rare portrait

Buckingham Palace has issued a new photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, her son Prince Charles, her grandson Prince William and her great-grandson Prince George to mark the start of the new decade.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2020

Does inattention explain today's low inflation?

In the 1980s and 1990s, people were acutely aware of inflationary risks, whereas economic actors today may be setting their expectations based on a different set of considerations.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2020

Despite risk from the 'Big One,' are Shizuoka and the rest of Japan becoming complacent about earthquakes?

When Hokkaido native Tatsushi Ueda landed a job at the Shizuoka Prefectural Government nearly 40 years ago, he was given a somber send-off that made him feel like he might never see home again.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jan 2, 2020

Strawberry desserts bursting with flair

Japan's love affair with strawberries remains unabated at ANA InterContinental Tokyo, with the Strawberry Sensation 2020 extravaganza, using approximately 7,000 kilograms of strawberries, scheduled to run from Jan. 15 until May 31.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 1, 2020

Ghosn's escape may see Japan impose stronger bail conditions on defendants

Carlos Ghosn's daring flight from Japan, where he was awaiting trial on charges of financial wrongdoing, has revived global criticism of the nation's "hostage justice" system, but in Japan it is prompting talk of reversing more lenient curbs on defendants.
Japan Times
JAPAN / New Year's Special
Jan 1, 2020

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike looks ahead to 2020 Games and end of her term

With a little over half a year to go until the start of the Summer Games, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike says the host city is all set for the sporting extravaganza and is focusing on ensuring the games will have a long-lasting legacy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / New Year's Special
Jan 1, 2020

Paralympians hope to bring event out of Olympic shadow with Tokyo Games

Sprinter Shunsuke Itani is young, tall, handsome and a contender to win a medal on the track in Tokyo this summer.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 1, 2020

U.S. to send Marines to besieged Iraq embassy as Trump blames Iran for attack

U.S. President Donald Trump blamed Iran on Tuesday for "orchestrating" an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and said he would hold Tehran responsible, as officials said more Marines were expected to be sent to the mission.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 31, 2019

How Abe works, or doesn't work, with the media

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe answers questions in brief, on-the-spot interviews with beat reporters far less frequently than before, according to journalists who have intensively covered the country's longest-serving prime minister.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2019

Fifteen predictions for the new year

The U.S. presidential election will end in a tie and other educated guesses.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 31, 2019

Number of inmates falls to 23-year low in Japan

At present, no prisons or detention facilities have a shortage of capacity, and the occupancy rate stands at slightly below 60 percent of overall national capacity.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 31, 2019

Iraq condemns U.S. airstrikes on Iran-backed militia as unacceptable and dangerous

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Monday condemned U.S. airstrikes on bases of Iranian-backed Iraqi militia, a move that could plunge Iraq further into the heart of a proxy conflict between the United States and Iran.
EDITORIALS
Dec 30, 2019

Collective action needed to meet existential threats

The threats posed by climate change and mass surveillance will worsen if we continue the laissez-faire approach that fails to intervene and bend both phenomena toward more sustainable trajectories.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 30, 2019

Abe's foreign policy outlook for 2020

2020 promises to be a challenging year for Abe as Japan's top diplomat.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2019

Impeachment was 2019's wildest roller coaster ride

Just when you thought political developments had coasted to a stop, events in Washington took another crazy turn.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 30, 2019

A Japanese tradition to greet the new year

One new year tradition that has managed to stick around is making mochi, just make sure to watch your hands while you do it.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 30, 2019

Putin thanks Trump for tip Russia says foiled St. Petersburg terrorist attacks

Russia said on Sunday it had thwarted terrorism attacks reportedly planned in St. Petersburg thanks to a tip from Washington, bringing personal thanks again from President Vladimir Putin to his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / 2010S: DECADE IN REVIEW
Dec 29, 2019

Looking back at the most influential Japanese songs of the 2010s

Given how Japanese music takes time to receive widespread recognition, what gems would the kids of the 2040s unearth from the decade that just passed?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NATURE'S PANTRY
Dec 28, 2019

Why is vegan shōjin ryōri cuisine so deeply compelling?

Japan's vegan temple food, shu014djin ryu014dri, is rooted in hundreds of years of tradition. What keeps the practice alive and relevant today?
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Dec 27, 2019

Matching magic moments to karaoke classics in a historic year for Japan rugby

With the bōnenkai (year-end party) season in full swing, it is time to look back at a special year of rugby in Japan while also trying to predict what the future holds.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2019

Japan’s Cabinet adopts plan to send SDF to Mideast amid Iran tensions

The “investigation and research” mission will send the destroyer Takanami into an area where tensions over Iran's nuclear program are high and an attack could drag Japan into war.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 27, 2019

Arrested lawmaker Akimoto's 2018 Hokkaido trip linked to Sapporo firm planning casino resort

A family trip to Hokkaido made in 2018 by ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Tsukasa Akimoto, who was arrested Wednesday over bribery allegations, was apparently prompted by a request from a Sapporo tourism company that planned to launch a project to build a casino resort there, it was learned...
Reader Mail
Dec 27, 2019

Remembering a landmark and life-saving kidney transplant

The hospital information packet advised me to bring my own chopsticks, but I prefer a knife and fork. That was just the start of my experience as the first-ever Western woman to donate a kidney at Osaka University Hospital, in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2019

Turkey's Halkbank fails to halt U.S. prosecution for allegedly aiding Iran

A federal judge in Manhattan on Thursday rejected a request by Turkey's state-owned Halkbank to put on hold a federal prosecution accusing it of helping Iran evade U.S. economic sanctions.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat