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BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 31, 2014

Disney outlines ¥500 billion expansion of Tokyo theme parks

Oriental Land Co., owner of the Tokyo Disney Resort, announced plans for a ¥500 billion expansion of the Japanese resort.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 29, 2014

High drama at Festival/Tokyo

News in March that 38-year-old Chiaki Soma had suddenly been removed from the post of program director of Festival/Tokyo, which she had held since it started in 2009, set many theater lovers worrying about the future of the flagship drama event whose stature at home and abroad had only grown with her...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2014

Confidence key to female success, say panelists at Tokyo forum

Women's advances in society are now a "must" in Japan, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration pledging to make every woman shine. But many still find it difficult to break the glass ceiling in a male-dominated society —mainly due to their lack of self-confidence, speakers at a recent Tokyo...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 25, 2014

Cutting-edge inventions showcased at Tokyo future-tech expo

Japanese technologies that engage multiple senses, such as virtual reality eyewear and wearable robotics, are being shown off at a Tokyo museum, offering the public a glimpse of a futuristic society.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 23, 2014

New trade chief slapped by S&M scandal after only three days on job

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is saddled with another scandal after new trade chief Yoichi Miyazawa's staff admits paying a bill for u00a518,230 to a sadomasochism bar in Hiroshima.
BUSINESS
Oct 22, 2014

Casino bill delayed again, sources say

Japan's plan to open up to casino gambling has been delayed again, three people familiar with the process said, dealing a blow to one of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policy priorities and to hopes the first resort will open in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 22, 2014

Japan's 'unknown' record-breakers eye high-tech horizons on stage and off

Siro-A is going where no Japanese performing artists have gone before, as the all-action troupe this month launched into not its first, or second — but its third three-month West End run since its "Technodelic Visual Show" in 2013.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 22, 2014

Third Point sells Sony, takes new stakes in eBay, Alibaba

Third Point LLC, the hedge fund firm run by Daniel Loeb, sold its investment in Sony Corp. and bought stakes in eBay Inc. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. in the third quarter.
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2014

Casino legalization delay likely, Komeito official says

The plan to legalize casino gambling has likely been delayed again, a senior Komeito official said Monday, dealing a further political blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 19, 2014

Gehry's Vuitton art museum to set sail in Paris

Billowing sails of glass will join the Eiffel Tower and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart as permanent fixtures of the Paris skyline this month when the new Louis Vuitton contemporary art museum, designed by Frank Gehry, opens to the public.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 17, 2014

Son's $51 billion acquisition run faces speed bump

Billionaire Masayoshi Son's 300-year business plan for SoftBank Corp. sees no pause in acquisitions that saw him splurge $51 billion in five years. Higher interest rates in the U.S. and Japan may put the brakes on his debt-fueled ambitions.
WORLD
Oct 16, 2014

Michael Jackson tops Forbes list of highest-earning dead celebrities

Five years after his death, singer Michael Jackson is generating a fortune and is the top-earning dead celebrity, raking in an estimated $140 million in the past year for his estate, according to Forbes magazine.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 16, 2014

U2's Bono says 'oops' for iTunes album download

U2 lead singer Bono apologized Wednesday to iTunes users who objected to receiving an automatic download of the Irish rock group's latest album in September in conjunction with the launch of new Apple iPhones.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 14, 2014

Rajeev Misra said to be leaving Fortess for role at SoftBank

Rajeev Misra, a former debt-trading executive at Deutsche Bank AG and UBS AG who joined Fortress Investment Group LLC earlier this year, is leaving for SoftBank Corp., according to three sources briefed on the move.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / ROBERT WHITING'S 1964 OLYMPICS RETROSPECTIVE
Oct 10, 2014

Olympic construction transformed Tokyo

The 1964 Tokyo Olympics had a profound impact on the capital city and the nation. In the opening installment of a five-part series that will run during the next two weeks, best-selling author Robert Whiting, who lived in Japan at the time, takes a look back at the preparations for the event.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 10, 2014

Singers enchant audience with opera, folk songs

Japanese baritone Haruhisa Handa, also the chairman of the International Foundation for Arts and Culture (IFAC), invited fellow opera singers to the New National Theatre, Tokyo, on Monday to entertain an audience of about 900.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 9, 2014

Messaging firm Line to offer pay, taxi, food delivery services

Smartphone messaging service Line Corp. said Thursday it will launch a payment service in coming months as it seeks to play a more fundamental role in customers' lives.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 8, 2014

Who cares what Faust looks like

German contemporary theater has only begun to be introduced in Japan this century, before when the term "Western theater" was generally associated with works by British or American directors that told a story and diligently portrayed the psychological state of the characters.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 4, 2014

Japanese officials silent on drama unfolding in Hong Kong

'The future of Hong Kong is extremely important to the future of Japan,' but Tokyo is officially staying tight-lipped about the pro-democracy protests there.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 3, 2014

Legendary artists rock Tokyo, raise money for charity

The Tokyo Art Foundation held a charity concert, featuring performances by its chairman Haruhisa Handa, former Toto frontman Bobby Kimball, Starship vocalist Mickey Thomas, former Journey singer Steve Augeri and former Deep Purple vocalist Joe Lynn Turner, at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan on Sept. 26.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2014

Shibuya-Roppongi late-night bus service to halt over low ridership

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will terminate Friday's late-night bus service between Shibuya and Roppongi on Oct. 31 due to slumping passenger numbers.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 3, 2014

Trip tips: Denver for the recreational marijuana consumer

Droves of pot tourists have flocked to Denver to sample its legal marijuana since Colorado became the first state in the country to allow recreational weed sales to adults. If you're thinking of joining the visitors heading to the "Mile High" city this year, here are a few things to keep in mind:
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Oct 3, 2014

Google threatened with lawsuit over leaked nude celebrity photos: New York Post

A lawyer who represents about a dozen female celebrities whose private photos were posted online by hackers has threatened to sue Google Inc for failing to take the photos off its websites, according to the New York Post.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2014

Casino bill likely to pass Lower House: Abe aide

A Japanese lawmaker backing a bill to legalize casinos said he expects it to win Lower House approval this month and that the gambling resorts would be in major cities and charge local residents an entry fee.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 1, 2014

Kokaku Kidotai (Ghost in the Shell: 25th Anniversary Edition)

Director: Mamoru Oshii Language: Japanese (subtitled in English)
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Oct 1, 2014

Readers' letters: Ian Thorpe, the Yushukan, racism, teaching English, tipping and sunlight

Some emails received in response to recent Community articles.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2014

Osaka bans street touts in Umeda, Dotonbori districts

A new ordinance banning street touts who lure customers into restaurants and bars, often by promising them discounts and then charging exorbitant sums of money, went into effect in designated areas of the city of Osaka on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 2014

Storytelling in the future will be transforming

A new form of analysis is emerging for the future of storytelling that will let us better understand why some tales grip us. If it succeeds, it will fuel new creative forms and make less vulnerable to manipulation by governments and companies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 27, 2014

Tales from the city show cracks in the system

Why are people unhappy? Think back to just about any historical period you like, from the remote past to times within living memory; imagine people then looking at us now and saying, "How dare you be unhappy? You haven't earned the right!"

Longform

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