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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2017

Ban heavy fuel oil in the Arctic

A strong link exists between maritime shipping and the disappearance of polar ice.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jul 5, 2017

Spoken English tests among entrance exam reforms Japan's students will face in 2020

Upcoming changes to Japanese university admissions have students, parents and teachers raising their hands to ask questions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 4, 2017

Asia's colossus threatens a tiny state

By waging stealth wars to accomplish political and military objectives, China is turning into a principle source of strategic instability in Asia.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 4, 2017

Success of Koike's Tomin First echoes Ishin no Kai movement

A popular, media-savvy figure originally from the Kansai region wins the governorship by running as a reformer, then forming a political party to take on the Liberal Democratic Party in the local assembly election. Upon winning a plurality of votes, the party teams up with Komeito to form a majority,...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 3, 2017

Why Koike matters to Abenomics

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should take the hint delivered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, roll up his sleeves and reclaim the mantle of economic progress.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jul 2, 2017

China dismissal of U.K. treaty on Hong Kong renews doubts about its word

China's dismissive critique of the U.K. treaty governing the return of Hong Kong raised new doubts about its commitment to the city's autonomy and other international agreements.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 1, 2017

Keep your eyes and ears open, and hands inside your pockets

It's a fake world. Alternatively: All the world's a stage.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2017

Vacationing in North Korea: only for the brave or crazy?

The U.S. would be wrong to ban Americans from visiting North Korea in response to the tragic case of Otto Warmbier.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jun 29, 2017

In a tale of two Akiras, let's see more Ai

For fans of the ikemen (handsome dude), Wowow's new mini-series "Akira and Akira" is like manna from heaven. Kicking off July 9, it stars actors Osamu Mukai and Takumi Saito, and the hype at this point may as well be soundtracked by The Weather Girls' "It's Raining Men."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2017

Diverse views create ideas for change

The 22nd International Conference for Women in Business (ICWB) will be held in Tokyo in July against an ever more challenging, yet dynamic and vibrant backdrop.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2017

Despite weak spots in steel, nuclear experts say EDF's Flamanville reactor safe to start: sources

Utility EDF's Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor in northwest France has been cleared by a group of experts for start-up despite weak spots in its steel, confirming the findings of the ASN nuclear regulator, a source close to the situation told Reuters.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 27, 2017

The ongoing collapse of parliamentary politics

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's actions and behavior are more suited to a patrimonial state than a democracy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 27, 2017

What Japan Inc. should learn from Takata

Now, as Tokyo sorts out the biggest failure in postwar Japanese manufacturing, it's all too possible its political and corporate cultures will learn little from 'Takatagate.'
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2017

America's Russian-roulette presidency

There's no relief in sight for Donald Trump as investigators probe whether his compaign colluded with Russian efforts to tip the U.S. presidential election in his favor.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2017

Saudi Arabian heir is a dangerous man

Prince Mohammed bin Salman could be too inexperienced and too hotheaded for the fraught situation in the Middle East.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Jun 25, 2017

Director Sunao Katabuchi shares his corner of this world

Last summer saw the release of what would become the highest grossing Japanese animation film to date, Makoto Shinkai's "Your Name.," which was also the country's top box-office draw of 2016. The surprise hit's main characters are a pair of body-swapping teenagers. A survey conducted by the Fields Research...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 24, 2017

Sticky bonds of the media and government

Last month, the United Nations Human Rights Council released a report critical of the Japanese government. The author, David Kaye, expressed concern over the way the media is pressured by the authorities to support their policies. The government objected to the report, saying it has never tried to sway...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jun 24, 2017

Nobuko Kiyomiya: Judging a bookbinder in France by her covers

Kiyomiya is keeping alive a way of thinking about books that may be finding itself under threat in our world of Kindles.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 24, 2017

The politics of religious hatemongering in India

The irresistible urge to mix politics and religion usually comes at the expense of secularism, tolerance and vulnerable minorities. We saw this recently in Asia with extremist Islamic groups spewing anti-Chinese hate speech to defeat the incumbent governor of Jakarta, the ebbing tide of secularism in...
CULTURE / Books
Jun 24, 2017

'Discover Sumo: Stories from Yobidashi Hideo': A jack-of-all-trades sheds light on the sport

The rituals, theatrical constructs and sartorial styles connected to this ancient martial art may seem visually arresting to the uninitiated, but as "Discover Sumo" tells us, there is much more to Japan's national sport than meets the eye.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2017

North Korea's real strategy

The idea that North Korea will abandon its weapons programs in exchange for the promise of security and regime survival has been tested has failed whenever it has been tested.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2017

The U.S.-Russia game of chicken will end in tears

The stakes are rising to perilous levels in the international rivalry between Moscow and Washington.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jun 21, 2017

Deafening silence from U.S. government as Okinawa defoliants quietly destroy children's futures

Lt. Col. Kris E. Roberts, who found dozens of barrels of hazardous waste buried at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in 1981, reflects on the consequences of that discovery.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 21, 2017

Which members of the Abe Cabinet deserve to be fired?

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has multiple reasons to pick this moment for a Cabinet reshuffle.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 20, 2017

A smoke-free Tokyo as an Olympic legacy

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike has vowed to make the capital a smoke-free metropolis in time for hte 2020 Games if her party and its allies secure a majority in the July 2 election.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2017

Remembering Helmut Kohl's unfinished business

The late German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was the man who put German history to bed, and helped lay the groundwork for the current confrontation between Russia and the West.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 18, 2017

Japan’s 'kanban' are still hanging in there

Little information remains about the personal life of the artisan Kojiro Shimizu. His personality and interests, his passions and motivations — all are shrouded in mystery. What we know is that he worked in Kyoto in the late 19th and early 20th century and that he appeared to be on good terms with...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Jun 18, 2017

Japan? The land of opportunity? Really?

The most common question you'll likely be asked upon making a new Japanese acquaintance is "Why did you come to Japan?" In 13 years here I've been asked this question by our hosts hundreds of times.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 18, 2017

Democrats' Russian obsession makes them look dumb

The Democrats are right about one thing: There's lots of smoke. They're wrong about the type of fire.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake