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‘One Week Friends’: Groundhog day in the ‘friend zone’

Someday soon someone is going to come up with an algorithm for commercial seishun eiga (youth films). Plug in the variables — teenaged love in its more innocuous variations being first and foremost — and pop out a script for another hit.

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Akitas in Japan give a dog a good name

The Akita breed is a fiercely loyal animal that has attracted growing interest from dog lovers in recent years

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Animated teen flick ‘Your Name.’ scores lucrative debut in China

Japan’s smash hit “Your Name.” hit Chinese theaters on Friday, raking in millions in ticket sales despite decades of tense political relations between the two nations.

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Some Japanese find frustration, others freedom in foreign tongues

The Japanese have never been skilled at communication, but they have been able to fall back on the belief that everyone understood each other without saying anything. Unfortunately, this has never applied to non-Japanese.

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Japanese-Indian crowned Miss Japan, drawing mixed reaction

Social media lit up Tuesday with the news of a half-Indian woman being crowned a beauty queen in Tokyo, with many congratulating her and marveling at how far Japan has come in embracing racial diversity.

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Thai junta chief Prayuth reiterates election in 2017

Thailand will hold a general election in 2017, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Tuesday, seeking to allay concerns his military government might delay plans for a return to democracy, days after the country endorsed a military-backed constitution.