Philip Brasor - The Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Jan 23, 2016

SMAP dodges bullet; Becky isn't so lucky

When media leaked intelligence on Jan. 10 that eternal boy band SMAP might be dissolving, the outpouring of fan emotion overwhelmed anything else that was happening in the show business world. One person who was probably grateful for the distraction was Rebecca Eri Ray Vaughan, the TV personality better...

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Jan 23, 2016

Mounting student debt may cost society dearly

The education ministry conducted a survey in 2014 of institutes of higher learning and found that the average yearly tuition for private universities was ¥864,384. In addition, the average "entry fee" (nyūgakukin) was ¥261,089. Adding other expenses, the ministry estimated it cost a student...

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF

Jan 22, 2016

A 1971 thriller returns; the life of an indigo dyer; CM of the week: Nihon Waso

'Kuro no Shamen" ("The Black Slope"), made in 1971, is one of the most famous thrillers in the history of Japanese cinema. On Sunday night at 9, TV Asahi presents a new TV adaptation of the tale.

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Jan 16, 2016

The elephant in the room for Toshiba is nuclear

Japanese press outlets often cover scoops from competing outlets, but it's rare to build on a competitor's story with original reporting, especially when the scoop is a few years old. In December, the weekly magazine Aera, which is affiliated with the Asahi Shimbun, ran an article about a secret meeting...

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF

Jan 15, 2016

Lovers with a age gap; secrets of a retired boxer; CM of the week: Sanyo Foods

The natural reaction to the central situation of the new comedy-drama series, "Otosan to Yobasete" ("Call Me Father(-in-law)"; Fuji TV, Tues., 10 p.m.), is queasiness. Though May-December romances are a fairly common cultural touchstone, here the idea is played for maximum discomfort.

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Jan 9, 2016

Different-names ruling leaves door open to possibility of same-sex marriages

While the Supreme Court ruling said there is nothing unconstitutional about compelling married couples to register under one name, they didn't expressly limit marriage to a man and a woman.

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Jan 9, 2016

Low wages at the heart of foreign labor shortage woes

There has been a lot of discussion recently about allowing more foreign workers into Japan to make up for severe labor shortages in some fields. As of the end of 2014, the labor ministry estimated there were 790,000 foreign nationals working in Japan legally, which is more than the number of national...

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF

Jan 8, 2016

Disappearing-father drama; Swindling in Osaka; CM of the week: Bandai Namco

Osaka is the setting for the bittersweet two-hour drama "Saiko no Oyako" ("The Best Mother and Child"; TBS, Sun., 9 p.m.), which stars Naomi Fujiyama as a single mother raising a daughter, played by Riisa Naka, who has just graduated from university with a degree in architecture but is having trouble...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Jan 2, 2016

Seeing 2015 through a fragmented media lens

Media literacy means understanding that objective reality is impossible to comprehend, and that the best you can do to make sense of the world is to know how to interpret signals. Part of that process is identifying what's at stake: Newspapers and broadcasters have parties they think they need to please,...

COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS

Jan 2, 2016

Getting a high rise out of dodging taxes

About a year ago, we talked about using real estate purchases to lower inheritance and gift taxes. Obviously, people who are able to take advantage of these schemes are already well off — the average person doesn't have to worry about paying inheritance taxes when his or her parents die because...

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF

Jan 2, 2016

New adaptation of Natsume Soseki's classic novel; scaling Mount Everest; CM of the week: Parco

Natsume Soseki's novel, "Botchan," has been adapted many times over the years, but it has been 20 years since it was last done for television. To celebrate the 100th year since the writer died, Fuji TV is presenting a brand new production of the classic story (Sunday, 9 p.m.) starring Arashi's Kazuya...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Dec 26, 2015

Civilian casualties of WWII left out in the cold

'Unbroken," Angelina Jolie's 2014 film about the late American Olympic athlete Louie Zamperini, will finally receive a theatrical release in Japan next year after inciting the ire of local groups who claim its depiction of Japanese prisoner of war camps is sensationally harsh and thus an expression of...

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Dec 26, 2015

Ripped-off bar hostesses in Japan stand up for their rights

With an increase in nonregular employment driving more women into the night entertainment business, some are turning to labor unions to deal with clubs that try to con them.

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF

Dec 25, 2015

What happens when professional baseballers get fired; CM of the week: Reebok

For every professional athlete who makes a long career out of his or her pastime, there are probably another 10 whose moment in the spotlight is painfully brief. That is the concept behind the occasional documentary series "Puro Yakyu Senryokugai Tsukoku Kubi wo Senkoku Sareta Otokotachi" ("Men Given...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Dec 19, 2015

Japanese newspapers' self-interest ensures they toe Komeito's line on tax exemption

The vernacular press has been uncharacteristically unanimous in its support for the exemption of food from the planned consumption tax hike.

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF

Dec 18, 2015

Three troubled sisters; Japan's favorite mystery author; CM of the week: McDonald's

The heroes of the three stories that make up the omnibus drama "Damashi-banashi" ("Stories of Deceit"; Nippon TV, Sun., 11:15 p.m.) are the somewhat untrustworthy Yoshida siblings.

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Dec 12, 2015

Why infrastructure repairs are being ignored

Several days after a storm caused the Kinugawa River to overflow its banks and destroy communities in Ibaraki Prefecture in September, the infrastructure ministry held on-site meetings to look into what went wrong.

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Dec 12, 2015

Investors see big returns as Airbnb takes off in Japan

While many see Airbnb as a possible fix for two seious problems in Japan — the shortage of hotel rooms and a steady increase in vacant buildings — others see an investment opportunity.

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Dec 5, 2015

Push for balance can lead to a skewed view

In September, public broadcaster NHK aired a documentary that recounted the news events from the capital this summer. One of the segments focused on the continuing protests led by college students in central Tokyo against the controversial security bills the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had yet to...

COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS

Dec 5, 2015

Aota-uri: 'green' condominiums to be wary of

Each year between 1990, when Japan's asset bubble burst, and the 2007 recession, about 200,000 new condominium units were added to Japan's housing stock. After 2007, the number dropped to about 100,000, but, depending on the year, anywhere from 50,000 to 70,000 of these units were built in the Tokyo...

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