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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 14, 2023

Superorganism’s Orono Noguchi: 'I've chilled out on my stubbornness about hating Japan'

The Japanese vocalist has strong opinions about her home country. Meanwhile, she and her pop band get intergalactic on their second album, 'World Wide Pop.'
Japan Times
LIFE
Jan 7, 2023

Across Japan, baby names are getting more creative

Despite a government-managed list of acceptable kanji, parents are choosing more unique readings for their children than ever before.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Jan 5, 2023

Listen up! Podcasts can help with that perennial resolution to learn Japanese

It's New Year's resolution time, did you make yours? If you're looking to improve your Japanese listening skills in 2023 then these podcasts have you covered.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Jan 1, 2023

What to expect in the Year of the Rabbit

If 2022 felt a little hectic, the next 12 months could offer opportunities for relaxation, quietness and contemplation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 30, 2022

Arata Isozaki, prolific Japanese architect, dies at 91

In major structures in a dozen countries, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Isozaki absorbed and reinterpreted Eastern and Western traditions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / 2022 in Review
Dec 23, 2022

The big J-pop hits of 2022? They came from TikTok and anime.

Acts such as Kaze Fujii and Sekai No Owari found success via viral trends, while artists like Ado and Aimer topped the charts thanks to anime collaborations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / 2022 in Review
Dec 22, 2022

Anime continued its dominance in 2022

Anime proved to be bankable content in chaotic times, with 'One Piece' and 'Dragon Ball' scoring big at the box office, while major streaming services expanded their anime offerings.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Dec 20, 2022

IOC chief Thomas Bach faces 'dilemma' over Russian athletes

The International Olympic Committee has agreed to 'explore' a proposal allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in international events in Asia.
Japan Times
ESG CONSORTIUM
Dec 19, 2022

Tsukuba’s outlying R8 districts realize and promote their charms

“There is nothing in this town” — this is a phrase you too often hear when asking a resident of a rural area in Japan about places to go and things to see. And it was exactly what many participants said in 2018 at the first residents’ workshop for the promotion of the area surrounding the central...
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 14, 2022

25 years on from the protocol’s signing, did we ever 'Kyoto'?

Dec. 11 marked the 25th anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol, a landmark treaty that put the idea of global effort to save the planet on many national radars. To mark the event, The Japan Times has launched a new section, Our Planet, that will look at the climate crisis, earth science and disaster management...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Dec 11, 2022

The Okinawans helping black kōji to thrive

Nearly destroyed during the destruction of World War II, the enigmatic mold central to awamori lives on.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2022

Japan looks to boost protections for freelancers with new law

With business usually agreed on verbally, many freelancers experience issues with payment and disagreements over the expected work.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 4, 2022

How Japanese soccer evolved to produce world-beating warriors

The Samurai Blue's upset wins over Germany and Spain at the 2022 FIFA World Cup are a result of decades of effort to expand the sport's footprint across the country.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 3, 2022

Junko Takase’s Akutagawa Prize-winning novel is a feminist’s nightmare

“Oishii Gohan ga Taberaremasu Yoni” reads at first like a work place drama but ultimately makes a sinister argument about contemporary feminism.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2022

Japanese offices welcoming dogs in bid to encourage owner well-being

Fujitsu is trialing a new dog-friendly office until the end of the year at its building in Kawasaki as a way to improve employee well-being and productivity.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Nov 18, 2022

Celebrities give a needed boost to Japan’s podcast industry

Companies are putting in greater efforts to make the podcast medium mainstream by teaming up with high-profile names such as Hideo Kojima to drive a shift in listener interest.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Nov 14, 2022

Tohoku fruit producers look to overseas markets for growth

With Aomori marketing its apples in India, and Yamagata pears breaking into East Asia, the products are seen as being key to increased exports.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Nov 14, 2022

Handshakes, shoes and coffee cups: Qatar World Cup etiquette essentials

Here are some of the cultural conventions football fans should know when visiting the gas-rich Gulf emirate, which, like other Arab nations, prides itself on its hospitality.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Women at Work
Nov 10, 2022

Approaching life as an independent nonexecutive director with resolve

From startups to conglomerates, Makiko Nakamori has balanced sitting on a range of boards with motherhood and managing her own accounting practice.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 10, 2022

Event broadens reach of traditional theater

“For over a thousand years, noh theater has been consistently expressing a prayer for peace,” said Manjiro Tatsumi, a Hosho School shite-kata (lead actor) and a designated Important Intangible Cultural Property, at the explanatory session of the 18th Tokyo Dai Takigi Noh (Noh by Firelight).
Japan Times
Ireland report 2022
Nov 10, 2022

Ireland and Japan at 65

Japan and Ireland are important partners who share fundamental values such as democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2022

Midterms move climate battle beyond Washington

With the U.S. Federal government headed for gridlock, the fate of energy legislation lies with the states.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Nov 7, 2022

When finding your place in Japan, you have to take the right steps

A group of dancers in Hokkaido learn that once you find your tribe, getting used to life in Japan becomes a whole lot easier.
Japan Times
GLOBAL MEDIA POST / U.S. East Coast report 2022
Oct 31, 2022

The future made perfect in Pittsburgh

As far as innovation goes, Pittsburgh has many lessons to teach the world. Once the center of the American steel industry, the second-largest city in Pennsylvania has transformed its economy and emerged as a hotbed of innovation, particularly in high-value manufacturing, climate tech and technology,...
Japan Times
GLOBAL MEDIA POST / U.S. East Coast report 2022
Oct 31, 2022

Keisen Associates: Bridging businesses and cultures

Specializing in intellectual property, the Tokyo-based Keisen Associates provides Japanese and other international companies with services aimed at ensuring their trouble-free entry into the large U.S. market. Because of cultural differences, regulatory divergences and complex issues surrounding IP,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Oct 23, 2022

Virtu’s new master mixer looking to shake and stir up the classics

After stints in Bermuda, Seoul and Beijing, bartender Keith Motsi has come to Tokyo.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 20, 2022

For women in China’s Communist Party, it’s lonely at the top

The Communist Party congress this week is once again a typical scene of suits and ties, with less than a third of the delegates being women.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Oct 18, 2022

Kamikaze drones in Ukraine conjure memories of Japan's own bombers

When Japan's military came calling, it was educated and sometimes bookish soldiers who were among those who volunteered for a desperate kamikaze mission.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?