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Japan news from Japan Times

• Welcome to Yama, Japan’s first Michelin-starred dessert restaurant

  “We don’t just serve food — we serve memories, stories and a sense of place,” says chef Koichi Katsumata.

• Did Kanye West really discover Tokyo’s best jerk chicken spot?

  Social media in Japan has become fascinated with Good Wood Terrace after Ye’s visit, with many visiting to try it out themselves.

• South Korea's Yoon survives impeachment after his party boycotts vote

  Yoon's party claimed after the vote that it had blocked the impeachment to avoid "severe division and chaos."

• Tokyo government considering fund for housing support

  The planned fund will provide necessary financial aid for private businesses to develop affordable housing.

• Yoon impeachment vote puts focus on South Korea’s generational gap

  On one side are older voters, who back Yoon. The other end represents younger, more liberal South Koreans, who blame the president for a lack of job opportunities.

• Dozens arrested in overnight crackdown on Georgia pro-EU protests

  Security forces fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the thousands of people who had gathered outside parliament in Tbilisi.

• Japan eyes monitoring international communications for cyber defense

  The move is part of a plan to develop active cyber defense, or preemptive action to prevent cyberattacks, according to sources.

• K-pop, carols and guillotines at South Korea impeachment protests

  Protesters massed outside the National Assembly, many wearing the elaborate outfits, carrying home-made flags or blasting the K-pop tunes.

Asia/Pacific news from Japan Times

• South Korea's Yoon survives impeachment after his party boycotts vote

  Yoon's party claimed after the vote that it had blocked the impeachment to avoid "severe division and chaos."

• Yoon impeachment vote puts focus on South Korea’s generational gap

  On one side are older voters, who back Yoon. The other end represents younger, more liberal South Koreans, who blame the president for a lack of job opportunities.

• K-pop, carols and guillotines at South Korea impeachment protests

  Protesters massed outside the National Assembly, many wearing the elaborate outfits, carrying home-made flags or blasting the K-pop tunes.

• Move to impeach South Korea's Yoon in limbo after ruling party walkout

  While lawmakers debated the motion, introduced by the main opposition Democratic Party, only a single member of Yoon's People Power Party remained in his seat.

• Taiwan's Lai says he is 'confident' of deeper cooperation with Trump

  Trump caused jitters during his campaign by suggesting Taiwan should pay the United States for its defense.

• Young people involved in one-fifth of Australian terrorism cases, intelligence chief says

  Australia passed legislation this month to ban children under the age of 16 years from social media platforms starting late next year.

• South Korea's leader is likely to hang on, despite being reviled

  For the impeachment movement to be successful, the opposition needs only eight of the 108 lawmakers in the ruling party to switch sides.

• South Korea opposition chief says ousting Yoon will be difficult

  Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung said the situation remains in a "state of flux” ahead of a parliamentary vote on launching impeachment proceedings against Yoon.

Culture news from Japan Times

• 2024 was the year Japanese TV found its prestige

  The triumph of “Shogun” at the Emmys served as an exclamation point for an industry taking big swings and opening up to trans-Pacific partnerships.

• Korean coup movie hits No. 1 on Netflix after martial law chaos

  The film depicts the events surrounding a Dec. 12, 1979, coup in South Korea, a theme also tackled in Han Kang's novel "Human Acts."

• Miho Nakayama, known for 'Love Letter' and a decadeslong music career, dies at 54

  Nakayama had a solo Christmas show scheduled in Osaka on Friday, but had canceled the show in the morning, citing health reasons.

• Beatles legend Paul McCartney stars in new U.K. coin collection

  The 82-year-old musician helped design the coins, which nod to the psychedelic "magic piano" featured in the 1967 "Magical Mystery Tour" film.

• Vulnerable youth look for sense of belonging in ‘A Big Home’

  Ryo Takebayashi’s documentary profiles the residents of a group home, but shies away from making emphatic statements about the circumstances that brought them there.

• ‘The Making of a Japanese’: A warm and engaging portrait of Japanese schoolchildren

  Ema Ryan Yamazaki’s documentary is a candid and heartfelt glimpse of elementary school in Tokyo.

• Japan's soft power soared to new heights in 2024

  From Oscars and Emmys to a Nobel Peace Prize, it was a year of awards and triumphs in key cultural fields.

• Anime-loving cartoonist from Sweden shares joys of Tokyo life

  Her five-volume manga series humorously depicts the unique aspects of Japan that stand out to foreigners from a young foreign woman's perspective.

Sports news from Japan Times

• Golden At-Bat could give MLB a new shine. Is it worth it?

  What if a team could choose one at-bat in every game to send its best hitter to the plate even if it wasn’t that guy’s turn to hit?

• German skaters Hase and Volodin defend Grand Prix Final gold

  Former world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan took silver with 206.71.

• Newcomer Kai Asakura aims to dethrone Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 310

  Asakura, a 31-year-old from Japan, is a two-time Rizin bantamweight champion.

• NBA to return to China for first time since 2019 fallout

  No NBA games have been held in China since 2019 after a tweet from then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey in support of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

• George Russell says Max Verstappen made threats in Qatar

  Tensions are heating up ahead of Sunday's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

• Paris Olympics were the most followed ever, IOC says

  In the home market of France, 95% of the potential audience watched an average of 24 hours of coverage of the Olympics.

• American skater Amber Glenn tops Japanese rivals at ISU Grand Prix final

  Glenn took a narrow lead over Japan's Mone Chiba in the short program.

• Darvish could help lure prized free agent to San Diego

  Darvish is said to badly want young right-hander Roki Sasaki as his teammate.

Life news from Japan Times

• Welcome to Yama, Japan’s first Michelin-starred dessert restaurant

  “We don’t just serve food — we serve memories, stories and a sense of place,” says chef Koichi Katsumata.

• Did Kanye West really discover Tokyo’s best jerk chicken spot?

  Social media in Japan has become fascinated with Good Wood Terrace after Ye’s visit, with many visiting to try it out themselves.

• Futaba pivots to 'hope tourism' to revive its fortunes

  Whether you’re a long-term resident of Japan or flying in for a holiday, the message is clear: Futaba welcomes you.

• Beyond beeps and boops: Video game music has grown up

  Video game music has gone from 8-bit chiptunes to fully realized productions that bring the gamer’s experience to life.

• Hangover cures are everywhere in Japan — but do they work?

  Japan’s suspect remedies make up 20% of the world’s market for hangover cures, but their success lies more in marketing than science.

• Japan's honorific language can be challenging for native speakers, too

  According to surveys, more than half of those in their teens, 20s and 30s, believe they cannot use "keigo," or honorific language, appropriately.

• It’s Japan versus China for 2024’s game of the year

  Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Black Myth: Wukong both have a claim to the best game of 2024, a year marked by cultural scandals and lawsuits.

• For holidays in warm weather, a light, rolled meringue fits best

  In the topsy-turvy seasons of the antipodes, Christmas is in summer and fresh fruit medleys make sense for this dessert.

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