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Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 26, 2015

Amid U.S. global travel alert, Obama assures Americans they can safely take Thanksgiving trips

President Barack Obama sought to reassure Americans they are safe as millions of people traveled on Wednesday for the Thanksgiving holiday, with security heightened at airports, New York City's parade festivities and other venues after the Paris attacks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Nov 25, 2015

Welsh filmmaker John Williams has made it in Japan against all odds

It's not easy for anyone to make indie films in Japan. Audiences, venues and funds are all shrinking. And if you are not Japanese, you face additional barriers of language, culture and credibility. Even if your name is the only foreign one on the credits, many will consider your film not "really" Japanese,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Nov 25, 2015

Japan: surprisingly, sensibly and endearingly low-tech

The common image of Japan abroad as a high-tech country is severely out of step with the everyday experience of those of us who live here.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 24, 2015

Guillem bids adieu to her life of dance

Superstar dancer Sylvie Guillem has come full circle.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 23, 2015

Toyohashi embarks on 'rubbish' project to achieve biomass power goals

The Aichi Prefecture city of Toyohashi, with a population of 380,000, is set to embark on a unique and challenging project in fiscal 2017 of collecting biodegradable waste from households and companies for a combined biomass power generation facility.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 20, 2015

Namie Amuro returned to form this year with '_genic'

Ten years ago, Namie Amuro's star appeared to be fading fast. The pop singer's massive popularity in the 1990s helped cement the rise of sleek J-pop, but by 2005, sales of her albums and singles were starting to come back to Earth. Worse still, the former "Queen of J-pop" was seemingly being lapped by...
WORLD / Society
Nov 20, 2015

Tech-savvy sex traffickers stay ahead of authorities as lure teens online

When Nicole was age 17 and her mother was sent to prison for white collar crimes, she met a man on Facebook who offered to take care of her.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2015

Tokyo must act now to build legacy for venues beyond 2020 Olympics, says London Games exec

Tokyo must act now to develop a vision for the new National Stadium and other Olympic venues that reaches decades beyond the 2020 Games.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2015

Japan's State Guest House could soon be open to tourists

As part of campaign to attract more overseas tourists to Japan, the government is planning to open the State Guest House in Tokyo's Minato Ward to general visitors as early as April next year, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 19, 2015

AI robot touted as future English-learning tool for Japanese kids

Japan has long been criticized for its low level of English, but children could soon become more proficient in the language just by chit-chatting with an artificially intelligent robot.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 17, 2015

The ripple effect of Tawaraya Sotatsu's waves

'The most important Japanese artist you've never heard of." That is how James Ulak, senior curator of Japanese art at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington, describes Tawaraya Sotatsu, the focus of the gallery's current magnificent exhibition. The show presents the first in-depth examination of...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 16, 2015

Tours provide renewed interest in Japan's oldest hydro power plant

The Miyashiro No. 1 power plant, which houses the country's oldest working hydraulic generator, is attracting public attention after it started offering guided tours last spring.
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Nov 15, 2015

Tainted cities irate over Tepco's slow compensation payments: survey

Tokyo Electric Power Co. has paid a mere 11.4 percent of the ¥55.3 billion in nuclear redress claims filed by municipalities damaged by the Fukushima disaster, a survey shows, and some are seeking action to speed the process up.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 14, 2015

Shibuya's redevelopment to create a futuristic railway station fit for the 21st century

Looking down from the 11th floor of Tokyo's Hikarie skyscraper, the seemingly endless ebb and flow of people using Shibuya Station is hypnotic to watch.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 14, 2015

Nishinoshima: Oki's island of sanctuary

Were it not for the well-nourished faces of the passengers suffused with keen expressions of expectation and purpose, the supine bodies, unpacked food, luggage and blankets strewn across the hard flooring of the ferry's modern equivalent of steerage class resembled those of a migrant ship.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 14, 2015

Abe and the media get ahead of themselves on driverless cars

In a new TV commercial for Nissan, American actress Charlotte Kate Fox, who appeared in last year's NHK morning drama series, "Massan," is driving on city streets at night. She pushes a button on the dashboard and slowly takes her hands off the steering wheel. The car continues to move, making turns...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 14, 2015

Chinese media crucial in public diplomacy effort

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently had a cameo in the animated adult cartoon "South Park." In the episode, Xi (not the real Xi) revealed that Japan decides "who is gay or not" in Asia. The character also said the Japanese "are dogs who refuse not apologize to the Chinese Republic" and then kissed...
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Nov 14, 2015

Get the goods on manga and anime

Back in the Stone Age of streaming media, the most notorious and popular of pirate anime websites suddenly went legit. In January 2009, after securing distribution agreements with Japanese studios, and a licensing deal with TV Tokyo that included episodes of the global hit series Naruto Shippuden, the...
EDITORIALS
Nov 14, 2015

Problems with Ikata plant restart

Many concerns remain about the safety of the Ikata nuclear plant in Ehime Prefecture and the feasibility of the evacuation plans, but the governor has given his approval to restart the facility anyway.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 13, 2015

Nuclear power — an issue so prominent, it glows in the dark

Walking into Ken + Julia Yonetani's "Wishes" is like stepping into a bad dream. The room is illuminated by hanging chandeliers, their green light eerily flickering against black walls, as Disney's "It's a Small World" repeatedly plays in the background. This first Tokyo solo show for the husband-and-wife...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Nov 11, 2015

Mr. Cherry, Japan's No. 1 record-breaker, is 'officially amazing'

Cherry Yoshitake has broken more world records than any other Japanese person, but there's every chance you've never heard of him.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 10, 2015

A photo finish between ukiyo-e and the camera

The idea for the smart, complex and challenging exhibition "From Ukiyo-e to Photography" at the Edo-Tokyo Museum started from the discovery of two images. One is a photograph of the Meiji-Era (1867-1912) Minister of Home Affairs Toshimichi Okubo, taken in Paris in 1878. The second is a color ukiyo-e...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 10, 2015

Seduced by the Undercover labyrinth

It's undeniable that when designer Jun Takahashi founded Undercover — which celebrates its 25th anniversary with its first retrospective at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery — he was strongly influenced by the pioneers of deconstruction fashion Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto. His first few collections...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 10, 2015

SeaWorld will phase out San Diego orca show

SeaWorld said on Monday it plans to replace its signature "Shamu" killer whale shows in San Diego with displays focused on "conservation," after grappling with sagging attendance and years of criticism over treatment of the captive marine mammals.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Nov 9, 2015

Taxi firm hopes to have driverless cabs on the road by 2020

By the time Tokyo hosts the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2020, self-driving cars may be a feature on Japan's roads as local automakers work to develop the technology in the next five years.

Longform

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