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Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Nov 10, 2016

NewsPicks: Staying ahead of 'old media' with financial news focusing on tech trends

NewsPicks is a Japan-oriented financial news website focused on new technologies and IT, using corporate reporters to target young, tech-savvy readers.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 9, 2016

After cyberattacks, internet of things wrestles with making smart devices safer

Recent cyberattacks harnessing everyday devices such as cameras, video recorders, printers, routers and speakers are a wake-up call to the hidden dangers of the "internet of things (IoT)."
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 8, 2016

Toyota lifts profit forecast on stable yen

Toyota Motor Corp. raised its profit forecast for this fiscal year as the yen's rally stopped short of levels that the automaker had predicted, providing some respite from a sales slowdown that is threatening its position as the world's top seller.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 7, 2016

Japanese food fad lifts ceramic grinding disks

Ceramic grinding wheels produced by Noritake Co. in Nagoya, usually used to cut or grind metal and glass, are gaining unexpected attention thanks to the increasing popularity of Japanese food in other countries.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 6, 2016

Keiji Haino, Jim O'Rourke to join event paying tribute to 'disruptive' artist Tony Conrad

Of the many words used by friends and collaborators to describe Tony Conrad, who died last April at the age of 76, one of the most frequently heard is "disruptive." In a career that straddled experimental music, film, visual art and education, Conrad vigorously resisted the complacency that befell many...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 4, 2016

Tsai looks to Japan as cross-strait ties grow cool

Relations between Japan and Taiwan have the potential to reach new heights since the election of Tsai Ying-wen as president earlier this year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 4, 2016

Tokyo's first Russian-style maid cafe

Twelve men sit in silence at a new cafe in Tokyo's Shinjuku district as three women dressed in Russian attire start serving a sour-looking plate of borscht.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Nov 4, 2016

Ca Ca O finally brings its rich chocolate eclair to Tokyo

The newly opened Food Depot in the basement of Shinjuku's Lumine 1 department store features a lot of intriguing eateries, with a number of dessert shops among them. Ca Ca O, a chocolate store originally from Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, offers a variety of goods made from rich cacao beans. The Ca...
Japan Times
Places
Nov 2, 2016

Prime koyo (autumn leaves) viewing spots in Japan

While Japan is famous worldwide for its spring cherry blossoms, its autumn leaves are equally as breathtaking. The country's mountainous terrain means travelers can see hills full of reds, oranges and yellows — if they time their trips just right.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Nov 2, 2016

A portrait of the tattooist as a nice young man

'Otattoo' artist Hori Benny overcame prejudice, poverty and punishing training to blaze an inky trail through Osaka.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 1, 2016

Every hero has a few human flaws

Ryoma Sakamoto (1835-1867), among Japan's most beloved heroes, came of age when U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's Black Ships arrived demanding trade relations and ending the country's closed-door foreign policy. The old Japan ruled by the feudal Tokugawa shogunate was giving way to the modern nation state....
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 31, 2016

Why you won't learn natural Japanese from dubbed foreign TV

It seems that in Japanese dubbing there is always something found rather than lost in translation — something that wasn't in the English original and is not part of regular Japanese either.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Oct 31, 2016

Led by Shabani, gorillas challenge koalas for popularity title at Nagoya zoo

Expectations are running high that Shabani, a male gorilla famed for his "good looks," may win the prize for most popular animal at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Oct 29, 2016

Living on prayer and paper in Otsuka

Hoping to catch the earliest blush of autumnal colors, I seek out the Important Cultural Property of Gokokuji, a prominent temple located in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward. A satellite map shows it embraced by a forest of trees. I suspect a cemetery might lurk below the leaf canopy, but in late October who would...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 29, 2016

Could nuclear advocacy be Abe's undoing?

Voters have elected anti-nuclear governors in Kagoshima and Niigata prefectures in recent months. These elections can be considered referenda on nuclear power because that issue was the main focus of debate in both campaigns. The results have put Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — and his plans to rev up...
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 26, 2016

Firm that helped build South China Sea islands wins Philippine contract

A Chinese state-owned firm that helped build man-made islands in a disputed area of the South China Sea has clinched a big-ticket infrastructure deal with the Philippines, a rival claimant to the strategic waters, amid Manila's newfound detente with Beijing, a report has said.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 25, 2016

Will Abe's new approach to ties with Russia pay off?

Anticipation is building that a breakthrough could finally be achieved in the territorial dispute between Japan and Russia. But is it merely wishful thinking?
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 / 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...

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.