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Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Sep 28, 2017

'Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light' shows how Japanese TV is moving from 'sadistic' to 'charming'

"Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light" follows a story familiar to anyone who knows Japanese TV dramas. A son and father grow distant, so the young man thinks up a convoluted plan to bond with pops. In this case, the plan involves him secretly playing online video game "Final Fantasy XIV" with his Dad, which...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Sep 28, 2017

Challenge awaits Hasegawa in Tochigi

What impact will Kenji Hasegawa make for the defending champion Tochigi Brex in his first season at the helm?
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 26, 2017

'Genderless' model Satsuki Nakayama cashes in on androgyny trend

With the encouragement of her mother, Satsuki Nakayama began modeling when she was just 12 years old. Her first break came with a shoot for Pichi Lemon, a style magazine for girls. She loved wearing dresses, she loved her long hair — but that changed when she caught a glimpse of a Korean model named...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / CHUBU CONNECTION
Sep 25, 2017

Nagoya doctor's treatment research deflates overblown hype over fire ant venom

Medical information on how to treat patients bitten by fire ants posted on a doctor's website at a Nagoya hospital has garnered great interest by doctors nationwide.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 22, 2017

Amazon's Twitch ready to take on Japan's game-streaming market

Amazon's game-broadcasting and social-video company, Twitch, is stepping up efforts to expand its presence in the nation that invented Mario, Pokemon and the PlayStation.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Sep 22, 2017

Ex-SMAP trio launch fan site hinting at October debut under new management

Three ex-members of the disbanded all-male pop group SMAP have launched an official fan site with a video alluding to freedom from the group's past troubles and a fresh start under new management.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 22, 2017

Nuclear experts head to China to test experimental reactors

With scientists from Western nations finding it difficult to raise enough money to build experimental plants at home, China is becoming the testing ground for a new breed of nuclear power stations designed to be safer and cheaper.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2017

U.S. colleges still attract international students despite country's racial tensions: USC president

Despite the heightened state of racial tensions in the United States, interest in the nation's higher education system remains strong among international students, the president of the oldest private university in California said.
EDITORIALS
Sep 21, 2017

Farewell, Cassini

The Cassini-Huygens space probe, whose 20 year mission ended last Friday, highlighted what multinational collaboration and cooperation can achieve.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Sep 21, 2017

Storks, Magic looking to make instant impact

Will it be a bigger adjustment for the promoted Nishinomiya Storks and Shimane Susanoo Magic as they acclimate themselves to the first division this season, or for their opponents?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 20, 2017

'Okuda Tamio ni Naritai Boi to Deau Otoko Subete Kuruwaseru Garu': A bumbling Romeo falls into love

Many are the Japanese movies about virginal guys who are hopeless with women. One template is "Train Man," a 2005 hit about a shy otaku (geek) who lucks into a date with his dream girl — and needs an online support network to survive it.
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Sep 19, 2017

Honda, Higuchi make early statements in race for Olympics

The battle for the two women's spots on Japan's team for the Pyeongchang Olympics began in earnest over the weekend as Marin Honda and Wakaba Higuchi participated in Challenger Series events on opposite sides of the globe.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Sep 18, 2017

Nagoya teen brings 100 paper insects to life at an art exhibit

With just a pair of scissors and plain drawing paper, Shinichiro Ishikawa, a 15-year-old high school student from Nagoya, can quickly create lifelike cutouts of insects such as a pink mantis poised to take down its prey or a yellow swallowtail butterfly with its wings spread wide.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 18, 2017

The real significance of the Rohingya issue

Asian nations must worry that Myanmar's moves against the Rohingyas won't start untangling all colonial-era boundaries, however illogical in terms of ethnic or religious issues those may have been.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Sep 17, 2017

Fukushima University students help with Houston disaster cleanup

Five students at Fukushima University are volunteering in Houston in the wake of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Sep 16, 2017

Natural Lawson's Pizza Roll tastes almost as good as the real thing

We've all been there — you're hungry, but don't want to cook. The idea of ordering a pizza is initially tempting, but what about all those calories? These are the dilemmas that haunt one's laziest nights.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 15, 2017

Daimler launches short-range electric truck in New York, readies long-haul concept for Tokyo Motor Show

Daimler Trucks is trying to gain a foothold in the nascent electric-truck market, with short-range haulers that can make New York City's clogged streets cleaner and quieter.
BUSINESS
Sep 14, 2017

Facebook adds new standards to keep ads off fake news, objectionable videos

Facebook Inc. is adding new standards that will keep advertising off fake news videos and objectionable content, moves that have become essential as the company starts to put ads inside videos and articles, instead of separately on the news feed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Sep 11, 2017

JR Tokai goes its own way against luxury sleeper trains

More and more Japan Railway companies are trying to attract new customers by offering luxury sleeper trains and unique services on their trains such as baths in tubs made of cypress and gourmet meals by top-class chefs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / OKINAWA BEAT
Sep 8, 2017

Okinawa bus tour services share staff with other firms in the off-season to tackle labor crunch

Twenty-one bus tour guides of Naha Bus Co. and Ryukyu Bus Kotsu are now working at a call center in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, to take customer orders for women's clothing.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2017

Day care facilities test robots as high-tech solution to alleviate staffing shortages

In a bid to help fix the nation's child care crunch, a Tokyo-based start-up is testing a new service combining robots and sensors to monitor kids at nurseries.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 7, 2017

Pokemon chief hints at big plans for augmented reality smartphone game

It's been more than a year since "Pokemon Go" took the world by storm, getting people to wander outside and look for virtual monsters with their smartphones.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2017

What Twitter taught me about (nuclear) war with North Korea

Can words alone mitigate the obvious gravity of nuclear holocaust?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2017

Kakao counting on Japan's love of manga to crack overseas market

Asia's messaging apps have a history of becoming huge in their home market before struggling to gain traction overseas. South Korea's Kakao Corp. is counting on the Japanese love of manga to break that trend.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Sep 4, 2017

Seto man and his snow monkey entertain audiences for 23 years and counting

Jubei, a Japanese macaque, works hard to entertain the public together with his trainer, Yasutaka Kawabe, 44, from Kamamachi in Seto, Aichi Prefecture. The duo attracts audiences with well-coordinated moves.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Sep 2, 2017

7-Eleven's coffee cream treat: Leveraging the success of 'konbini' coffee

Convenience stores in Japan hit on a winner a few years back when they introduced fresh-brewed coffee machines. These chains realized folks want cheap and drinkable caffeine fixes before they begin their day. The next jackpot, however, has proved elusive.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 31, 2017

India and China provide rare glimmer of hope

India took a mature route in defusing the border confrontation with China in the Himalayas.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 31, 2017

Defense spending set to reach a record, as ministry seeks anti-missile measures in budget request

The Defense Ministry on Thursday requested a record-high budget of ¥5.26 trillion for fiscal 2018, underscoring heightened concern over what Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the "unprecedented" and "grave" security threat posed by North Korea's military provocations.

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.