Kakumi Kobayashi - The Japan Times

December 24, 2024

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Kakumi Kobayashi

JAPAN

Jul 2, 2017

Record-setting winning streak of shogi prodigy Sota Fujii halted at 29 games

A record-setting winning streak by 14-year-old shogi prodigy Sota Fujii ended Sunday with his defeat at the hands of Yuki Sasaki, 22, in a high-profile match of the traditional chess-like game.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Politics

Jul 2, 2017

Despite vague platform, Tomin First outshining status quo in Tokyo

Many voters queried about the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election Sunday said they cast ballots for Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First), the upstart party led by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, because they did not want the scandal-plagued Liberal Democratic Party to take control of the legislature.

JAPAN

Jun 27, 2017

The era of young shogi pro Fujii is here, but so is the era of AI in changing the game

The record-setting winning streak of a 14-year-old shogi sensation has turned the spotlight on another new phenomenon shaking up the centuries-old Japanese board game — the use of artificial intelligence to improve players' skills.

Japan Times

JAPAN

May 24, 2017

Japanese residents of Manchester shaken by terrorist attack

Japanese residents in Manchester, England, expressed shock that the deadly terrorist attack at a concert hall took place in a city known for welcoming different cultures.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Politics

May 17, 2017

Pacific Command chief exhorts Russia and China to bring Kim Jong Un 'to his senses'

The head of the U.S. military's Pacific Command on Wednesday urged Russia and China to step up efforts in reining in North Korea and persuade the reclusive state to halt its nuclear weapons program and related provocations.

Japan Times

JAPAN

May 15, 2017

Patriotic Japan poster from 2011 causes social media stir after campaign's model outed as Chinese

A poster designed six years ago in an apparent bid to promote patriotism has recently gone viral on social media thanks to its catchphrase, which has revived public debate on race, and the revelation that its smiling model is actually Chinese.

JAPAN

Dec 1, 2006

Film on Korean identity woes released in South

, yet feeling awkward about the country he supports. The filmmaker said in a recent interview in Tokyo that she loved her parents but chose to take South Korean nationality in 2004 because she felt uncomfortable with the North Korean regime, which has left many people destitute and starving.

JAPAN

Aug 29, 2006

Ishihara crime fight serving Big Brother, stoking xenophobia?

A former deputy chief of Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's task force on public safety is questioning some of the projects the metropolitan government has been promoting.

JAPAN

Aug 20, 2006

Following arson attack, Kato warns of 'dangerous' nationalism emerging

Veteran lawmaker Koichi Kato, victim of an arson attack on one of his houses last week following his criticism of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine, is warning that signs of "dangerous" nationalism are increasing in Japan.

JAPAN

Jun 20, 2006

Plastic recyclers can't compete with China

Many Japanese companies that produce materials recycled from used plastic bottles are on the verge of bankruptcy as more and more of their raw material ends up in China and may soon be finding their way to India as well.

JAPAN

Jan 7, 2006

Condo scandal shakes engineering industry

As people begin to feel that they can no longer trust their streets to be safe, they have discovered that even the roofs over their heads may also not be secure.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jan 4, 2003

Stuttering reform drive prompts election whispers

Speculation is mounting that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will call a general election this year, as old guard politicians continue to hamper his reform drive and leave him appearing increasingly forlorn.

JAPAN

Jan 15, 2002

Omron adds cat to robot pet population

A lifelike robot cat closes its eyes and meows after a young boy rubs the acrylic fur on its chin at a department store in Tokyo.

JAPAN

Jan 11, 2001

Adults, kids split on merits of baseball

Shunzo Nagashima recalls his wonder at seeing the New York Yankees in newsreels at a Tokyo cinema soon after World War II.

JAPAN

Nov 28, 2000

Railways brace for onslaught of holiday-season drunks

For most people, the end of the year is a time for making merry. For the nation's railroad employees, who have to deal with those merrymakers, it is a nightmare.

JAPAN

Oct 13, 2000

Accounting practices blamed for slump in Japanese films

The chief executive of a Tokyo financial management company launched in late September hopes her new business saves Japanese films from a long slump.

CULTURE / Art

Aug 5, 2000

Photos capture nuclear tests' toll

The single eye of a cyclops baby preserved in a jar of formalin gazes out, unblinking. Beside it, the eyeless face of a severely disfigured boy seems to melt from his head, the swollen eyebrows and cheeks blinding him permanently.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.

Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?

By Kathryn Wortley

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