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Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Aug 13, 2013

Otakon celebrates 20 years of anime fandom in the U.S.

The American anime convention, Otakon ("Otaku Convention"), begins with a costume parade before it officially opens. Last week I had a bird's-eye view of the spectacle from my 14th-floor hotel room in Baltimore, Maryland. An endless army of imaginary characters trudged across the elevated concourse and...
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 9, 2013

The Central African Republic abandoned to its violent fate

It was dusk when armed Seleka rebels dragged the teenager from the road leading north toward Kobe. They pulled her into the jungle and raped her for several hours. Her friend, Lisa Moussa, 17, was more fortunate. As soon as she saw the rebels, she began running. They tried to kill her, shooting until...
LIFE / Digital
Aug 6, 2013

Manning case tests computer fraud laws' credibility

Do you think that, as a society, the United States has become a basket case? Well, join the club. I'm not just thinking of the country's dysfunctional Congress, pathological infatuation with firearms, addiction to litigation, crazy healthcare arrangements, engorged prison system, chronic inequality,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2013

Nuke opponents feud over bombs vs. power

Every August, thousands of visitors from Japan and around the world gather in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to commemorate the dropping of the atomic bombs. In addition to the solemn ceremonies that draw survivors and VIPs, there are numerous side events dedicated to seeking the elimination of nuclear weapons....
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Jul 27, 2013

Log-jamming in Shin Kiba

Last month, readers of this column found me frolicking in the sawdust and lumberyards of Shin Kiba — meaning "New Wood Place" — which arose on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay in the 1970s when the city's timber businesses were moved there from their traditional home in nearby Kiba to make way for rapid...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2013

Food costs on rise, says British supermarket giant's chief

The chief executive of Tesco, the British multinational grocery and general merchandise retailer, could be forgiven for being less than delighted to see me. For the last few months I have been Philip Clarke's baiter-in-chief. It's not just that I have been shamelessly promoting a book about food security,...
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 21, 2013

'Motor City Madman' rocks political world

On the final morning of the 2013 National Rifle Association annual convention in May, the day was bright, the mood was festive and Ted Nugent was neither dead nor in jail.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 16, 2013

What Egypt can learn from Iraq

While arguing over the merits of continuing U.S. aid to Egypt, commentators and analysts tend to agree on two main points. First, there is a general consensus on what President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood got wrong. Second, virtually all Western observers are stressing the need for an inclusive...
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 15, 2013

If you fear missing out, don't panic, you're not the only one

Have you heard about FOMO — "fear of missing out"? Most common among the under-30 crowd, it happens when someone feels nervous about not attending social events, like that awesome party everyone else enjoyed last weekend.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 11, 2013

Experiments in the wild

Ten years ago, when a new cultural facility opened in the western Japan city of Yamaguchi, its founders sought to fulfill a role quite different from those museums in the countryside.
JAPAN / Politics / GAME OF NUMBERS
Jul 10, 2013

Pro-nuke LDP's candidate quiet on Ehime reactor restart bid

On the far western edge of Shikoku, Ehime's Sada Misaki Peninsula juts out into the Seto Inland Sea. It's a long sliver of land home to several species of hawk and several varieties of the prefecture's famous "mikan" oranges.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / GAME OF NUMBERS
Jul 9, 2013

Tech-savvy candidates hope to reach young voters via online campaigns

For Kan Suzuki, a tech-savvy Upper House member, the Internet is a powerful campaign tool that he can use to help him win a third term at a time when his party is facing so much adversity.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 3, 2013

Matthew Bourne's 'Dorian Gray' will never grow old, says its lead dancer, Richard Winsor

"Matthew and I are very excited to see how Japanese audiences react — but I think everyone is absolutely going to love this show," English dancer Richard Winsor said at a Tokyo press conference held in May to preview next week's season of Matthew Bourne's "Dorian Gray," in which he plays the title...
CULTURE / Music / MONEY AND MUSIC
Jul 3, 2013

Japan's festival industry is stuck in a fine kettle of fish

Are summer festivals killing Japan's live-music market?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / NOTEBOOK
Jul 3, 2013

Kumamon visits Paris; Japanese Red Cross summer camps

EVENTS
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jul 2, 2013

The LDP constitution, article by article: a preview of things to come?

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pushing for constitutional change. Yet he is playing the political huckster by proposing to first only fiddle with the amendment procedure in Article 96, lowering the threshold for the process to move forward from the approval of two-thirds of both houses of the Diet, as...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2013

Taksim Square and the new ways of mobilizing

Turkey's democratic opposition can address flaws of the system only if it recognizes the need for very different forms of mobilization from those of the past.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jun 23, 2013

ASIJ student McNeill helping to boost Tokyo 2020's bid

There are no definitive guidelines in place, no simple slogans summarizing how individuals and groups should support or oppose an Olympic bid. Of course, it's up to them.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jun 23, 2013

Jellyfish carry the sting of human overcrowding

It may not be immediately apparent what jellyfish, human population growth and our protein diet have in common. Take a closer look, though, and all three offer warning signs that dramatic changes are on the horizon for us and our planet.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 23, 2013

Happiness: Abenomics falls short

What makes people happy? The global trend toward quantifying happiness certainly got a big boost from Bhutan, the tiny Himalayan kingdom that has championed and made a cottage industry out of the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 8, 2013

Upcoming Clinton biopic stirs speculation

The U.S. presidential election may be three years away, but speculation is already rife about the runners and riders in what is sure to be an epic battle for the White House.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jun 7, 2013

Sanno Festival features kendo, folk dancing

Counted as one of the three biggest festivals in Edo, present-day Tokyo, the Sanno Festival kicks off its annual celebration Friday in the heart of the capital.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Jun 5, 2013

Earliest Mao, Kim can face off is at GP Final in Fukuoka

The Olympic season officially began with the release of the 2013-2014 Grand Prix assignments on Monday by the International Skating Union.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 4, 2013

Party hale and hearty and don't feel guilty

What's the secret to hosting a memorable dinner party? For 29-year-old Sarah Waybright, it's a trifecta of good company, good food and good wine — plus a menu that won't leave guests feeling sick, stuffed or guilt-ridden.
Japan Times
WORLD / TICAD V SPECIAL
Jun 1, 2013

Yokohama continues to foster close African ties

Africa returns to Yokohama in the form of the fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V), which is being held through June 3.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 28, 2013

Want more out of Japan but face doesn't fit? Be TOFITR

I recently served as a "private sector representative" in a panel discussion before an audience of foreign graduate students at the University of Tokyo. Many of the students will soon be seeking employment in Japan; because I have spent 25 years living in or traveling to Japan, the last 10 or so running...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 26, 2013

The rarely, if ever, told story of Japanese sold as slaves by Portuguese traders

The subject of this slim volume is “a series of events that are essential in understanding Japanese history” — events “totally unknown, incredible, and unpleasant to read.”
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 25, 2013

Secrets deciphered as ancient Maya script meets the modern Internet

Researchers began decoding the glyphic language of the ancient Maya long ago, but the Internet is helping them finish the job and write the history of the enigmatic Mesoamerican civilization.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.