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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 13, 2018

Japanese engineer builds giant robot to realize Gundam dream

Engineer Masaaki Nagumo had always dreamed of suiting up as a robot from "Mobile Suit Gundam," his favorite animation series growing up. Now he has made it a reality by creating a giant humanoid inspired by the science fiction franchise.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 13, 2018

Nintendo teams up with venture fund to find new tech for Switch

Nintendo Co. is teaming up with San Francisco-based Scrum Ventures to scout startups working on new ways to play or use the company's hit gaming console, the Switch.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 7, 2018

'Patient X' by David Peace: An intensely profound portrait of a writer's life and death

There is an astounding authenticity permeating Peace's writing on Japan, as if he is painstakingly recreating the biography of an entire nation and age.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 6, 2018

Why global speculators love the yen

The yen's extremely high sensitivity to global events is a serious problem for Japan.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Apr 2, 2018

Kim Jong Un: statesman and all-around normal guy? Not quite

Kim Jong Un: statesman and all-around normal guy?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Apr 1, 2018

K-pop stars turn diplomatic envoys with concert dates in North Korea

They won over buttoned-up investors at a banking conference with their jingles about teenage love, but the K-pop girl band Red Velvet is about to face what may be its toughest audience yet: North Korea.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 29, 2018

Kiyoshi Koyama: A life lived with jazz

"I have lived a life alongside jazz," says Kiyoshi Koyama, jazz critic, journalist and radio host. This is apparent on a recent visit to his home in Chiba Prefecture, where he and his wife live surrounded by walls of neatly organized records, CDs, books and other archives — a lifetime of research and...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2018

SoftBank Vision Fund and Saudi Arabia to create world's largest solar power firm

SoftBank Group Corp.'s Vision Fund will invest in a solar-power generation company in Saudi Arabia, creating the world's biggest solar producer, as it steps up its involvement in the kingdom, its chief executive said Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 26, 2018

Beijing festival pulls Oscar-winning gay film

A Chinese film festival has pulled the award-winning gay romance "Call Me By Your Name" from its program, the movie's distributor said Monday, reflecting China's inconsistent relationship with gay themes in the creative arts.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 25, 2018

Controlling the web a dream and nightmare

Authoritarian governments regulate what their citizens can see online. The U.S. lets tech companies make similar decisions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Mar 24, 2018

'Quicksand': A racy transition from old Tanizaki to new

A young lady from Osaka begins to attend an art class and, while painting a picture of the Kannon (the goddess of mercy), substitutes the head for that of a beguiling student. Soon, she is drawn into a complex web of lesbian passion, pitted against the social norms of marriage in a deadly game that will...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 23, 2018

LDP and Komeito at odds over casino resort rules, dashing deadline hopes

The two members of Japan's ruling coalition can't agree on how many gambling resorts to build, how much to charge and whether to prioritize profit over addiction prevention.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Mar 22, 2018

Just let Johnny's Jr. be Johnny's Jr.

Around 60 people gathered at YouTube Space Tokyo on Tuesday to welcome Johnny & Associates to the 21st century. It was a day before the launch of the talent agency's first official YouTube channel, devoted to its Johnny's Jr. acts. It's a huge development for a company that has viewed the web as one...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 21, 2018

Weinstein Co. files for bankruptcy, ends all nondisclosure agreements in move seen squelching suits

U.S. film and TV studio The Weinstein Company, whose ex-Chairman Harvey Weinstein has been accused of sexual harassment and assault, filed for bankruptcy on Monday and said it was ending all non-disclosure agreements that may have silenced some women.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 20, 2018

Xi to launch 'Voice of China' broadcaster to boost global image

China has approved the creation of one of the world's largest propaganda machines as it looks to improve its global image, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 18, 2018

Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo: Menswear brands give streetwear some long-overdue cred

Japan Times fashion contributors select eight menswear and unisex collections to look out for during Tokyo fashion week
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 17, 2018

'Exhausted' Toys R Us suppliers weigh options as huge retailer shuts

When Toys R Us secured a $3.1 billion bankruptcy loan in September, toy makers were reassured they would be paid for goods delivered to the company as it tried to emerge from Chapter 11.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 17, 2018

Nihonbashi: The culinary crossroads of Tokyo

For the rest of the world all roads might lead to Rome, but in Japan all roads lead to Nihonbashi. Just as the Milliarium Aureum (Golden Milestone) delineated the point from which all distances were measured in the Roman Empire, there is a monument to one side of Nihonbashi Bridge that marks the "zero...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 14, 2018

Hollywood producers Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Michael Jordan and Paul Feig adopt inclusion rider

"Bridesmaids" director Paul Feig said on Tuesday that his production company was adding an inclusion rider for future shows, the latest Hollywood figure to take up the call for more diversity on movie and television sets.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 11, 2018

Picturing Okinawa: The black and white of cultural identity

Tracing the history of Okinawa as it is represented in the differing genres of experimental, documentary and portrait photography, inevitably leads to the abiding themes of identity, ethnicity and political posture.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Mar 11, 2018

Schools plus rules equals Japan minus two

Having experienced schools around the world, why do Colin P.A. Jones' daughters rank Japan's bottom of the class?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news / Sound Off
Mar 8, 2018

Net-shy Johnny's announces deal for online channel with YouTube

Internet-shy entertainment management company Johnny & Associates said Monday it will launch an official YouTube channel on March 21.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 5, 2018

South Korea shuts famed 84-year-old poet's exhibition amid sex harassment claims by rival

South Korea's capital has closed an exhibition by poet Ko Un, long the country's hope for a Nobel Prize in literature, amid allegations of sexual misconduct and the government is considering removing his work from textbooks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 4, 2018

Traditional arts live through kids

Nurturing respect for cultural traditions is a daunting challenge these days, when kids are glued to cellphones and game apps. So what does a country with centuries of carefully polished artistry do to preserve its heritage? Drop a curtain on the whole show? Not in Tokyo.
EDITORIALS
Mar 4, 2018

Tackle the entire scope of gambling addiction

Efforts to combat gambling addiction should focus not just on casinos but pachinko and publicly run gambling events.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 4, 2018

Satire 'Get Out' earns top honor at Independent Spirit Awards

"Get Out," a horror thriller that examines U.S. race relations, won the top honor at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, independent film's biggest prize and the final awards ceremony ahead of the Oscars.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 3, 2018

NHK puppet show offers a rare glimpse into unconventional lives

Arguably the best interview show on terrestrial TV at present stars a bunch of puppets exploring the often unexamined corners of Japanese society.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 2, 2018

Artist puts up Harvey Weinstein 'Casting Couch' statue ahead of Oscars

Harvey Weinstein won't be going to Sunday's Oscar ceremony, but the film producer's presence is still being felt in Hollywood.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 27, 2018

Oasis hedge fund boss bets on Japan's professional gaming scene

Competitive gaming in Japan has found a champion: hedge fund boss Seth Fischer.

Longform

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