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Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 11, 2017

Namie: one step forward, a few steps back

Evacuees from the Fukushima town of Namie are struggling to find a good reason to return to their homes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 1, 2017

'Trainwreck': Amy Schumer crashes onto our screens

A little over two hours — that's how long the viewer must spend in the company of Amy Schumer as Amy in "Trainwreck," for which she also wrote the screenplay. That's a lot of Amy, as the "Amy, Amy, Amy!" of the Japanese title rightfully suggests. For Schumer fans, it's a real treat. For those with...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Feb 28, 2017

Magic will need luck, guile to help drama-filled Lakers return to glory

Magic Johnson learned a painful lesson as an NBA coach for 16 games, his Lakers went 5-11 at the end of the 1993-94 season. It was once most eloquently stated by Johnny Kerr, a star center from the 1950s and 1960s who coached the expansion Chicago Bulls: That's five guys running around with my paycheck....
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Feb 26, 2017

At the site of WWII Japanese POW breakout in Australia, a space for peace

In the early hours of Aug. 5, 1944, more than 600 Japanese POWs attempted an escape, knowing full well that most, if not all, would be killed before they could reach freedom.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 17, 2017

Samsung scion Lee follows father's path in not just business but on scandal trail, too

The legal drama playing out in Seoul over whether Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong engaged in bribery and embezzlement has the feel of a Greek tragedy. It is a tale of an ambitious son trying to live up to his father's legacy — and the twist of fate that binds them together.
Japan Times
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Feb 10, 2017

Liverpool out of title chase after recent run of poor form

Given Liverpool's dreadful league form this year — three draws and two defeats — it is remarkable that victory over second-place Tottenham at Anfield on Saturday will see Jürgen Klopp's team only one point behind the visitors.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 3, 2017

Japan, like other allies, fear next Trump tweet could scuttle post-WWII order

For the first time in decades, America's oldest allies are questioning where Washington's heart is.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 1, 2017

'Tangerine': The fruitful use of smartphones

Tammy Wynette sang it so it must be true: "Sometimes it's hard to be a woman." In the case of Los Angeles-based transgender sex workers Alexandra (Mya Taylor) and Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) in "Tangerine," the hardships are doubled as they deal with the common issues of being a woman — unfaithful...
CULTURE / Books
Jan 28, 2017

'Turning Pages': How magazines reflected the 'new woman' of the 1920s

The Taisho Era (1912-26) was a period of change and opportunity. It saw the birth of the so-called atarashii onna ("new woman") — the socially liberated, modern young woman, previously unseen in Japan. As this inquisitive individual moved into the job market, a number of magazines appeared that were...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Jan 22, 2017

Meet the man who gets frisked by the Tokyo police five times a year

'Am I the only one who gets frisked five times a year?' was a question posed on Facebook by a black man living in Tokyo last year, as he related the harassment he's received at the hands of Tokyo's finest over the years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 19, 2017

Sion Sono swan dives into Shinjuku's chaos

Celebrated abroad for films that mash up everything from extreme sex and gore to Christian imagery and classical music, Sion Sono has emerged as one of the most distinctive directors in Japanese cinema this century.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 17, 2017

The new testament to Bowie's star power

"I was probably stupid enough to believe that having the same birthday as him actually meant something," the younger Bowie once said about "a major hero" of his, Elvis Presley.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / DAVOS SPECIAL 2017
Jan 17, 2017

Sport provides path to economic prosperity, world peace

Recently, "Team Japan" scored quite a few points in leading the world in the promotion of sports and culture to achieve economic prosperity and world peace.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 6, 2017

Richie Hawtin: Pairing Japan's best sake with techno

Richie Hawtin needs no introduction to anyone familiar with electronic music. For 25 years, this Berlin-based, English-Canadian DJ has been at the forefront of techno and he continues to play at major music and art events around the planet.
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Dec 22, 2016

Private rooms for intimate gatherings

The Hotel Century Southern Tower in Shibuya Ward welcomes the new year with a party plan. The offer makes it possible for guests to welcome the new year in a private room on the 21st floor, while taking in a magnificent view of Tokyo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 19, 2016

Japanese buzzwords capture the zeitgeist of then, now and what's to come

Take a journey through the buzzwords of years past and present — and hazard a guess at what's coming in 2017.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 10, 2016

Same-sex marriage sparks a 'culture war' in Taiwan

Taiwan is one of the most LGBT friendly societies in Asia, with an active gay community and possibly the largest annual gay pride parade in the region. In recent weeks expectations spiked that it would soon legalize same-sex marriage. On Dec. 3, The Economist opined, "It would be even better if the country...
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Dec 10, 2016

Inspired fashion: from Marie Antoinette nail art to '60s textiles to Wong Kar Wai movies

Marimekko's colorful past
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2016

Thanks to Trump, no more 'Ameri-splaining'

The U.S. has always been corrupt, savage and brutal. President Trump suits us fine.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 7, 2016

'Smoke': the movie that blazed a trail for indies

Just in time for Christmas, Yebisu Garden Cinema is reviving a film that was one of the cinema's biggest hits in the 1990s, director Wayne Wang's "Smoke," in a crisp new digital remastered version. Watching it again after all these years, it's hard not to feel a little pang, for in many ways it recalls...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 28, 2016

Targeted protectionism can aid developing economies

Thai-style targeted protection example could work wonders, even in some of the basket-case economies in Africa and the Middle East.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 24, 2016

Board examines the future direction of news coverage

Identity of The Japan Times
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Nov 22, 2016

Throwback DeRozan proving that old attitudes not necessarily outdated

When DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points last Friday in the Toronto Raptors' 113-111 victory against the Denver Nuggets, he matched Michael Jordan, Alex English, Nate "Tiny" Archibald and Rick Barry as the only players to score at least 30 points in 10 of their first 12 games.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 16, 2016

Mifune: The making of Japan's 'Last Samurai'

Toshiro Mifune was the first Japanese — or, for that matter, Asian — actor to become an international action star.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Nov 11, 2016

Japan races to become the robot capital of the world

Japan may have a long way to go before it can build a fully functional Gundam or Doraemon, but it's getting closer to bringing sci-fi-style robotic helpers and protectors into our daily lives. Japan Robot Week, which took place at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center from Oct. 19 to 21, showcased the...
CULTURE / Music
Nov 4, 2016

'PPAP' goes the world: How Pikotaro became a viral smash

Pikotaro still can't believe it all. Two days before he sits down with The Japan Times, the performer saw that American DJ duo The Chainsmokers had changed their Twitter name to "Pineapple & Pen," a nod to his song "PPAP." That pair previously claimed YouTube's most popular clip with "Closer" — until...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Nov 2, 2016

Tokyo Station Gallery celebrates Ken Takakura's traditional virtues

Ken Takakura (1931-2014) was a major film star for nearly five decades. He also became a national icon for embodying traditional virtues, especially in his dozens of gang films for the Toei studio in the 1960s and '70s.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2016

Behind Manila's pivot to China

America's colonial rule still casts a long shadow over the Philippines and its relationship with the U.S.

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