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Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 22, 2017

The art, and fallout, of the Japanese political gaffe

If there is one way you can count on Japanese politicians, it is their ability to make headlines by putting their foot in their mouth.
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2017

Newspapers thrive, in India

While print media struggles to survive elsewhere, India's rising literacy rate is keeping its dailies firmly in the black.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
May 21, 2017

Having trouble wrapping your head around Japan? Help with mental health is at hand

Black Eye speaks with professionals trained to offer guidance to those struggling to cope with a new environment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 20, 2017

The miserable case of unhappiness surging in Japan

This is the happiest time in the history of the world, and Japan is among the happiest of countries.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 20, 2017

'Japanese Garden Notes': An informative photo book

"Japanese Garden Notes" is a gorgeous photo book that introduces aspects of traditional Japanese garden design. It walks the reader through the philosophy of "space and passage," "function and art" and "intent and time," explaining why certain details recur and the emotions they are meant to inspire....
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
May 20, 2017

Hokkaido's ancient place in the modern world

"Even the birds do not fly to Ezo," went a popular 19th-century saying about Japan's northernmost island. "Ezo" means "land of barbarians." Settlement tamed it into "Hokkaido" — "north sea road." But it was a rough passage.
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2017

Trump's disability is Dunning-Kruger effect

We're all ignorant, but U.S. President Donald Trump takes it to a different level.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2017

Do you want to be a cyborg?

Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk is convinced that enhancing human intelligence and memory is our species' only alternative to elimination by our own super-intelligent inventions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2017

Can the emerging Sino-U.S. coalition stop Kim's game?

The coordinated efforts by the U.S. and China offers the best bet to secure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and allow the two Koreas to coexist.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2017

Trump voters' message: we exist

Donald Trump hasn't lifted a finger to help Rust Belters as president, but he did far more than the Democratic Party's elites during the election when he acknowledged their existence.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2017

China's hidden pollution oozes to the surface

Xiongan, intended as China's green city of the future, will have to serve as a model of how China can clean up its past.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 15, 2017

Reciting the rescript to flaunt your Japanese

If you'd like to learn the Imperial Rescript on Education as a Japanese memory test, it's less than a single A4 page in length.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
May 14, 2017

Testing time for the Constitution at 70

So you fancy yourself as a scholar on Japan's supreme law? Try testing your knowledge of the Constitution's birth with this quiz.
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
May 13, 2017

'Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era' encapsulates feudal Japan

Those with an interest in feudal Japan are urged not to miss Eiji Yoshikawa's samurai epic, "Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era" — just don't expect historical accuracy. In telling the story of Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1685), the famed swordsman and author of "The Book of Five Rings," Yoshikawa's...
Reader Mail
May 12, 2017

Kingston errs on 'comfort women'

Jeff Kingston's Counterpoint columns in the April 16 and 23 editions regarding the "comfort women" issue contain clearly erroneous assertions and could lead to misunderstanding among readers. I would like to share several points that the author failed to mention or erroneously presented in his articles....
Reader Mail
May 12, 2017

Ted Rall's appalling attack on a widow

I found the column about Sheryl Sandberg by Ted Rall incredibly insensitive and offensive ("Sheryl Sandberg: world's most annoying person" in the May 3 edition). I can understand one would disagree with her point of views and be critical of her book, but the way he ridicules her deceased husband and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 10, 2017

A love story that's overly dense with prose

These days, Japanese films are based on everything from novels to game apps, but Yuya Ishii's "The Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue," which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival this year, is a rare feature inspired by a book of poetry. Its author, Tahi Saihate, is only 31 but has...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 9, 2017

Renick Bell discovers the art inside the algorithms

In 2017, algorithms are everywhere.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
May 9, 2017

China cries 'fake news' in reaction to report about U.S. Navy chief Harris

China's Foreign Ministry has labeled as "fake news and not worth refuting" a report that Beijing urged Washington to fire the top U.S. naval commander in the Pacific in return for boosted pressure on North Korea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 9, 2017

Why I'm still happy Hillary lost

Despite U.S. President Donald Trump's dangerous flaws, the world is still better off without Hillary Clinton leading America.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
May 9, 2017

Injured Parker remains perfect fit for no-nonsense Spurs

Tim Duncan was the most famous; OK, maybe co-famous with David Robinson.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 6, 2017

Corporate zombies need 'rich brains'

Japan has lost something. That's a stark but uncontroversial statement. Few whose memory goes back a generation or more will disagree. Controversy arises when the talk turns to what was lost; when, how and why it was lost; whether the nation is the better or worse for having lost it; and, if the former,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 6, 2017

'A Girls' Guide to the Islands': A touching reflection on travel, art and parent-teen relationships

Touring art museums with a teenager may not sound like everyone's idea of a good time, and at the beginning of this pocket-sized memoir, Shikoku-based writer Suzanne Kamata finds herself wondering how she can renege on a promise to take her daughter to a Yayoi Kusama art exhibit in Osaka.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 5, 2017

Researchers find noise pollution caused by humans 'pervasive' in U.S. protected areas

Potentially harmful human-caused noise pollution affects nearly two-thirds of all protected areas in the United States, according to a report released Thursday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2017

The weakness of the new conservative climate argument

Scientists do make mistakes, but scientific methods in many fields guard against unwarranted certainty. And there is a consensus on climate change.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 4, 2017

As it approaches 50, Iwanami Hall remains vital to cinema lovers

The Tokyo neighborhood of Jinbocho is a favorite of mine. Mostly known for bookshops, it is a bastion of quaintness amid a metropolis that can be downright oppressive at times.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2017

Sheryl Sandberg: world's most annoying person

It's that time of year again: Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg is telling Americans how to live their lives.

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