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Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / 2022 NPB Preview
Mar 23, 2022

Six players to watch in the 2022 Central League

From the Swallows' Yasutaka Shiomi to BayStars pitcher Katsuki Azuma, the CL's rosters offer plenty of intriguing storylines heading into the new season.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Mar 14, 2022

Woman's plight puts Japanese-language school cancellation fees in spotlight

The practice of making students pay a fee in the event of them leaving school to obtain a work visa has been met with criticism.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 9, 2022

Sanctions and sanctuary: Japan responds to Russia's war in Ukraine

As Vladimir Putin's grim war in Ukraine escalates, The Economist's Tokyo bureau chief, Noah Sneider, joins to discuss the reasons for the conflict, the lengths to which Japan is supporting Ukraine, and how the war will redefine relationships between Japan and its northern neighbor, Russia.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 3, 2022

LDP power broker Taro Aso's fortunes begin to fade

Aso has a difficult choice: He can play the role of elder statesman and let the LDP milk the last ounce of politicking out of him, or serve in the vice presidential position for life.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Feb 28, 2022

Hokkaido, a pioneer in esports, draws fans and pro teams

The region has joined the boom, and has seen professional teams sprouting up one after another in anticipation of further growth and the Hokkaido Esports Festival.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 11, 2022

Japan’s entry ban leaves students and universities counting the cost

Restrictions on new entries have seen projects disrupted, scholarships lost, international exchange undermined, career plans left in tatters and much more.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 16, 2022

Hiroshima as permanent host of NPT review conference?

Hiroshima should be the permanent host of all future NPT review conferences so that discussions and negotiations are held in the shadow of the realities of nuclear warfare.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jan 14, 2022

Netflix needs new subscribers. Its Korean playbook is its secret weapon.

Following the popularity of the 'Squid Game' series, Netflix is hoping to ride its Korean surge to greater success elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region in order to attract more subscribers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jan 6, 2022

As space race escalates, Japan bolsters defense capabilities in new domains

The government and Self-Defense Forces are looking to mount an active defense in the space, cyberspace and electromagnetic spectrum fields.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 25, 2021

COVID-19 continued to dominate media coverage in 2021. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

Domestic papers turn their attention to the plight of foreign residents, while we hand out gongs for Japan's media personalities of the year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 24, 2021

Escapist bops and deep pop: Music was a mood in 2021

After a year in which Japan's music industry had to make its peace with streaming, this year saw more of the holdouts get on board with the times.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 22, 2021

10th Ryugaku Awards highlight nation’s top Japanese schools

On Sept. 24, the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education hosted its annual Japan Ryugaku Awards ceremony for Japanese-language schools.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional voices: Chubu
Nov 8, 2021

Parents and children in Japan unaware HPV vaccines are available for free

In Japan, about 11,000 women mainly in their 20s through 40s suffer from cervical cancer every year, of which about 2,800 die from the disease.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 6, 2021

Does Japan breed leaders? Does it even need to?

A panel of four men at the tops of their fields discusses what it means to be a leader and comes to the conclusion that Japan doesn't necessarily breed them.
Seaweed in the ocean off Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Local residents aim to restore seagrass and seaweed beds suffering from marine desertification, and their project has also been certified to receive "blue carbon" credits.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET
Jun 23, 2024

Japan looks to 'blue carbon' to cut emissions — and restore its coasts

The nation's net zero goal has driven interest in these ecosystems, but verifying the amount of carbon stored by seaweed presents a challenge.
Kyosuke Matsuyama (right) competes against France's Erwann Le Pechoux during the men's team foil semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics in August 2021.
OLYMPICS
Jun 24, 2024

Japanese fencers heading to Paris Games with plenty of confidence

The men's national team is aiming to secure its first medal in three Olympics in the foil event, a category considered by many to be a Japanese specialty.
At a waste center in Kamikatsu, Tokushima Prefecture, residents separate trash into 45 different categories as the town aims to become "zero waste."
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 22, 2024

How circular economy initiatives are changing the world

From Asia to Europe to Africa, public and private entities are finding new ways to revolutionize the economic paradigm from a linear to a circular model. In Japan, too.
Tokiko Shimizu, a former Bank of Japan executive director, is known as someone who broke glass ceilings after becoming the first woman to take various senior management roles at the BOJ, including branch manager in 2010.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2024

BOJ’s former top female executive takes gender fight to Japan’s schools

Tokiko Shimizu is launching her own consultancy to focus on bringing more women into STEM-related fields starting at the high school level.
Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
COMMUNITY / Issues / Longform
Aug 9, 2024

In search of the ‘Japanese dream’

You've likely heard of the American dream. In Japan, where no such concept exists, immigrants forge their own ideals.
Government Pension Investment Fund in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 4, 2024

GPIF watchers say $1.75 trillion fund may buy more Japan stocks

GPIF is likely to have reclaimed its position as the world’s largest pension fund, thanks to the yen’s rebound after a brief slip earlier this year.
One survey revealed that 68% of recruiters admit to appearance-based hiring and 96% say interviews are influenced by visual impressions, which is why many employment experts advise job hunters to invest significantly in their appearance.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 4, 2024

Why do I need a photo on my resume to apply for a job in Japan?

It is time to build a recruitment system in Japan that rewards people’s talents, irrespective of their looks
A steel plant in Shanghai operated by Baoshan Iron & Steel. Nippon Steel said in July it will dissolve its joint venture with the Chinese firm.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 9, 2024

Japanese firms sour on China after long years of brushing off risks

Almost half of Japanese firms in China polled in a recent survey said they won’t spend more or will cut investment this year.
Troops from the Ground Self-Defense Force take part in the 05JX military exercises on the island of Tokunoshima in Kagoshima Prefecture last November. While Japan's overall ranking in the 2024 Asia Power Index dropped, it scored improvements in the defense and security sphere.
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2024

Japan falls behind India to No. 4 in new Asia power survey

The 2024 Asia Power Index highlights shifting power dynamics in the region, with the U.S. still dominant but facing rising military pressure from China.
Hideko Hakamata (center) and lawyers representing her younger brother, Iwao Hakamata, pose with a banner that reads "Iwao Hakamata verdict not guilty" as they leave the Shizuoka District Court on Thursday after the ruling was delivered.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 26, 2024

In rare retrial, Shizuoka court rules ex-boxer not guilty of 1966 murders

Iwao Hakamata, the world’s longest-serving death row prisoner, has maintained his innocence for decades.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has floated an idea of creating an Asian version of the NATO security framework.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 8, 2024

Ishiba's 'Asian NATO' dead on arrival as new PM set for diplomatic debut

Many Asian countries maintain delicate ties with China, making the creation of any defense group aimed at countering Beijing's influence difficult.
Chinese residents living in Japan take part in a “white paper” protest in solidarity against China's COVID-19 lockdowns, in Tokyo in November 2022.
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2024

Chinese nationals in Japan testify to harassment by Beijing, report says

One man said Chinese police had used his relatives to try and lure him back to the country.
BayStars slugger Tyler Austin hit two homers against the Giants during the final stage of the Central League Climax Series.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 26, 2024

BayStars aim to complete Cinderella run against Hawks in the Japan Series

To say the Yokohama DeNA BayStars are underdogs against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the Japan Series would be putting it mildly, but titles are not decided on paper.
A Tohoku Electric Power official explains the process of loading nuclear fuel into the No. 2 reactor of the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, on Sept. 6.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 27, 2024

Onagawa No. 2 nuclear reactor set for restart amid mixed local reception

Some living around the power plant have expressed understanding for the restart while others are concerned over the possibility of an accident.
Hawks infielder Hotaka Yamakawa celebrates after hitting a two-run home run against the BayStars in Game 2 of the Japan Series in Yokohama on Sunday.
BASEBALL
Oct 28, 2024

Hawks halfway to third straight Japan Series sweep as series heads to Fukuoka

The Hawks have won 14 straight Japan Series games.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat