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Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2020

Kyoto Prefecture city to ban single-use plastic shopping bags

A city assembly in western Japan enacted an ordinance Tuesday that bans local retailers from offering single-use plastic shopping bags to customers, whether they are free or priced, the first such measure in the country.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 19, 2020

J. League to skip relegation as schedule threatened by coronavirus

Faced with an ever-shifting series of threats to its competitive calendar from the COVID-19 pandemic, the J. League announced on Thursday that it will suspend relegation for the 2020 season while allowing teams in the second and third divisions to fight for top-tier promotion.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2020

Free school lunches to start year early in Osaka due to coronavirus

Osaka city approved a plan Wednesday that will make it the first major city in Japan to offer free school lunches to all students at municipal elementary and junior high schools, as part of its economic measures to ease the burden on parents in the wake of the spread of COVID-19.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2020

U.K. has advantage in trade talks with EU

The EU member governments and commission bureaucrats will learn a hard lesson if they consider Britain easy to deal with.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Feb 23, 2020

Olympic prep underway for fully booked Conrad

Can an event define a city? By all accounts, the Glasgow Garden Festival, held in 1988, was a raging success with over 4 million visitors attending the riverside event. For Conrad Tokyo General Manager Neil McInnes who hails from Glasgow, the festival was a source of wonderment and excitement.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA
Feb 7, 2020

Clippers land Marcus Morris Sr., Isaiah Thomas in three-team deal

The Los Angeles Clippers landed a pair of players on Thursday to help boost their title chances, getting forward Marcus Morris Sr. from the New York Knicks as well as guard Isaiah Thomas from the Washington Wizards in a three-team deal.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2020

EU's poorer nations ask bloc's leaders not to cut aid money

A day after the European Union waved goodbye to Britain, some of Europe's poorest nations urged the bloc's leaders not to implement a "sharp and disproportional" cut to their aid money in the next long-term budget.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 19, 2020

Casino bribes scandal threatens to upend Diet debate as public opposition climbs

Just a month ago, the Diet session opening Monday was expected to hotly debate but ultimately approve more specific measures on how Japan will operate what will eventually be its first casino resorts.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2020

Comcast's Peacock streaming service to offer free and $5- or $10-a-month options

Comcast Corp.-owned NBCUniversal's new Peacock service, its belated entry into the streaming video wars, will offer free and $5-per-month options with advertising, the company announced on Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2020

Trial delay contributed to Ghosn's decision to flee Japan, sources say

Ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn decided to flee Japan after learning that his trial had been delayed until April 2021 and also because he had not been allowed to speak to his wife, sources close to Ghosn said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Outlook 2020
Jan 2, 2020

Japan's pressing regional affairs to unfold quietly in shadow of Olympics

This year, all attention will turn to the 2020 Olympics, with politicians, business leaders and the media talking about how to ensure its success, what it means for Japan domestically and internationally and how to avert a post-Olympic economic slump.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 2, 2020

Sony cranking out image sensors round the clock to meet smartphone-fueled demand

Sony Corp. is working around the clock to manufacture its in-demand image sensors, but even a 24-hour operation hasn't been enough.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 17, 2019

Bank of Japan's next move will be to dial back stimulus, most economists now say

The Bank of Japan's next move will be to dial back its massive stimulus, according to an increasing number of polled analysts, reflecting receding market expectations of imminent monetary easing by the central bank.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Dec 15, 2019

Major issues loom as Kansai looks ahead to the new year

It was a busy 2019 for Kansai, particularly in the days leading up to the June Group of 20 leaders summit in Osaka. While the Tokyo Olympics will be the focus of much of the nation's attention in 2020, here are some major issues that will impact Kansai next year:
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 13, 2019

Scotland's future in spotlight again after U.K. election

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson may be celebrating a stunning election victory, but another leader also scored an emphatic win — and it is one that promises to set up a renewed clash over the United Kingdom's future.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2019

Hokkaido officially pulls out of casino resort bidding over environmental concerns

Gov. Naomichi Suzuki said there wasn't enough time to draft protective measures, leaving at least four other areas in the running for Japan's first three resorts.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 4, 2019

Saudi Arabia pulls out all the stops to ensure Aramco IPO success

Saudi Arabia is pulling out all the stops to ensure the success of Aramco's initial public offering after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman finally decided to offer shares in the world's largest oil producer.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 3, 2019

What Trump's tough talk might hold for negotiations on U.S.-Japan cost-sharing deal

It's no secret that U.S. President Donald Trump views alliances with a skeptical eye. Trump, who fancies himself a dealmaker, has repeatedly called for allies around the world to shoulder more of the costs of their partnerships with the United States.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 21, 2019

Japan rushes to establish LNG bunkering hub as environmental rules push global fleet to natural gas

A U.N.-led call for action to tighten sulfur oxide emissions may also be a trigger accelerating a shift to natural gas as fuel for the global shipping fleet, and Japan is wasting no time trying to establish a refueling hub in Asia.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Oct 20, 2019

New Chinese commercial rockets to make test flights starting next year

China will launch test flights for the next two space rockets in its Smart Dragon series meant for commercial use in 2020 and 2021, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday, as an expected boom in satellite deployment gathers pace.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 19, 2019

Chinese nuclear plans cloud prospects for new U.S.-Russia missile deal

A key hurdle to extending a landmark nuclear treaty between the U.S. and Russia isn't Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin. It is China.
BUSINESS
Sep 18, 2019

Keidanren urges caution on using workers' insurance funds to aid Japan's 'ice age generation'

The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, on Tuesday called on the government to cautiously study its idea of using reserve funds under the employment insurance system for the purpose of assisting people in the employment "ice age generation."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Sep 12, 2019

Abe and his new Cabinet face significant obstacles toward reforming nation's social security systems

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who reshuffled his Cabinet on Wednesday, said he will boost efforts to reform the nation's social security systems — a top domestic priority for him as he enters the last two years of his final three-year term as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Longform

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