By Yuri Kageyama Associated Press NAGAOKA, Japan (AP) — She has a soft spot for Duffy the Disney Bear and her favorite food is chocolate. She does her homework before dinner but really loves skateboarding, playing video games and bouncing on her trampoline. If Mahiro Takano sounds like any 9-year-old, think again: The third grader […]
Fatal fire on Japan’s airtight bullet train
By Mari Yamaguchi Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A fatal fire on Japan’s bullet train, started by a man who self-immolated this week, has revealed blind spots in a system renowned for its speed, punctuality and safety record. Riding the Shinkansen feels like being in an airplane: at 300 kilometers (186 miles) per hour, it […]
The Layup Drill — Baseball ends, boxing heats up, and marathoner spurns conformity
By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly Welcome to another edition of The Layup Drill. In this month’s edition, we take a look at the end of baseball season, boxing stars at the crossroads, and a Japanese marathon runner that overcomes all odds. Ishikawa-Wong star in baseball’s postseason The World Series ended with another title for […]
Three years later, Japan earthquake still resonates
By Marino Saito Northwest Asian Weekly Across Japan, people will pause and pray at 2:46 p.m. on March 11.
Tokyo again wants Olympics to heal national crisis
By Graham Dunbar The Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Tokyo wants to host a Summer Olympics for the second time, so that the games can again help speed up Japan’s recovery from a national crisis.