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BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2016

Yuan loan rates soar in Hong Kong as Beijing halts currency's slide

Interbank yuan lending rates in Hong Kong climbed to records across the board after suspected intervention by China's central bank last week mopped up supplies of the currency in the offshore market.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 10, 2016

Isao Tomita's journey from snowflakes to holograms

Composer Isao Tomita will turn 84 this year, but that won't stop him creating a synth soundtrack for a dancing hologram, to realize the dream of his ballet dancer (and rocket scientist) friend who passed away in 1999.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jan 10, 2016

Treaty obligations and severity of crime key in extradition cases

Although the number of fugitives extradited from Japan is small, this does not mean that the crime concerned has to be particularly grave for an extradition to go ahead.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2016

How the Saudi king benefits from cleric's death

By beheading of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, Saudi King Salman is sending a message to adversaries at home and abroad.
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2016

Reforming mobile phone rate plans

The nation's three big mobile phone providers are finally coming under pressure to make their rate plans more fair and easier to understand.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 9, 2016

KBO suspends duo for gambling

The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) handed out half-season suspensions to pitchers Lim Chang-yong and Oh Seung-hwan on Friday, following allegations they were involved in illegal gambling in Macau.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 9, 2016

Low wages at the heart of foreign labor shortage woes

There has been a lot of discussion recently about allowing more foreign workers into Japan to make up for severe labor shortages in some fields. As of the end of 2014, the labor ministry estimated there were 790,000 foreign nationals working in Japan legally, which is more than the number of national...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2016

South Korea-Japan ties strengthen in wake of latest North Korean nuclear test

North Korea's nuclear test this week set off alarm bells in Japan and South Korea, but its more enduring outcome may be the cementing of a fragile reconciliation that could lead to military cooperation between the two key U.S. allies.
TENNIS
Jan 8, 2016

Nishikori renews Uniqlo endorsement deal

Asia's highest-ranked tennis player, Kei Nishikori, has renewed his endorsement deal with Fast Retailing Co.'s Uniqlo clothing brand.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 8, 2016

North Koreans face renewed ban on travel as Japan considers penalties

The revival of a ban on travel from North Korea is high on the list of possible punitive steps following Pyongyang's nuclear test, informed sources say.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 8, 2016

French financial prosecutor opens inquiry into Le Pen's wealth

The French financial prosecutor's office announced on Thursday it has launched a preliminary investigation into far-right leader Marine Le Pen and her father Jean-Marie Le Pen on suspicions that they misrepresented their wealth.
WORLD
Jan 8, 2016

U.S. analysts suspect Russia hackers behind Ukraine power outage

U.S. cyberintelligence firm iSight Partners said on Thursday it has determined that a Russian hacking group known as Sandworm caused last month's unprecedented power outage in Ukraine.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 7, 2016

Music director Nott prepares for Tokyo Symphony Orchestra's 70th

It's not rare for a conductor from overseas to collaborate with a Japanese orchestra, but the case of Jonathan Nott stands out because of the speed at which he and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra cultivated their relationship.
EDITORIALS
Jan 7, 2016

North Korea's latest nuclear blast

If North Korea set off its latest nuclear test to gain political and economic concessions, the international community needs to be united to make sure it doesn't pay off.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 7, 2016

Nikkei hits three-month low; China stocks plunge before trading halted

Japanese stocks fell for a fourth day Thursday, extending a global slide that has seen shares post their worst start to a year since 2000.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2016

Poll finds youth vote may carry a punch in Upper House election

Around 60 percent of the nation's new voters aged 18 and 19 are willing to cast a ballot, NHK found in a recent poll.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2016

Impact on Japan from Saudi-Iranian strife likely to be minimal; mediator role possible: experts

Middle East experts say the execution of a senior Shiite cleric by Saudi Arabia will have minimal economic effect on Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jan 6, 2016

For Japan's English teachers, rays of hope amid the race to the bottom

The major economic engines of Japan Inc. — car manufacturers, appliance giants and the like — have often been caught price-fixing: colluding to keep an even market share, squeeze competitors out and maintain "harmony." Similarly, the commercial English-teaching business could be accused of wage-fixing:...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jan 6, 2016

South Korean economy seen to shrug off North's nuclear test

As officials from South Korea's Finance Ministry and central bank rushed into a strategy meeting to consider the implications of North Korea's latest nuclear test, early indications suggest that Asia's fourth-largest economy is likely to shrug it off.
EDITORIALS
Jan 6, 2016

Much at stake in Upper House poll

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appear ready to amend the Constitution if the LDP and its allies can secure a majority in the upcoming Upper House election.

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