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Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 28, 2016

Blood and benefits: Duterte imposes his formula on the Philippines

Rodrigo Duterte has kept his word.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 18, 2016

Japan's pop music scene saw a power struggle in 2016

Media, both domestic and overseas, spent a lot of time focused on the streaming services arriving in Japan in 2016. Months of "Can these platforms thrive in CD-loving Japan?" speculation reached a climax in September, when global market leader Spotify finally debuted here. There was a big press conference,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 17, 2016

Western culture and the end of Japanese 'harmony'

Japan grew up with wa (harmony). Conflict and competition are the creative engines of Western civilization; Japan traveled a different route to the tumultuous present.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2016

President Trump: Japanese-Americans, Japanese in U.S. weigh in

People of Japanese ancestry speak up about their impressions of President-elect Donald Trump.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 26, 2016

Japan's Filipinos heed Pope Francis' call to action on refugees and climate

Pontiff's emphasis on mercy for migrants and warnings about climate change resonate with the community in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 20, 2016

Japanese comedian Pikotaro's video 'PPAP' cracks the Billboard Hot 100

Comedian Pikotaro’s music video “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen,” abbreviated as “PPAP,” that recently went viral on social media has entered the weekly U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at 77th.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 8, 2016

Nagoya: The most boring city in Japan

At a meeting of city leaders last Monday, the mayor of Nagoya, Takashi Kawamura, expressed annoyance with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. That same day, Abe had opened a new session of the Diet by touching on the issue of regional revitalization in his usual general policy speech; he said that the central...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 21, 2016

'Scoop!': Read all about it here

Japanese weekly scandal magazines are pond scum, are they not? Dishing up grainy paparazzi photos of the famous and powerful, accompanied by wink-wink stories about improprieties and crimes — alleged or exposed — they appeal to the lowest common denominator, with their only raison d'etre being sales...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 31, 2016

Japan's team spirit remains youthful in anime

The word "seishun" ("youth") comprises the kanji characters for the words "blue" and "spring," which connotes the freshness and innocence of those earlier years in life. It's also the name of a genre of anime and manga. Even as the population ages, seishun manga and anime seem to lock themselves to the...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 16, 2016

Why Japanese media still kowtow to Ken Takakura

"Ken San" is a new documentary about late actor Ken Takakura opening in local theaters next month. Described as Japan's "greatest" and "last" movie star, Takakura was respected by both the Japanese people who worked with him and international film giants such as Martin Scorsese, John Woo and Paul Schrader....
WORLD
Jul 1, 2016

Muslims, Eastern Europeans targeted as hate crime reports spike 500% in U.K. after Brexit vote

The number of hate crimes reported to British police online, including assaults, has increased by more than 500 percent in the week after the country voted to leave the European Union, a senior police chief said on Thursday.
JAPAN / Media
Jun 17, 2016

Minor’s death sentence sees Japan media split on anonymity rule

The debate centers on whether to name a man who lost an appeal against a death sentence for a 2010 double murder.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 23, 2016

Ebb tide for press freedoms in Shinzo Abe's Japan

A perfect storm is descending on freedom of the press in Japan: The country just sank to No. 72 in the global press freedom ranking issued Wednesday by Reporters Without Borders, down from No. 11 in 2010. And David Kaye, the U.N. special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 19, 2016

Japan's tabloids book front-row seats at the Trump circus

Donald Trump. And now that we've got your attention ...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 20, 2016

Deja vu as Shukan Shincho turns back the clock

The title of the Japanese government's White Paper on the Economy for the 31st year of Showa (1956) was "The 'postwar' era is over." That same year, a delegation from the World Bank headed by Alfred Watkins spent five months studying the feasibility of extending a loan for an expressway linking the cities...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TRAVEL INSIDER
Feb 2, 2016

Jetstar to fly to Manila; Cathay route turns 50; More flights to PNG

Jetstar to fly to Manila
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 23, 2016

Tabloids go nuclear on North's bomb test

On Jan. 6, North Korea once again stunned the world with a test of what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb, ratcheting up tensions in northeast Asia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2016

Opposition leaves Diet floor in boycott of Amari speech

Opposition lawmakers mount a humiliating boycott of embattled economy minister Akira Amari's annual policy speech in the Diet.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 9, 2016

'Comfort women' problem requires a grand gesture

Due to his unassailable nationalist credentials, Prime Minister Abe is uniquely positioned to make a powerfully symbolic gesture of contrition.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES
Jan 3, 2016

Options available to mitigate dangers of living alone with dementia

At first glance, it's hard to tell what's wrong with Keiko Sawada. As casual exchanges continue, however, it becomes increasingly clear the former bar hostess has serious memory problems.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Nov 23, 2015

Before Paris terrorist attacks, authorities across Europe missed many red flags

In hindsight, there were multiple chances to stop the terrorists who attacked Paris.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Nov 12, 2015

Roster, coach change but Tokyo's game still same

The Tokyo Cinq Reves had an atrocious 2014-15 season, losing 47 of 52 games.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Oct 29, 2015

Oketani learning from former Chicago Bulls coach Cartwright

The Osaka Evessa made a big hire during the offseason, luring Dai Oketani, the winningest coach in bj-league history, to return to his Kansai roots.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 17, 2015

Councilors get loud on library revamps

As testimony to their characteristically low profile, Japan's public libraries seldom make the news, although two recent exceptions come to mind.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?