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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Feb 12, 2014

ANA caricature speaks volumes about Japan's outdated mind-set

My personal opinion is that the ad is a disappointing anachronism, and a reminder of the parochial outlook of large Japanese corporations. The ad appeals to the facile formula that 'foreigner = white = blonde and big-nosed = English-speaking = globalization.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Feb 9, 2014

Organic lights hold promise of softer glow

Cost-efficient and eco-friendly, lights powered by light-emitting diodes are taking off but may soon be upstaged by their organic cousins.
Japan Times
JAPAN / WEDGE
Feb 9, 2014

Eco-labels urged to save endangered marine life

2013 highlighted the decline in Japan's fishery resources, with baby eel trading at ¥3 million per kilogram — more expensive than silver — and the catch quota of bluefin tuna being slashed at the December meeting of the Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks...
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Feb 9, 2014

Records broken in biathlon, speedskating events

Norway's Ole Einar Bjoerndalen tied a Winter Olympics record with his 12th medal by taking gold in the biathlon 10-km sprint.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 8, 2014

Is wealth inequality near a tipping point?

Today's vast wealth inequality probably isn't the result of any economic conspiracy, or of vast differences in human skills. It's more likely the banal outcome of a fairly mechanical process that, unless altered, could easily carry us into a place where most of us would rather not be.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Feb 7, 2014

Female scientists push for breakthrough in equality

Recent news that Haruko Obokata of Riken's Center for Developmental Biology found a new way to generate pluripotent cells cast a spotlight on women in the male-dominant field of science.
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Feb 5, 2014

Sendai's White recognizes importance of team chemistry, close-knit family

The Japan Times features periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. Wendell White of the Sendai 89ers is the subject of this week's profile.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 5, 2014

Can nature solve humankind's errors?

Masato Kodama's sculptures are concerned with light, gravity and air. For him, light is a symbol of tomorrow and potential futures, gravity represents the present and the past, and air is associated with memory.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Feb 3, 2014

Japan's iron age continues in style

Nambu Tekki, traditional Japanese ironware has developed to produce many aesthetically pleasing designs, including brightly colored contemporary products for the French market.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 1, 2014

For Japan's foreign residents, the little things make such a big difference

American political ideals may be grander, European philosophy may be deeper, Islamic faith may be firmer than anything native to Japan — but Japan, perhaps uniquely, knows the value of small things.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jan 31, 2014

Hida lacquer artisans seek successors to preserve technique

Hida Shunkei lacquer work, a traditional craft based in Hida, Gifu Prefecture, is at risk of fading away because its masters are having serious difficulty finding successors to keep it alive amid weak sales.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2014

Scholar quits NHK over nuclear power hush-up

A noted professor who regularly provides commentary on an NHK AM radio show resigns from the program to protest the broadcaster's demand that nuclear power not be discussed until after the Feb. 9 Tokyo gubernatorial poll.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 30, 2014

Concerns of G-20 leadership

Having assumed the presidency of the Group of 20 nations, Australia should identify one core concern for each summit beyond economic matters.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 29, 2014

Olé! A 'Carmen' supreme

The heroine of French composer Georges Bizet's "Carmen" is one of the most famous roles in opera, but it's also one of the most difficult of all to carry off well.
EDITORIALS
Jan 28, 2014

The Mac computer turns 30

Thirty years ago this month, little-known Apple Computer began to transform the world. Its signal event was a television advertisement broadcast during America's Super Bowl, announcing the introduction of a new product in two days.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 28, 2014

Ten years on, Hyperdub finds that it pays to be weird

Most journalists hope to get a few decent quotes from an interview. Steve Goodman ended up getting a record label.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jan 27, 2014

Can big names help the plight of small factories?

The smooth, metallic surface reflects the sunlight coming through the window. Without touching it you can see that this is an object made with great care — even though it came from a factory. I'm inside a shop run by Lexus in Tokyo, but what I'm looking at isn't part of a luxury car, it's a small metal...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Jan 27, 2014

This week: Kirby's now triple the fun and brands release some monster collectibles

Dealing out some monsters
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2014

Beware, the robots are coming

If you are an accountant, real estate agent, retail shop assistant, technical writer or telemarketer. Your jobs could be in imminent danger from the rampaging bots.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Jan 25, 2014

History and humor lap Hamamatsucho's shores

Tokyo hosts plenty of pint-size public sculptures, but none so "wee" as the brazen boy standing on the platform between lines 3 and 4 at Hamamatsucho Station in Minato Ward. Just back from a trip to Brussels, I am stunned to glimpse there a bronze replica of the Belgian capital's most cheeky landmark,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 25, 2014

Baye McNeil: 'Always endeavor to do ... what you love to do'

Do what you have to do if you truly have to do it, of course, but always endeavor to be yourself and do what you love to do. That way, you'll come to the realization sooner that the life you're living is actually the product of your actions and decisions, and you'll be much less likely to waste a precious moment of it.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 24, 2014

Francois Hollande: What became of dull Mr. Normal?

However indignant French President Francois Hollande might have been about a glossy celebrity magazine revealing the details of his affair with a French actress, the idea of sitting down and drafting his resignation was almost certainly not among them.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 24, 2014

From the ditches of Nara to the Otohime, a lav story

Ever wondered what's with the toilet slippers in Japan? Surely I am not the only foreigner to question whether we need to be entirely reshod before entering the restroom in a Japanese house.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jan 24, 2014

Kabuki reviews shed light on Edo theater culture

Seven compilations of acting reviews for kabuki shows performed in Nagoya during the Edo Period have been found in the storeroom of Misono-za, an old theater in the city that is under renovation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2014

Tokyo voters unhappy with nuclear focus

Campaigning for the Tokyo gubernatorial race starts and voters express bewilderment over how fast the focus seems to have turned to nuclear energy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 23, 2014

The oyster can be your world in Ishikawa

Fresh, plump oysters are the tempting offerings at this weekend's Secchu Jumbo Kaki Matsuri 2014 (Jumbo Oyster Festival in the Snow 2014) in Ishikawa Prefecture's city of Anamizu.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / EVERYMAN EATS
Jan 21, 2014

New book gets to the soul of Japanese home cooking

Like the Denver Broncos, the Nikkei stock index and "Gravity" director Alfonso Cuarón, Japanese food is on a hot streak. Here at home, the revival of interest in classic regional fare known as B-kyū gourmet (B-level cuisine) has spread to supermarket shelves and fast-food menus around the country....

Longform

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