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JAPAN
Apr 29, 2019

Incoming Imperial monarchs offer Japan something new

Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife, Crown Princess Masako, represent a lot of firsts for the nation's next Imperial monarchs: university-educated, multilingual and with years of experience living overseas, during which the monarch-to-be even did his own laundry.
Figure Skating / Heisei Icons,HEISEI ICONS
Apr 28, 2019

Mao Asada: Magnetism and artistry on ice defined an era

Three-time figure skating world champion Mao Asada became one of Japan's most prominent individuals on the international scene during her storied career, while also taking the sport to new heights.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 27, 2019

Yukio Mishima’s attempt at personal branding comes to light in the rediscovered 'Star'

In 'Star,' Yukio Mishima confronts issues of celebrity, youth and aging in hypercharged and manically subjective first-person prose.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2019

China's pig pandemic should worry everyone

The way officials have responded to the spread of African swine fever has brought back uncomfortable memories of SARS.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 24, 2019

'The Wonderland': Surface-level charm, but no true wonder

"The Wonderland," the new film from director Keiichi Hara ("Miss Hokusai"), certainly has the building blocks of something wondrous: a skilled director, top production values, and a story by beloved children's author Sachiko Kashiwaba.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 23, 2019

Sri Lanka's pain is going to spread

The South Asian subcontinent once ruled by the British is seeing religious and ethnic identities harden and divisions deepen.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 23, 2019

U.S. Supreme Court takes up major gay and transgender job discrimination cases

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether U.S. law banning workplace discrimination on the basis of sex protects gay and transgender workers, as the conservative-majority court waded into a fierce dispute involving a divisive social issue.
BASEBALL / Heisei Icons,HEISEI ICONS
Apr 23, 2019

Ichiro Suzuki: A virtuoso on the diamond

Ichiro Suzuki would become one of the most important players of the Heisei Era, which is slated to end at the end of this month, in Japan as well as in the United States.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 21, 2019

The lesson from one student-led trash pick-up is that everyone needs to do their part

It's April on Shiraishi Island in Japan's Seto Inland Sea. The nights are still crisp, dipping to 4 degrees Celsius, but the sky is clear and the stars arc over the beach like thousands of glittery sequins on a pop idol's stage dress. The constellations are so prominent, even a young child can pick out...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Apr 20, 2019

Shuichi Kotani: Taking soba noodles worldwide

From working at McDonald's in Himeji to making noodles for Japanese restaurants in America, Shuichi Kotani has always looked for and taken opportunities.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 19, 2019

An Okinawa conference, 50 years later

Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki's effort to seize the initiative by calling for a new Okinawa conference should be embraced, or at least tried.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 18, 2019

Innovation needs to be a Reiwa goal

To move past the Heisei Era's economic malaise, Japan must invest in an education system that fosters people who can breed new ideas and launch new industries.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2019

Ode to our lady of Europe

The effort should not only be to rebuild the cathedral, but also to protect and defend Europe's cultural and political legacy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 17, 2019

'Just Only Love': Looking for romance in all the wrong places

If you believe everything you read in the news, Japanese romance movies should really belong in the science fiction category. Just last week, a new study estimated that a quarter of people aged 18 to 39 in Japan had never had heterosexual intercourse, feeding the popular stereotype of a listless generation,...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Apr 15, 2019

In ideological battle with U.S., China wins over allies with its censored vision of the internet

A swath of the world is adopting China's vision for a tightly controlled internet over the unfettered American approach, a stunning ideological coup for Beijing that would have been unthinkable less than a decade ago.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 15, 2019

Bear essentials: A forthcoming animated series celebrates Rilakkuma's lackadaisical ethos in all its glory

Few fictional characters in Japan are as laid-back in their overall approach to life as Rilakkuma, which has attracted a loyal following over the years, rising through the ranks to sit alongside such established characters as Hello Kitty and Doraemon.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Apr 15, 2019

Hungary Holocaust march honors Scottish missionary

Thousands of Hungarians attended the annual March of the Living in Budapest on Sunday to commemorate victims of the Holocaust, including Jane Haining, a Scottish missionary who refused to abandon her Jewish charges during World War II.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 13, 2019

Japan searches for remedies at the dawn of the Reiwa Era

Japan's weekly magazines do not consider their primary role to be reporting cheery news. It would be more correct to say their practice is to proceed from a pessimistic perspective and then, after readying readers to rude realities, encourage searches for sustenance and survival, if not salvation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2019

What you're not eating is killing you

Which is just a dramatic way of saying that you could live longer if you ate more healthy foods.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 12, 2019

Einstein couldn't believe his own black hole theory

A point of infinite density trapping even light? It's pretty far fetched, but its finally been photographed
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 11, 2019

Must Japan's humanities go global?

There's a need for Japan humanities perspectives to be heard more by foreign audiences abroad, to have greater influence in international scholarship and the global public sphere.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 9, 2019

Gatekeepers, listeners, tax money: How Akita, once the prefecture with highest rate, halved suicides

Taeko Watanabe awoke one cold March night and found a trail of blood in the hallway, a bloody cleaver on her son Yuki's bed and no trace of him in the house. Then police discovered a suicide note in his bedroom.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 8, 2019

Netanyahu plays pre-election Trump card, vowing to annex settlements

Palestinians voiced alarm while Israelis weighed the gravity on Sunday of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's sudden election promise to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 7, 2019

The Moomins find a second home in Japan

With almost 50 percent of the global 'Moomin market' in Japan, MoominValley Park has the ideal audience — nostalgic adults, kawaii fans and, of course, woodland-creature-loving kids.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2019

China's doghouse is smaller than it looks

But countries that anger China are learning that once in, it's hard to get out.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2019

Options for Britain amid the Brexit mess

Britain's history was woven through its close connection with the continent, and it cannot prosper without it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2019

No silver bullet for China's plastics problem

The country could make biodegradable products mainstream, but that won't stop its trash from choking the oceans.
Japan Times
Special Supplements
Mar 30, 2019

Celebrating philanthropic achievements at art showcase

Haruhisa Handa, who wears many hats as a calligrapher, painter, singer, noh performer, entrepreneur and philanthropist, held an opening ceremony for a solo exhibition of his paintings and sho (Japanese artistic calligraphy) works in Tokyo on March 18.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake