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COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2016

Bollywood jingoism rebounds against India

In its long-running battle with neighboring Pakistan, India's in danger once again of shooting itself in the foot.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 25, 2016

Toyota joined in top three by Buick in annual Consumer Reports automotive ranking

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus and Toyota brands held their lead atop Consumer Reports' annual reliability rankings, while General Motors Co.'s 117-year-old line became the first from the U.S. to win one of the list's top three places.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Oct 25, 2016

Why gutting NAFTA is unlikely to create U.S. jobs

Both U.S. presidential candidates routinely criticize free-trade deals they blame for the loss of American jobs.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal / ANALYSIS
Oct 25, 2016

Probe finds Duterte deploying questionable data in ongoing violent crackdown on drug addicts

President Rodrigo Duterte ended a recent speech in Manila with a now-familiar claim: Two policemen are dying every day in his violent battle to rid the country of illegal drugs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Oct 24, 2016

Nobel laureates raise prestige of Nagoya chemistry medals

The annual Nagoya Medal of Organic Chemistry is gaining wider prominence now that it has been recognized that two of the three recipients of this year's Nobel Prize in chemistry were previous winners of the award.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 23, 2016

The Fujii sisters carry on their mother's percussion legacy as Utari

Sisters Haruka and Rika Fujii are keenly aware of their musical lineage; their mother, Mutsuko, is a pioneer when it comes to the marimba.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 23, 2016

Guests shine on Utada's return album

Utada Hikaru "Fantome" (Universal Music Japan)
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Oct 22, 2016

PlayStation adds more power to the PS4

More power to the PS4
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 21, 2016

Nintendo releases video of new game crossover product Switch

Nintendo on Thursday released the name and a video image of its yet-to-be launched video game product.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 21, 2016

Lower House committee passes bill to shake up Japan's foreign trainee program

The bill is intended to shake up a state-sponsored foreign traineeship program slammed by critics as akin to modern slavery.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 21, 2016

Odakyu plans to debut new luxurious Romancecar on Hakone run in 2018

Odakyu Electric Railway Co. has unveiled a new design for its signature Romancecar limited express train connecting Tokyo with the hot-spring resort of Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 20, 2016

Tokyo International Film Festival welcomes audiences to the animated world of Mamoru Hosoda

The Tokyo International Film Festival, whose 29th edition unspools from Oct. 25 to Nov. 3, offers something for everyone — from golden oldies in the Japanese Classics section to films for kids in the new Youth section. However, as Japan's biggest film festival, as well as one of the most important...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 19, 2016

TIFF takes viewers beyond the comfort zone

While sifting through the movies submitted for this year's Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), competition programming director Yoshihiko Yatabe says he noticed a recurring theme.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 19, 2016

Japan's eclectic collection of choice

The Tokyo International Film Festival offers a great once-in-a-year opportunity to see new and classic Japanese films with English subtitles. The sheer quantity on offer — more than 50 titles in the main sections alone — can be overwhelming, though. Here are samples from my own must-see list.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2016

Koike, IOC chief agree to cooperate on cutting cost of Olympics

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike say they will hammer out ways to keep the 2020 Games' price tag low.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Oct 18, 2016

Uno favored to take title at Skate America

Shoma Uno, the bronze medalist at last year's Grand Prix Final, will make his GP season debut at Skate America in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, this week where he will take on a field headed by rising Chinese star Jin Boyang.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Oct 17, 2016

Tokai breweries rush to fill surprising demand for 'amazake'

Amid the increasing popularity of amazake, a traditional sweet non- or low-alcohol sake made from fermented rice, breweries and retailers in the Tokai region are boosting production and sales ahead of winter, when demand surges.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 16, 2016

'Future R&B' trackmaker starRo makes a case for 'Monday'

Shinya Mizoguchi used to loathe the start of the week. "Everybody hates Monday. It's not a positive day of the week," he says via Skype from his home in Los Angeles. His perspective changed over the past year, however, when he quit his job as a project manager at a tech company to focus solely on his...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Oct 14, 2016

The Pumpkin Cream Puff joins Japan's mountain of Halloween-themed treats

With Halloween just around the corner, convenience stores are filling up with pumpkin-flavored treats. Seven-Eleven has rolled out several holiday-appropriate snacks this month, including its Pumpkin Cream Puff (¥135). It features a black cocoa exterior with pumpkin paste and whipped cream waiting...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Oct 13, 2016

Spooky sweets and cocktail treats; Halloween hotel haunting; refined elegance in the heart of Kyoto

Spooky sweets and cocktail treats
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 13, 2016

Shugo Tokumaru gets his friends involved on new album 'Toss'

A couple of months ago, Shugo Tokumaru released a video on YouTube that showed him preparing an elaborate meal from an unlikely set of ingredients. In it, he took a selection of toy instruments — a ukulele, a recorder, some castanets, a party horn — and chopped them up, dusted a few pieces with flour,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 13, 2016

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia provides movie buffs with a quick fall fix

In Japan, it's said that "autumn is the season for the arts." One film festival appears to share the sentiment.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2016

Japanese cafe flips burgers in contest inspired by U.S. election

A Tokyo burger joint is getting its customers in on the U.S. election action by asking them to choose the better burger from two representing U.S. presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 13, 2016

Despite controversy, the Busan International Film Festival is as strong as ever

The 21st edition of Asia's biggest movie event, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which took place from Oct. 6 to 15, almost didn't happen; or, at least, that's the story being told. Actually, considering how important the festival is for South Korea's movie industry, one of the most vital...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Oct 11, 2016

Japanese goldfish experts explore use of bubble eyes in medicine

Known as a center of the goldfish industry, the city of Yatomi, Aichi Prefecture, is exploring a medical spinoff from the bubble eye goldfish.
Japan Times
CULTURE / NEWS AND NOTES
Oct 6, 2016

The 20th Triennial Tobi Art Fair offers hands-on access to museum-quality artwork

The 20th Special Triennial Tobi Art Fair will be held from Oct. 14 to 16 at the Tobi Museum in Shimbashi, Tokyo. Held for the first time in 1964 targeting overseas visitors to Japan for the Tokyo Olympics that year, this extremely popular art fair brings together fine artwork carefully selected by the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Oct 6, 2016

Shades of pink raise cancer awareness; spooky high tea celebrates season; buffet offers Halloween treats

Shades of pink raise cancer awareness
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 4, 2016

Reconnecting Japan's ancient cultural hub

"When I visited Todaiji Temple in Nara, just after I arrived as a Chinese student in Japan about 30 years ago, I felt somehow nostalgic as it had an atmosphere of old China," says Cai Guo-Qiang, as he explains his work for Culture City of East Asia 2016, Nara, a cultural project that launched in March....
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Oct 4, 2016

Hanyu's quad loop adds to Japan's skating legacy

The golden age of Japanese skating is now in its 12th season and shows no signs of abating anytime soon.

Longform

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