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COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 16, 2022

Can Kishida’s ‘new capitalism’ help Japan’s workers?

What is remarkable about Kishida's new capitalism is that the LDP is the very party that brought neoliberalism to Japan in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 12, 2019

Does Japan have a global environmental strategy?

As the world's attention turns to climate change, Japan is in prime position to lead.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Apr 22, 2018

Me Too rises in Japan as sexually harassed journalists speak out

Women journalists in Japan join the growing ranks of the Me Too movement following allegations of sexual harassment at high levels.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Jul 1, 2016

YouTube poses unique challenges for Japan Sumo Association

Every few days, year-round, I receive emails from foreign visitors to Japan asking just how to gain access to morning training sessions at one of the sport's (current) 44 stables.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 15, 2015

Japan needs geopolitical skills

As long as Japan lacks a resolute strategy and prudent foreign policy, it risks becoming a strategic pawn in someone else's game.
Japan Times
LIFE
Sep 28, 2013

Camera artist casts new light on Jomon millennia

The Jomon Period of Japanese history is so shrouded in the mists of time that any bid to fathom its secrets stretches even the usual bounds of prehistoric archeology. Yet as amateurs and experts alike have continued unearthing examples of Jomon pottery and stone tools for more than a century, the pieces of the puzzle are gradually coming together.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
May 30, 2010

Pearl farmers look to satoumi to save their way of life

One bright blue February afternoon, Akira Harajo stood on a concrete pier and surveyed Mie Prefecture's Ago Bay. With dyed black hair, a zippered sports shirt and immaculate V-neck sweater, Harajo, 75, hardly looked the part of the farmer that he is. Then again, his crop isn't exactly ordinary: Harajo...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 25, 2008

Harajuku in peril?

As a dedicated follower of Japanese pop culture and the coauthor of a book on Japanese teen fashion, I confess that I'm getting a bit concerned about the direction in which the Harajuku district is headed these days.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
May 6, 2007

Karel Van Wolferen: Insights into the new world disorder

When Karel Van Wolferen released his seminal book "The Enigma of Japanese Power" in the dying months of the bubble economy, the normally staid monthly magazine Chuo Koron described its impact as akin to being struck by a bolt of lightning. For once, the hype was merited. Little before had matched the...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL
Sep 26, 2002

Trees that tower over the past and present

An visitor to Kyoto's world-famous gardens and temples could not fail to be awed by the stands and avenues of towering Kitayama sugi (Japanese red cedar, or peacock pine; Cryptomeria japonica).
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Sep 9, 2001

Katsuya Takasu, holding back the years

Katsuya Takasu regards his body as a vehicle to carry his mind. So what he had done to his face two years ago was, as he puts it, "just like fixing an old jalopy."
JAPAN / STAGING A COMEBACK
Jan 4, 2001

Information disclosure could give power to citizens if they get involved

Satoru Ienishi felt overwhelming anger as he watched a newscast at his Tokyo office on June 13, 1998.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Apr 13, 2023

Noma Kyoto: The focus — and future? — of the culinary world

Noma is one of the best restaurants in the world and earlier this year it moved its entire staff to Kyoto to create a pop-up that is currently the hottest ticket in the country. Our food critic joins the podcast to talk more about this culinary experience, which ends in May.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 25, 2023

Colorful snow algae is blooming in Japan's alpine areas. What does this mean for climate change?

Scientists race to Mount Gassan to see how the algae might affect the natural balance in vulnerable ecosystems and potentially perpetuate warming.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Dec 19, 2022

Things to do before saying 'sayonara' to your life in Japan

Planning on leaving Japan? Think long-term with your plans. It will take a while to ship everything to a different country.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 27, 2022

The making of Vladimir Putin

As China rose, as the U.S. fought and lost its forever wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as technology networked the world, a Russian enigma took form in the Kremlin.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2022

Harmful soot unchecked as Big Oil battles EPA over testing

The delay in addressing so-called condensable fine particulate matter emissions means the pollutant is being released by scores of facilities across the U.S. unchecked.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 21, 2021

Honda scraps go-it-alone strategy for safer shift toward EVs

A partnership with GM is part of a trend of carmakers sharing the burden of bringing new technology to market.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 24, 2021

Marc Davies: ‘To write beautifully is to solve a fundamental problem of art’

Nationally acclaimed calligrapher Marc Davies has been practicing shodu014d since 1996, achieving the rank of Master Instructor in 2019. Here, he shares his take on the art form.
U.S. President Joe Biden makes an appearance at an infrastructure construction project in Woodstock, New Hampshire, in November 2021.  Bridges and sewage systems may seem unglamorous, but common assets such as these will form the basis of economic growth for years to come.
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2024

The West’s new infrastructure imperative

A dim future awaits any society that allows its infrastructure to degrade and underinvests in new needs.
For someone who grew up in a country with a system of street names, finding an address in Japan — or worse: trying to guide someone else to one — is no easy task at first.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
May 7, 2024

Lost in translation? No, lost in Japan’s maze of streets.

Anyone who experienced wayfinding in Japan before the age of map apps will remember how much sleuthing was required to get to your destination.
To counter the rise of authoritarianism, liberals must acknowledge the importance of transcendent loyalties like faith and family, while defending liberal institutions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2024

The authoritarians have the momentum

To counter the rise of authoritarianism, liberals must acknowledge the importance of transcendent loyalties like faith and family, while defending liberal institutions.
Harmony Korine (center-left, in orange) DJs a set with his EDGLRD crew at a Tokyo event promoting his film, “Aggro Dr1ft,” at WWW X on June 6.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 14, 2024

Harmony Korine wants us to dream movies, and he’s working on a ‘pill’ for that

Korine and his collaborators came to Tokyo to screen his new film "Aggro Dr1ft," his first visit to Japan in 17 years.
Japan's tradition of offering investors gifts is nice. But with the stock market at record highs, such perks are no longer needed.
COMMENTARY
Jul 18, 2024

It’s time Japan's shareholders buy their own wine

The practice by Japanese companies of giving gifts once served as a good way to encourage trading novices to dabble in the stock market.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik (left to right), Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pose for a photo at the Defense Ministry Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 28, 2024

U.S., Japan and South Korea ink deal to 'institutionalize' security ties

The move — just months before the U.S. presidential election — is seen as part of a bid to make the trilateral relationship more difficult to reverse.
Stuart McDonald, a fifth-generation farmer, searches for freshly planted seeds coated with Loam Bio’s fungal treatment, near Canowindra, Australia, on April 24.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 12, 2024

Australian farmers are betting on fungi to battle climate change

Fungi act as nature’s carbon traders, pulling it from the roots of plants and giving the plant nutrients in return.
An artificial intelligence process sign in the Samsung Electronics hall at the IFA Consumer Electronics and Home Appliances trade fair in Berlin in 2022
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 27, 2024

Is that voice real or AI? One startup says it can tell the difference

The latest wave of artificial intelligence technology can mimic the voice of almost anyone.
Taxes on U.S. citizens working abroad aren’t excessive so much as excessively complicated.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2024

Trump is right: Expat taxes are too complicated

Taxes on U.S. citizens working abroad aren’t excessive so much as excessively complicated.
One of conductor Seiji Ozawa’s most enduring contributions is the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, which brings together young musicians and seasoned artists. The maestro passed away in February.
CULTURE / Entertainment news / 2024 in Review
Dec 27, 2024

The cultural luminaries we lost in 2024

While Japan’s culture marked notable triumphs at home and overseas, the year also saw the passing of many greats in the arts.
Getting caught in the rain while walking home may require you to use the passive voice when relaying your bad luck to others.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 23, 2025

Annoyed? Unfairly treated? Express yourself in Japanese with the passive voice

Verbs get complicated when they're used to describe feelings of annoyance or victimization.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.