Search - 2016

 
 
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Sep 28, 2017

High-flying Jets seek to build off preseason success, maintain status as East contender

The Chiba Jets Funabashi are riding a wave of positive momentum.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 28, 2017

Osaka hospital steps up under new autopsy law to ease forensic medicine shortage

A hospital in Osaka began performing autopsies to investigate causes of death at police request in April for cases in which foul play is not strongly suspected, in response to a chronic shortage of anatomists in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 28, 2017

Festival/Tokyo director Sachio Ichimura looks to a new generation

At the end of his speech in July announcing details of this year's Festival/Tokyo running from Sept. 30 to Nov. 12 mainly at venues around Ikebukuro, its director, Sachio Ichimura, dropped a bombshell.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Sep 28, 2017

Nagoya's Burrell key for team in transition

Justin Burrell has distinguished himself as one of the elite basketball players in Japan this decade.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 28, 2017

Britain warns Boeing it might miss out on defense contracts over Bombardier row

Britain told U.S. plane-maker Boeing on Wednesday that it could lose out on future British defense contracts because of its dispute with Canadian rival Bombardier which has put 4,200 jobs at risk in Northern Ireland.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Sep 27, 2017

B. League names board ahead of new campaign

With its sophomore season set to get underway Friday, the B. League held a regular general assembly to select board members and auditors for a new two-year term, and approved them in a temporary board of directors meeting on Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 27, 2017

'Poolsideman': Bringing life to the mundane

In his three films to date, Hirobumi Watanabe has created a unique cinematic world. "And the Mud Ship Sails Away" (2013), "7 Days" (2015) and now "Poolsideman" (2016) were all shot in black-and-white in Watanabe's native Tochigi Prefecture, with music by younger brother Yuji and cinematography by Woohyun...
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 27, 2017

Autumn Basho flourishes in absence of stars

The 2017 Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament ended with a yokozuna beating an ozeki in the title-deciding final bout.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Sep 27, 2017

North Korea's bark may be worse than bite in threat to shoot down U.S. bombers

North Korea has threatened to shoot down U.S. bombers flying near the Korean Peninsula, but it would have difficulty matching its words with action given aging air defense systems mostly dating to the Cold War, military experts said.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Sep 27, 2017

Veteran Sakuragi satisfied B. League heading in right direction

Before the overhyped Y2K scare at the end of the last century and the technological breakthroughs of the 21st century, the Vancouver Grizzlies selected a former UCLA Bruins forward named J.R. Henderson in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Sep 27, 2017

China's biggest North Korea taboo: Discussing life after Kim

In discussions between the U.S. and China about reining in North Korea, one topic remains taboo: What would happen if Kim Jong Un's regime collapses?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2017

Fuel shortage looms as Japan fires up biomass energy

As the sun sets on Japan's solar energy boom, companies and investors are rushing into wood-burning biomass projects to lock in still-high government subsidies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Sep 27, 2017

Role-playing video game helps fight against depression for counselor-shy Japanese

It's a role-playing video game that, like many of its kind, allows users to choose and customize their own avatars, including a hairstyle and clothing. Set in a medieval fantasy world, users build up power as their characters travel across "provinces," overcoming obstacles and challenges along the way....
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2017

Unlike after Harvey and Irma, Trump camp rules out Jones Act waiver for Maria-ravaged Puerto Rico

The Trump administration on Tuesday denied a request to waive shipping restrictions to help get fuel and supplies to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, saying it would do nothing to address the island's main impediment to shipping: damaged ports.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2017

U.S. slaps preliminary 220% countervailing duty on Bombardier jets after Boeing subsidy complaint

The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday slapped preliminary anti-subsidy duties on CSeries jets made by Bombardier Inc. after rival Boeing Co. charged that the aircraft were unfairly subsidized by Canada.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2017

Japan slips to No. 9 in World Economic Forum's competitiveness index

Japan came in at No. 9 in the World Economic Forum's annual Global Competitiveness Index of 137 countries and regions, down one place from last year's assessment, the organization said Wednesday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 27, 2017

Senate GOP bill to kill Obamacare dies quick death, prompts Trump to slam 'so-called Republicans'

A Republican attempt to dismantle Obamacare fell apart in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday for the second time in two months in a serious defeat for President Donald Trump's domestic agenda.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 27, 2017

U.K. inventor James Dyson aims for electric car launch by 2020

James Dyson, the billionaire British inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner, said on Tuesday his company was working on developing an electric car to be launched by 2020.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 27, 2017

Football players who protest racism have right to free speech but not to disrespect nation: Jeff Sessions

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday denounced football players who have protested racism by kneeling or locking arms during the playing of the national anthem before games, saying that even though their speech is protected, they should be condemned for showing disrespect to the country.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Sep 26, 2017

The illusion that China's economy is in good shape

The risk of China's economy plummeting toward the end of the year should not be discounted.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Sep 26, 2017

Golden Kings counting on veteran Ishizaki

Takumi Ishizaki brings a poised, cerebral presence to the court, and his arrival symbolizes a new era in Okinawa.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / FOCUS
Sep 26, 2017

China's Communist Party uses rap to tap youth culture, hook millennials

In his baseball cap and baggy yellow T-shirt, the rap star Li Yijie — better known by his stage name "Pissy" — is an unlikely face of China's strait-laced ruling Communist Party.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Sep 26, 2017

Australia returns funds to China from money-laundering swoops

Australia has returned around 215,000 Australian dollars ($170,000) to China in funds it has seized from money-laundering cases as the two countries agreed Tuesday to beef up efforts to crack down on financial crime.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 26, 2017

NSA targeted 106,000 foreigners in past year's surveillance program soon up for renewal

The U.S. National Security Agency conducted targeted surveillance over the past year against 106,000 foreigners suspected of being involved in terrorism and other crimes, using powers granted in a controversial section of law that's set to expire at the end of this year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 25, 2017

MUFG plans to make inroads into Canadian market with capital markets platform

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. is looking to build a capital-markets platform in Canada, with plans to hire as many as 10 people in Toronto to manage bond deals and stock sales by early next year.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 25, 2017

Graham-Cassidy bill to repeal Obamacare is on life support as Republican senators waver

The latest Republican attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare appeared headed for defeat after Sen. Susan Collins said she doesn't see herself backing the current plan and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said he's currently "not a yes."
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 24, 2017

Parched nations tap cloud seeding

Threading through clouds, often with shaky turbulence and occasional thunder, 71-year-old pilot Gary Walker burns the flares on his plane's wings, releasing chemicals as he flies.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Sep 24, 2017

Wozniacki captures third Pan Pacific crown

Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki captured the Toray Pan Pacific Open title for the third time after beating unseeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-0, 7-5 in Sunday's final.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 24, 2017

Juncker's road map for European disaster

Jean-Claude Juncker's plan to accelerate eurozone accession threatens to re-create in spades the chaos of the past decade.

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