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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2018

Japanese, EU cars in the crosshairs as U.S. weighs tariffs on national security grounds

The U.S. Commerce Department has submitted draft recommendations to the White House on its investigation into whether to impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on imported cars and parts on national security grounds, two administration officials said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Nov 12, 2018

Entrepreneur generates electricity solely from used cooking oil collected throughout Tokyo

For Yumi Someya, Tokyo is an untapped oil field, full of potential to generate electricity.
Japan Times
Poland report 2018
Nov 9, 2018

Celebrating Poland: 100 years of independence and diplomatic relations with Japan

Synergy Media Specialists shares key thought leadership insights into Poland’s remarkable development and strong relationship with Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 8, 2018

Japan leaves no stone unturned as it prepares to cushion blow from Abe's 2019 sales tax hike to 10%

With Prime Minister Shinzo Abe determined to increase the sales tax next year, the government is testing public reaction to a string of potential measures to ensure people keep spending.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2018

Japanese buzzwords of 2018 nominees reflect myriad influences and issues

Thirty candidates for buzzword of the year, announced Wednesday, highlight the numerous scandals that rocked Japan's amateur sports, the brutal summer of natural disasters as well as the country's response to the worldwide #MeToo movement against sexual harassment.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2018

Rakuten's English drive a case study of success, but wider adoption by Japan Inc. much slower going

Rakuten Inc. CEO Hiroshi Mikitani's 2010 announcement of English becoming the official internal language of the online retailing giant shocked many of the firm's employees, including Fumie Suzuki.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Nov 3, 2018

Shibuya's Halloween havoc may tarnish future festivities

Less than a decade ago, finding any sort of Halloween celebration in Tokyo would have been tough. Then, suddenly, October revelry was everywhere you looked in the capital. And in 2018, the spookiest event of the year has evolved once again in Japan: It’s now being held up as an example of hedonism...
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 1, 2018

Austria to join U.S. in shunning global migration pact

Austria will follow the United States and Hungary in backing out of a United Nations migration pact over concerns it will blur the line between legal and illegal migration, the right-wing government said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Oct 27, 2018

Defining the Heisei Era: When anime and manga went global

The Heisei Era commenced after two gods fell in rapid succession. The first, Emperor Hirohito, was no longer officially a god, having repudiated his quasi-divine status under the terms of Japan's surrender in World War II, but he remained god-like in stature. His January death in 1989 at age 87 signaled...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 27, 2018

Proposed reform to Japan's immigration law causes concern

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe receives a lot of grief from left-leaning pundits who consider his policies and outlook regressive, but right-leaning commentators aren't always enamored of the country’s leader either. They voice frustration at his refusal to visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine and find...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 23, 2018

Scandals, immigration and constitutional reform set to dominate extraordinary Diet session opening Wednesday

The 48-day session is likely to include debates on a draft proposal from the ruling LDP to revise the war-renouncing Constitution, among other key issues.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Oct 22, 2018

Saudis call Khashoggi slaying 'grave mistake' but claim prince wasn't aware, deny knowing location of remains

Saudi Arabia on Sunday called the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at its Istanbul consulate a "huge and grave mistake" but sought to shield its powerful crown prince from the widening crisis, saying Mohammed bin Salman had not been aware.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 21, 2018

U.S. Mega Millions lottery hits world-record $1.6 billion

The U.S. Mega Millions jackpot grew to $1.6 billion, a world record for a lottery, after Friday's drawing produced no winner of the grand prize, officials said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 20, 2018

Spotlight falls on Japan's female TV presenters

On Sept. 4, the new presenters for Nippon TV's nightly news show, "News Zero," were introduced at a press conference in Tokyo. It's not unusual for TV stations to revamp current affairs shows, but the new version of "News Zero," which premiered Oct. 1, has attracted more than the usual measure of attention...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Oct 20, 2018

'Terrace House' opens its doors to LGBTQ members in Japan

Warning: The following may contain minor spoilers for "Terrace House: Opening New Doors."
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 20, 2018

U.S. Mega Millions lottery hits record $1.6 billion after no winning tickets were sold for Friday's draw

At least $1.6 billion, the largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history, will be up for grabs during the next Mega Millions draw after no winning tickets were sold for Friday night's draw, the lottery said Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 18, 2018

Japan's only female minister, Satsuki Katayama, hit by allegation she was paid to influence tax agency

A weekly magazine alleged that Katayama was paid to use her bureaucratic standing to get a tax break for a business owner in 2015.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 16, 2018

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen dies of cancer at 65: family

Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen, the man who persuaded school-friend Bill Gates to drop out of Harvard to start what became the world's biggest software company, died on Monday at the age of 65, his family said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 13, 2018

Can female surgeons dismantle stereotypes in Japan?

The long-running American TV series "Grey's Anatomy" is popular because of the way it mixes standard medical drama with mushy romantic intrigue, but another part of its appeal is the makeup of its characters. The drama takes place in the surgical department of a Seattle hospital, and half the doctors...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 13, 2018

Natural disasters shake the nation to attention in 2018

You wake to pitch blackness, the house shaking crazily. Nightmare? Yes — a waking one. "Where are my glasses?" You're helpless without your glasses. The shaking gets worse.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Oct 13, 2018

In art, there are no rules, only new challenges

For the director of the Japan Society in New York, it was a teenage encounter with a Shoichi Ida print that led to her love of art and its international influence
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2018

Yasukuni Shrine's chief priest forced to quit after criticizing Emperor for not visiting war-linked shrine

Kunio Kohori argued on June 20 that the Emperor is “now trying to crush Yasukuni Shrine” by not visiting it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 7, 2018

Fugitive from the thought police

There is no such thing as a thought crime — or is there?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 6, 2018

Repatriation program reveals Koreans' plight in Japan

In August, five North Korean defectors residing in Japan filed a lawsuit in Tokyo District Court charging Pyongyang with human rights abuses. The plaintiffs were described in the Mainichi Shimbun as "second-generation ethnic Koreans" who grew up in Japan but moved to North Korea during the mobilization...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Sep 29, 2018

TV shows look to piggyback on the success of social media

A growing number of people in Japan are turning to the internet as their main destination for entertainment. Younger folk in particular opt for YouTube and Instagram as a first choice over TV. So how is traditional media adjusting to this new reality?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 29, 2018

Few question the death penalty for heinous crimes

Should murderers be put to death? Yes, says Japan. No, says (increasingly) much of the rest of the world. Japan swims against the current.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?