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Japan Times
Places
Oct 21, 2014

Where the tricks and treats will be in Tokyo this Halloween

The Halloween juggernaut continues to gather steam in Japan year after year. We give you our picks of the lot for 2014, from family-friendly to adult cosplay.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 20, 2014

Abductees' families still skeptical on sending reps to N. Korea

Many relatives of abductees said Monday they remain skeptical about the government's decision to send officials to Pyongyang to learn firsthand the status of North Korea's latest probe into the victims' fates.
Japan Times
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Oct 19, 2014

Abe's shift to regional woes fails to erase mistrust in LDP

Local experts and ex-bureaucrats pan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plans to rejuvenate stalled local economies, saying the idea is another half-baked initiative from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Oct 19, 2014

Abe's inner circle sprouting horns over next tax bump

A major battle appears to be brewing between the office of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the Finance Ministry — the most powerful bureaucracy in Japan — over whether to raise the consumption tax from the current 8 percent to 10 percent next fall.
Japan Times
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Oct 17, 2014

Celebrating On Sunday's first anniversary

Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Oct 16, 2014

Pink-ribbon pampering treatment; getting into the Halloween spirit; sake in the spa

Pink-ribbon pampering treatment
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 15, 2014

Japan Robot Week offers new approaches to nursing care

Japan Robot Week kicked off Wednesday with a major Tokyo exhibition showcasing new technologies for everything from communications and remote video monitoring to disaster response.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / ROBERT WHITING'S 1964 OLYMPICS RETROSPECTIVE
Oct 14, 2014

Opening Ceremony ushered in new era for Japan

The 1964 Tokyo Olympics had a profound impact on the capital city and the nation. In the second 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, examines the excitement surrounding the Opening Ceremony.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / IMPERIAL ANNALS
Oct 11, 2014

Selective history: Hirohito's chronicles

Between July 30 and Aug. 2, 1945, when most of Japan's cities, including Tokyo, lay in smoldering ruins from U.S. aerial bombing and Hiroshima and Nagasaki were days away from being incinerated by American nuclear weapons, Emperor Hirohito sent an envoy to several Shinto shrines to pray for the "crushing...
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.
EDITORIALS
Oct 10, 2014

Aiding more Minamata victims

Japan's government has restarted the process of officially recognizing more sufferers of Minamata disease — discovered decades ago to be the result of eating mercury-contaminated fish — under a new guideline that the Environment Agency adopted in March.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 2, 2014

Ray of hope for democrats

For those Japanese who grumble about low voter turnouts in local and national elections, or who complain about the secretive character of political procedures, the open, democratic process of the recent Scottish referendum on independence was an object of envy.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 1, 2014

Abductees' families warn official visit to Pyongyang may not yield answers

Some relatives of abductees say Tokyo should eschew North Korea's invitation to send officials to Pyongyang, believing it would yield few details on the fate of their loved ones.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2014

Osaka mayor prepares to tackle anti-Korean group Zaitokukai

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto is finalizing plans for a public debate with the right-wing, anti-Korean group Zaitokukai over the definition of hate speech and the need to balance freedom of expression with others' human rights.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 30, 2014

tofubeats calls on pals for his 'First Album'

Yusuke Kawai tries to start a para para dance halfway through his Sept. 5 DJ set, but the inside of an Apple Store isn't an ideal space for this endeavor. Kawai, who records under the name tofubeats, is performing a special show at the recently opened Omotesando store. Half of the floor eagerly watches...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Sep 26, 2014

The New Nintendo 3DS, plus scary games to get you ready for Halloween

The new New Nintendo
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 19, 2014

North Korea says abduction probe will take another year

Pyongyang tells Tokyo it is still at 'an early stage' of its re-investigation into possible Japanese abductees and plans to finish the probe in about a year.
EDITORIALS
Sep 14, 2014

Economic realities of old reactors

Reports that power companies are considering decommissioning older nuclear power reactors indicate that they are selectively weighing the costs of their meeting safety criteria that has been tightened in the wake of the 2011 disaster at Fukushima.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Sep 13, 2014

Losing count of words for groups of animals

A recent brief visit to eastern England, my annual pilgrimage to speak at the British Birdwatching Fair, has stirred childhood memories of a nursery rhyme, stirred teenage memories of my first natural-history rambles, and was a subtle reminder of how quickly our language is evolving.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Sep 11, 2014

A taste of Big Apple; breakfast fit for a king (or queen); dining with a view of Tokyo Skytree

A taste of the Big Apple
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Sep 10, 2014

Five reasons why agricultural reform will be a tough slog

Today's column, in list form, tackles a subject that defies a more conventional presentation: Japanese agricultural regulation.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat