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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 14, 2014

American in North Korea reportedly denounces U.S., seeks asylum in Venezuela

A U.S. citizen who illegally entered North Korea delivered a lengthy denunciation of U.S. domestic and foreign policy Sunday and said he was seeking political asylum in Venezuela, the North's official media said.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Oct 4, 2014

Yakuza do what Abe Cabinet pick can't

In most countries, police officers and criminals are supposed to be on opposite sides of the law, especially the higher up the chain of command you go, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe doesn't appear to think this is necessary.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 27, 2014

Nationalistic sentiment keeps Abe's popularity ratings high

The Abe Cabinet continues to enjoy an approval rating of more than 50 percent, according to a recent survey, because of the knock-on effect of 'Abenomics,' the dearth of other viable leaders and, like it or not, nationalist sentiment.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 3, 2013

This is the year of the typhoon

We have never had more taifū (台風, typhoon)-related news than we have had this year. Japan has had at least 28 typhoons so far in 2013 and the number is likely to surpass 30 — the first time this will have happened in 19 years.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 17, 2013

Judo scandal casts doubt on Olympic bid

News stories don't exist in a vacuum. What often makes them "news" is a confluence of factors that provide a context of interest. Though the public thinks the current story about 15 female judo athletes (jūdōka) demanding fundamental changes to the way the national team is structured and run is a self-contained...
SPORTS / ODDS AND EVENS
Aug 13, 2012

A day in the life of an Olympic reporter

Woke up, got out of bed. . .
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 4, 2012

Japan's lonely people: Where do they all belong?

In recent weeks, three cases of kodokushi, or "lonely deaths," have been covered extensively in the news. One involved a Saitama Prefecture family of three whose bodies were found in their apartment several months after the electricity and gas were turned off for nonpayment. Police assumed they had starved....
Japan Times
BASEBALL
Jan 24, 2010

Valentine's philosophy brought Marines glory, money

Second in a four-part series
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 11, 2008

The authorities gain complete control of the stories

Prior to the recent retrial of a man who was eventually sentenced to death by the Hiroshima High Court for killing a woman and her 1-year-old child in 1999, the Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization complained about the coverage of the case. The BPO said that media outlets concentrated...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 8, 2007

Take a slab of meat, beef up the label on it and Hope for the best

There's a stereotype that says the Japanese possess a refined palate. The French are said to possess it, too, but have you seen a French movie lately? All they eat is spaghetti.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 24, 2006

Can Japan absorb foreign influx?

When discussing the recent ethnic riots in France, The Economist newsmagazine ("Minority Reports," Nov. 10, 2005) posed an important question: How come some countries assimilate immigrants more peacefully than others?
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Oct 25, 2004

Manchuria as a whipping post

NEW YORK -- The New York Times has an intriguing take on Japan. The latest example is an article with the heading "Atrocity Amnesia: Japan Rewrites Its Manchuria Story" (Sept. 19).
JAPAN / History
Jun 28, 2000

China's Korean War POWs find you can't go home again

BEIJING — In a hotel room in the Yangtze River port of Wuhan, a dozen elderly Chinese men fight back tears to sing a song written almost 50 years ago in a U.S. prisoner-of-war camp in South Korea. At the end of the song, their tears flow freely, for friends lost in the conflict and for their own harsh...
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 2, 2022

Hey Japan, are you happy?

Deep Dive explores whether the Japanese are content or not with the help of Alex K.T. Marin, who has written several features on the polls and surveys of happiness.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 30, 2021

As China menaces Taiwan, the island's friends aid its secretive submarine project

Taipei has stealthily sourced technology, components and talent from at least seven nations to help it build a fleet with the potential to exact a heavy toll on any Chinese attack.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 14, 2021

Were the Olympics sustainable? Reports of waste suggest it's not easy being green

Stories of uneaten bento boxes and the plight of air conditioners used in the athlete residences suggest that the Olympics are having trouble meeting their sustainability goals.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 18, 2020

Pandemic negates Japan’s bid to reduce plastic waste

Plastic is one of the cheapest, most effective materials for preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
May 15, 2020

As China pushes back on coronavirus, Europe wakes to 'Wolf Warrior' diplomacy

As Beijing seeks to control the damage to its global reputation, the government is pushing hard to control the story from Berlin to Bratislava
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 29, 2020

Who really controls the airspace over central Japan?

A good portion of the airspace over central Japan has been reserved for the exclusive use of the U.S. military since the end of World War II, a fact that isn't widely known in Japan. Over the past several weeks, however, it has become a sudden reality to thousands of Tokyoites and residents of Kawasaki...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 22, 2019

Abe's push to amend Japan's Constitution faces uncertain future after Upper House vote

Undaunted by the failure to capture a two-thirds supermajority in the upper chamber, Abe pushes on with his goal to rewrite the charter, with an eye on Article 9.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Apr 29, 2019

Defining the Heisei Era: Just how peaceful were the past 30 years?

Asked what characteristics best summed up the Heisei Era (1989-2019), 79 percent of Japanese people thought it would be best remembered as being “peaceful and without war.”
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2018

Birds of a feather do fall out sometimes

Seasoned diplomats are much subtler and more prudent than badgers of the same stripe.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 4, 2018

Panel balks at proposing the killing of Japan's political fairness clause

The proposal had drawn criticism for potentially opening up the nation's airwaves to a deluge of politically charged programs and internet-driven 'fake news.'
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jan 29, 2018

Let's discuss Tetsuya Komuro's retirement

Music producer Tetsuya Komuro says he will retire from the industry following a recent magazine report about his alleged extramarital affair with a nurse.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 16, 2017

Why do some old men age disgracefully?

It's a universal belief that life is unfair, though there are many ways in which people manifest this belief. Some withdraw from the world, while others engage with it in an attempt to correct imbalances. Sometimes this engagement takes the form of anger.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 22, 2017

Abe's gamble pays off as ruling bloc bags two-thirds majority in Lower House

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition is certain of a resounding victory in the Lower House election that will give it a two-thirds majority.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 3, 2017

Abe, Mattis reaffirm ties on defense

Visiting U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis reaffirms Washington's commitment to the U.S.-Japan military alliance amid Japanese concern over the rhetoric of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go