Search - 2021

 
 
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2020

2020’s retail wipeouts warn of permanent pain

The 10 largest public U.S. firms that are either clothing retailers or department stores will have $38 billion of revenue wiped out this year, or 23% of their collective 2019 sales.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 26, 2020

20 Questions: The best answers of 2020

The 20 Questions format aims to get people in Japan to tell us about their thoughts and beliefs in their words. Here are some of the most interesting answers from 2020.
Japan Times
CARTOONS / DAHL'S JAPAN
Dec 26, 2020

Roger Dahl on inching toward 2021 with trepidation

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Dec 26, 2020

Have a sweet, strawberry end to 2020

Need an alternative to the typical Christmas cake? Give these two colorful convenience store desserts a try.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 26, 2020

How has COVID-19 changed Japan's pop culture? Recultured podcast

Recultured is a podcast series by Deep Dive from The Japan Times. It tells the story of how COVID-19 affected Japan in 2020 through the lens of the country's pop culture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2020

Abe apologizes at the Diet for false statements on dinner party funding

The long-running scandal has tainted the legacy of Abe's administration, corroded his credibility and cast a shadow over his successor.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 25, 2020

Japan retail sales drop as Tokyo prices fall most since 2010

Slumping energy costs and record virus cases that kept shoppers home darkened the recovery outlook, delivering sales declines that doubled analysts' forecasts.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 25, 2020

'Parting is such sweet sorrow': EU and U.K. clinch narrow Brexit accord

The deal offers a way out of a chaotic finale to a divorce that has shaken the 70-year project to forge European unity after World War II.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Dec 25, 2020

Brexit is finally done, but it already seems out of date

The world has changed radically since June 2016, when a narrow majority of people in Britain voted to leave the European Union.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 24, 2020

How has COVID-19 changed Japan's pop culture? Episode 4: Rebuild

Two anime films — ”Demon Slayer” and “Violet Evergarden” — offer a dash of optimism to end 2020, as Japanese pop culture moves towards the beginning of a new era.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2020

Christmas is canceled for Boris Johnson

The situation on Britain's borders is clearly serious, but will it wound Johnson fatally? That all depends on how many Britons are inclined to blame the virus for the chaos.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2020

2020 in hindsight: Asia’s bad to good in the year that was

The Asian Development Bank projects COVID-19 could push 160 million more into poverty in Asia. The region's poverty rate will increase for the first time in 20 years, says the World Bank.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 22, 2020

The secret is out: This kanji will remain closely associated with the pandemic of 2020

The Japanese have spoken, 'u5bc6' (mitsu) is the kanji of the year for 2020. But what is this kanji trying to say to us?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2020

Britain and EU tell each other to give way in 'difficult' trade talks

Negotiations are expected to continue on Monday, and a senior British government source described them as 'difficult' because of the 'significant differences' in position.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Dec 21, 2020

A summer of solidarity: Looking back on the Black Lives Matter marches in Japan

COVID-19 wasn't the only story of 2020. In May, footage of the murder of George Floyd was posted online and resulted in a month of protest in the U.S. and in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 19, 2020

Dissecting Japan's hit products of 2020

While many popular items in 2020 were related to the COVID-19 pandemic, a few surprises attracted attention.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 19, 2020

Wait before shedding your entire work wardrobe amid the pandemic

Numerous posts on social media have questioned the need to wear a suit while working from home.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Dec 19, 2020

This is the quintessential Japanese noodle dish you should eat over new year

Toshikoshi soba is a comforting dish best enjoyed slowly, perhaps with some sake, while you quietly plan ahead for a better 2021.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Dec 19, 2020

Sake brewing in 2020: ‘Hard times are going to be with us for a while’

After years of incremental gains due to growing popularity abroad, Japan's sake producers struggled with substantial losses this year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 19, 2020

An epic year of market events shook China, Hong Kong and Taiwan

China, Hong Kong and Taiwan's economies were among the first to suffer from the virus pandemic. They were also home to some of the most dramatic events in global financial markets this year.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 19, 2020

Trump’s future: Tons of cash and plenty of options for spending it

Donald J. Trump will exit the White House as a private citizen next month perched atop a pile of campaign cash unheard-of for an outgoing president, and with few legal limits on how he can spend it.

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