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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 5, 2016

'Mr. Turtle': Yusaku Kitano's bizarre, award-winning novel about artificial intelligence

Mr. Turtle wants to borrow a Philip K. Dick novel from a local Japanese library. But "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" is on loan, so he borrows a book on "The Making of Blade Runner." This scene from Yusuke Kitano's award-winning sci-fi novel "Mr. Turtle" sums up its narrative strategy: Don't tell...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 5, 2016

Amid Rakhine violence, rights monitors voice concern about Myanmar's freedom of speech

Human rights monitors have raised concerns about press freedom in Myanmar after a journalist at an English-language newspaper said she was fired following government criticism of her reporting of allegations of rape by soldiers.
Reader Mail
Nov 4, 2016

What's to be done about the TPP?

Frankly it is time for a backup plan. Even if Hillary Clinton is elected president of the United States, as appears likely, she is not going to move on this for a year or two and it is extremely difficult to predict what she will try to change in order to meet her election promises and what that might...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 2, 2016

Movie about 'shogi' master Satoshi Murayama closes Tokyo International Film Festival

For the premiere of "Satoshi: A Move for Tomorrow," actors Kenichi Matsuyama and Masahiro Higashide and director Yoshitaka Mori were on hand to greet fans before the screening of their film, which closes the 2016 Tokyo International Film Festival.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2016

Filipinos in Japan optimistic about changes Duterte is making

While all eyes are glued on new Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his brutal crackdown on drug traffickers, Filipinos living in Japan are happy with the job he's doing.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 12, 2016

As Saudis bombed Yemen, U.S. worried about legal and war crimes blowback

The Obama administration went ahead with a $1.3 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia last year despite warnings from some officials that the United States could be implicated in war crimes for supporting a Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen that has killed thousands of civilians, according to government documents...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 5, 2016

Duterte's enforcer: Philippine police chief says has no regrets about drug killings

When Philippines police chief Ronald Dela Rosa gave a rousing speech to his men at a regional headquarters in Luzon, they rewarded him with a gift: a replica of the sword used by actor Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Oct 2, 2016

Engineer's programming workshops help kids get expressive about coding

On weekdays, Daisuke Kuramoto, 36, is just another computer engineer who develops education materials for an e-learning content provider.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 1, 2016

There's nothing weird about 'sexless' Japan

Japan has somehow earned a reputation as a "sexless" country — a place where men and women have lost their libidos. The reasons given are various but mainly have to do with increased introversion and general loss of sociability among young people.
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2016

Gunma man admits to lying about France video game contest win

A 23-year-old employee of the city of Ota, Gunma Prefecture, lied that he had won an international video game contest, leading to false reports about his victory in two Japanese newspapers, it has been learned.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 25, 2016

Clinton server tech told FBI of colleagues' worries about system

A technician hired by Hillary Clinton to run the private email system she used while U.S. secretary of state told investigators he tried to pass on colleagues' concerns that the system might not comply with records laws, FBI interview summaries show.
BASEBALL
Sep 23, 2016

Samurai Japan skipper Kokubo promotes team's new uniforms for WBC, stays mum about roster

Hiroki Kokubo didn't drop any hints about who would be on the Samurai Japan team for the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He did, however, help reveal what they would be wearing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 21, 2016

'Scoop!': Read all about it here

Japanese weekly scandal magazines are pond scum, are they not? Dishing up grainy paparazzi photos of the famous and powerful, accompanied by wink-wink stories about improprieties and crimes — alleged or exposed — they appeal to the lowest common denominator, with their only raison d'etre being sales...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Sep 17, 2016

Did Japan fudge the truth about whaling?

If you've been following the tragic farce that is Japan's official stance on whaling, you'll know that the arguments made by the country's Institute for Cetacean Research (ICR) to try and justify the hunting of whales have been soundly rejected. Japan maintains it needs to kill whales as part of a scientific...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 30, 2016

Chinese talk show host accuses Canadian tourism body of censoring discussion about Aboriginals on travel program

A Chinese talk show host has accused a Canadian government-backed tourism organization of censoring discussion of the country's Aboriginal issues on his program and says it caused an episode to be dropped.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 27, 2016

Shiraishi isn't afraid to ask the tough questions about life

August honors the dead in Japan, so it's fitting that Kazufumi Shiraishi's raw discourse on mortality makes its English debut this month. Originally published in 2008, "Me Against the World" breaks from Shiraishi's fictional works, offering the author's undiluted musings on life. As told The Japan Times...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 23, 2016

U.S. election is all about the debates

Debates are the biggest potential game changer in U.S. elections, and the best entertainer always wins them.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 23, 2016

Only the Philippines has to worry about Duterte

Human rights, the rule of law and the United Nations are getting short shrift in the war on drugs launched by 'Duterte Harry.'
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 18, 2016

Indonesian sailor says pirates were about to behead him when he swam out to sea in flight

An Indonesian tugboat crewman escaped from his Islamist militant captors in the Philippines on Wednesday by swimming out to sea after the militants threatened to cut his head off, a Philippine army spokesman said.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 17, 2016

Whining about North Korea makes matters worse

Greeting every North Korean provocation with frantic denunciations only serves to reinforce Pyongyang's inflated sense of importance and perception of allied weakness.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 14, 2016

Some schools in Japan need educating about the dangers of heat stroke

A 'Concerned Mum' writes in regarding the risks of heat stroke at Japanese schools.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 5, 2016

China's ire over THAAD missile system has Seoul worried about economic retaliation

China's anger at South Korea for deciding to deploy a U.S. missile shield has officials in Seoul increasingly concerned about the risk of economic retaliation.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Aug 1, 2016

Talking about Harajuku Station's new look

Harajuku Station is getting a makeover, let's describe how we think it should go.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jul 31, 2016

For Abe, it will always be about the Constitution

Nobody here on the Community page has weighed in on Japan's Upper House election last July 10, so JBC will have a go.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jul 24, 2016

A week’s worth of questions about paid leave

This month, a week of questions about paid leave. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the issue, and their answers.
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Jul 17, 2016

Kuma confident about National Stadium's prospects ahead of 2020 Games, clears up gripes about design

When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe scrapped Zaha Hadid's design for the new National Stadium on July 17 last year, many feared the venue might not be completed in time to host the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Longform

Passengers that were on a morning train attacked by members of the Aum Shinrikyo group wait for medical assistance outside Kasumigaseki Station on March 20,1995.
The day a religious cult brought terror to Tokyo