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Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 24, 2017

Border wall prototypes a first small step for Trump campaign promise

Nine months after President Donald Trump took office, the first tangible signs of progress on one of the central promises of his campaign have appeared along the U.S. border with Mexico.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Oct 24, 2017

Ikea returns to Aichi after 1970s department store presence proved hard fit

Swedish furniture giant Ikea opened a new store Oct. 11 in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, but few know that 45 years ago it had an outlet in a department store in the Meieki district of Nagoya.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 23, 2017

'Dajare' 101: Why should Japanese have all the pun?

Chicago-born TV personality Dave Spector is the undisputed master of puns in Japan's u82b8u80fdu754c ('geinokai,' entertainment world).
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Oct 23, 2017

After landslide victory, Abe may ramp up spending to spur economic policies and social security

Emboldened by the victory of his ruling coalition in Sunday's general election, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is likely to boost government spending to speed up his Abenomics deflation-fighting economic policy mix.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Oct 21, 2017

Ginza Matcha Cake: Tokyo Banana ventures outside its curved-fruit comfort zone

The folks behind Tokyo Banana have decided to freshen things up with the Ginza Matcha Cake.
EDITORIALS
Oct 21, 2017

Slow regional revitalization

The demographic challenges confronting the nation are indeed enormous, but the regional revitalization policy of the Abe administration has so far accomplished little.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Oct 19, 2017

Kyoto's ambience is key to making KIFF special

Film festivals don't take place in isolation: An interesting city makes for a more interesting festival, unless you are the sort of movie nerd who sees six films a day and lives on convenience store sandwiches.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 18, 2017

Toyota targets 1,000-km driving range with fuel cell concept car

Toyota Motor Corp. is set to unveil a fuel cell concept car that aims to offer 50 percent more driving range than its current hydrogen-powered sedan in a technology push that defies a rising wave of battery-powered vehicles.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 18, 2017

Busan International Film Festival spotlights female directors and plenty of Japanese content

The 22nd Busan International Film Festival, which opened Oct. 12 and ends Saturday, seemed to be in better shape this year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 18, 2017

'Outrage Coda': Takeshi Kitano's kill count climbs high for trilogy's finale

In his nearly three decades as a director, "Beat" Takeshi Kitano has won many critical plaudits and prizes abroad. But in Japan he is best known as a TV personality and comedian. These two strands of his artistic personality — master director and mass entertainer — have come together in his "Outrage"...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 17, 2017

Sony unveils family-friendly robot aimed at spurring communication

Sony Mobile Communications Inc. announced Tuesday it will begin selling a new communications robot targeted at families next month, furthering its foray into the trending robot market.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 16, 2017

Japan Inc. scandals build case for corporate reform

Another big scandal is rocking corporate Japan. This time it's Kobe Steel Ltd., a major producer, which has confessed to faking data on the quality of its materials. Everything from bullet trains to cars to U.S.-made airliners could be affected. It's doubtful that the scandal will wreak lasting damage...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Oct 16, 2017

Mie girl, 13, making waves as budding pro surfer, with eye on Tokyo Olympics

A girl in her early teens is making waves in the world of surfing.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Taking the Lead
Oct 16, 2017

Ippudo ramen chain credits its global success to localized tastes

Toshiyuki Kiyomiya likes to compare ramen to a carefully arranged universe in a bowl.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Oct 15, 2017

Fukushima takes camping to a whole new level of luxury with 'glamping'

"Glamping" — i.e., camping but with the comforts of modern amenities — has been growing in popularity in Fukushima Prefecture as more people look to bring a new level of luxury to the great outdoors.
Japan Times
JAPAN / OKINAWA BEAT
Oct 13, 2017

Okinawa innkeeper transforms 'love hotel' into castle with a floral view

Hotel Sha La La is one of Okinawa's newest hot spots, enticing tourists with its castle-like structure.
Japan Times
BASEBALL
Oct 12, 2017

Samurai Japan unveils roster for new event

Japan's new manager is ready to lead the next generation on the road to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
Oct 11, 2017

KAMBARA KISEN inaugurates three container carriers for Japan-China regular service
—Vessels named with wishes for flourishing business—

KAMBARA KISEN Co., Ltd. (HQ: 1083 Tsuneishi, Numakuma-cho, Fukuyama-shi, Hiroshima; Representative Director and President: Hirotatsu Kambara) has completed the construction of three owned container carriers for its Japan-China regular service and inaugurated ORIENTAL ARROW, the third vessel, on 17th...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Oct 10, 2017

Nagano counselors trial online consultations for troubled teens via Line messaging app

Counselors in Nagano Prefecture were seen typing nonstop in September between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., as they replied to high volumes of consultation requests received via the Line messaging app.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Oct 10, 2017

'Turbocharged' sulfur component seen as pungent durian smell's driving force

Scientists have answered one of nature's most pungent questions: what gives the world's smelliest fruit its distinctive aroma.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 8, 2017

Performance artists in China feeling the chill from official disapproval

One woman, a performance artist from Taiwan, tied herself up with bras, but left her nipples exposed. Another artist, a Romanian woman in a bathing suit, had someone write the Chinese characters for "control" and "art" across her buttocks.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 7, 2017

Japan Times' 120th anniversary exhibition kicks off in Yokohama

An exhibition showcasing The Japan Times' 120 years of reporting on the nation's most important historical moments opened Saturday in Yokohama.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 5, 2017

Japan's smart speaker market heats up as Line faces off against Google and Amazon

The battle for smart-speaker supremacy in Japan has begun, with major firms announcing the launches Thursday of new products armed with high-tech voice-controlled features.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 5, 2017

Sharp to aggressively pursue patent royalties amid focus on ultra-HD TVs, 'smart home' devices

Sharp Corp.'s U.S. legal battle with Hisense Electric Co. marks the start of an aggressive new campaign by the Japanese electronics company to obtain royalties on its patents as the company focuses on ultra-high-resolution televisions and "smart home" devices.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2017

Entrepreneurs a dying breed?

Maybe America is no longer a 'Shark Tank' nation' after all.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Oct 2, 2017

Aichi food bank builds dedicated warehouse to support hungry families, reduce waste

Nowami Consultation Center has set up a warehouse next to its office in Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, dedicated to storing supplies for a food bank that feeds the homeless, struggling families and foreign residents in need.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / Small luxury hotel special
Sep 29, 2017

Luxurious setting offers fond memories

Unzen Kanko Hotel, a resort hotel styled like a Swiss chalet located inside Unzen National Park in Nagasaki Prefecture, has been welcoming guests from Japan and abroad for more than eight decades.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 28, 2017

Could Japan be ready for 'Koikenomics?'

In calling the latest of what's been a five-year flurry of election after election, Shinzo Abe admitted what households have long known: Abenomics is a dud.

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.