Topic: Japan

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Ahmadinejad charges? Iranian president cited over election filing appearance

Ahmadinejad charges? The dispute appears to stem from an ongoing confrontation between Ahmadinejad and the ruling clerics in Iran following years of tensions over power struggles.
Energy Voices Struggling at home, US coal finds markets overseas

Coal companies in the US have been unable to compete with natural gas at home, Alic writes, but overseas this coal market is getting hotter by the minute.
Japanese yen plunges to four-year low. G7 unlikely to act.

Japanese yen's plunge vs. the dollar makes its exports cheaper and its companies more competitive. G7 finance ministers will focus on the Japanese yen at talks in the UK this weekend.
Chapter & Verse FDR vs. Lindbergh: Lynne Olson discusses America's debate over WWII

'Those Angry Days' examines the battle over whether America should enter the international conflict.
Long troubled by school bullying, Japan now eyes zero tolerance

Japanese responded to record numbers of severe bullying cases last year, prompting a national outcry and calls for legislation. But a proposed bill doesn’t address schools' intense culture of conformity, critics say.
Sexual assault in military: Pentagon report, scandal deal a double blow (+video)

Even as the Pentagon prepared to report a dramatic increase in sexual assaults in the military, the officer in charge of the Air Force prevention program was alleged to have groped a woman.
NASA satellite snaps spectacular images of volcanic eruption

Launched in February and now 438 miles above the Earth's surface, NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission satellite took several photos of an erupting Indonesian volcano.
Stocks soar. Dow has first close above 15,000.

Stocks rose on Wall Street Tuesday with the Dow Jones industrial average closing above 15,000 for the first time. Higher quarterly profits for companies including satellite TV provider DirecTV and watchmaker Fossil pushed stocks upward. The Dow Jones is up 15 percent this year.
Global News Blog Good Reads: Oil's future, wealth in Africa, 'Occupy' failure, progress in Mexico, and the Tsarnaevs

This week’s round-up of Good Reads includes the question "What if we never run out of oil?", a profile of African wealth divides, the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement's failure to leave a lasting imprint, and a profile of the Tsarnaev family.
Stefan Karlsson Do high stock prices mean economic inequality?

Any change in stock prices isn't intrinsically good or bad for everyone, Karlsson writes. Higher stock prices tend to be good for those who hold stocks, which typically benefits the wealthiest 'one percent.'
Opinion Obama and South Korea's President Park must agree on North Korea policy

As President Obama meets today with South Korea's President Park Geun-hye, how closely they agree on policy toward North Korea and whether they establish a good working relationship will be key to dealing with an increasingly dangerous new leadership in Pyongyang.
Chapter & Verse '1Q84' author Haruki Murakami makes his first public appearance in Japan in 18 years

Murakami appeared at Kyoto University to discuss his new novel 'Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage.'
Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

The coinciding visits to Beijing of the Israeli prime minister and the Palestinian Authority president this week speak to China's growing interests in the Middle East.
Airbag recall hits 45,000 BMWs (+video)

Airbag recall: The BMW 3 Series – 2002 and 2003 model years – is the target of the airbag recall. These cars are part of 3.4 million vehicles being recalled worldwide by six different automakers, including Toyota, Honda and General Motors.
Caroline Kennedy selling 93 acres on Vineyard. A new Kennedy neighbor?

Caroline Kennedy is selling two parcels of land for a total of $45 million on Martha's Vineyard. Anyone want to be a Caroline Kennedy neighbor?
Mother's Day 2013: 10 best books

Mother's Day 2013: 10 best new books for all kinds of moms
Difference Maker Seiji Yoshimura rushes to natural disasters to help

Inspired by the work of an American missionary long ago, Seiji Yoshimura helps out at disaster sites across Asia, including in his native Japan.
North Korea missile threat? North Korea 'closer' to nuclear threat, says Pentagon

North Korea missile threat: Intelligence agencies disagree on how great a missile threat North Korea poses, despite North Korea's recent threats against South Korea, Japan, and the US.
As world dials back death penalty, Japan heads in opposite direction

Two gangsters were hanged in Japan last week. More executions are likely under new Prime Minister Abe, who has expressed strong support for the death penalty – and says the public backs him.
Culture Cafe Monkees announce tour will cross the US this summer (+video)

Monkees announce tour: The Monkees reunion tour will kick off July 15 and could expand into an international tour, according to band member Micky Dolenz. Tickets for the Monkees summer tour will go on sale May 3.
Pentagon budget woes: furlough civilians, buy tanks you don't want

Once again, the Pentagon wants to scrap a weapon – in this case, the Abrams tank – that Congress has an interest in preserving. But with 'sequester' cuts, the tradeoff will be civilian furloughs.
Earth permanently deformed by big quakes? Measurements in Chile challenge established theory.

Earth permanently deformed: New research suggests that large-scale temblors can leave permanent scars on the crust of our planet.
Robert Reich Public debt and economic growth

If slow growth makes debt burdens larger, Reich writes, government should be fueling growth through, say, spending more – at least in the short run.
Japan and Russia want to finally end World War II, agree it is 'abnormal' not to

Today's summit between Shinzo Abe and Vladimir Putin comes at an opportune moment but may founder on the old problem of the Kuril Islands, which Japan still wants back.
San Diego 2024 Olympics in Tijuana? How a cross-border Games could work.

San Diego 2024 Olympics boosters have included events in Tijuana, Mexico, as a selling point. The USOC is reaching out to potential bid cities, and a cross-border Olympics would be a first.