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Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
May 12, 2015

Grizzlies making noise in playoffs old-school style

Sitting on a bluff above the mighty Mississippi River is Memphis, a sleepy southern United States city known for not much more than its savory barbecue meats, being the home of famous rock and roll singer Elvis Presley and for the blues, the music celebrated in the city's history and on downtown Beale...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2015

Little Englandism goes big in British elections

The unraveling of British identify, which started when Britain lost its empire, will likely accelerate in the months to come.
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2015

Why Putin treats fantasy as history

In the worldview of Russian President Vladimir Putin, winning matters more than truth.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2015

Obama's lesson in how to not make peace in Afghanistan

U.S. President Barack Obama's faltering strategy to win over the Taliban serves as a cautionary tale of how not to make peace with an enemy.
WORLD / Science & Health
May 12, 2015

Blue whales, unused to dodging, at risk from ship strikes

Blue whales are vulnerable to cargo ship strikes because they are so used to being the largest animal in the ocean that they often fail to avoid the vessels, a Stanford University biologist has found.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 9, 2015

Academics fail Abe administration on history

On May 5, in an open letter in support of historians in Japan, an international group of 187 scholars (of which I am one) urged Japan to acknowledge and atone for the forced prostitution that occurred during wartime, stating: "Denying or trivializing" what happened to the "comfort women" is "unacceptable."...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
May 9, 2015

Keeping the yakuza away from the 2020 Olympics

The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo should be a cause for celebration but this may depend on who you talk to.
CULTURE / Music
May 8, 2015

Envy makes a return after five years with new album 'Atheist's Cornea'

The 20-year career of Envy went nothing like what a band out of Japan's hardcore scene would have expected. The members never predicted chumming around with Scottish postrock act Mogwai, or landing a track in a Shiseido cosmetics commercial. And two decades later, on the verge of releasing sixth album...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 7, 2015

Daniel Radcliffe gets devilish in 'Horns'

There are few actors who can enjoy the kind of success that Daniel Radcliffe has enjoyed at his age. At 10, he became the face of the multibillion-dollar "Harry Potter" franchise, which became a cultural phenomenon. As the series drew to a close in 2011, the young British actor was faced with two dilemmas:...
JAPAN / Politics
May 7, 2015

187 scholars urge Abe to address Japan's wartime history

An international group of scholars of Japanese and East Asian studies have called on Tokyo to accurately address the country's history of colonial rule and wartime actions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2015

Americans understand free trade's dark side

The American people are intelligent and grown-up enough to hear the basic case against free trade, as well as the case in favor.
Japan Times
JAPAN / AT A GLANCE
May 5, 2015

Get up high to see how the past has shaped present-day Tokyo

Tokyo spreads out from the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda Ward like a massive concrete jungle. Though the numerous skyscrapers can be impressive during the day, at night the lights come on and the metropolis really begins to sparkle.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2015

Did America's drone strikes lose Yemen?

The U.S. drone program, which is responsible for the deaths of many innocent civilians, is fundamentally flawed and should not be perpetuated.
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2015

Gallipoli is a reminder of the stupidity of wars

In a war noted for bloody futility, Gallipoli stood out as an example of purposeless killing.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
May 3, 2015

Japan-U.S. effort to tell suicide pilots' stories dodges controversy, wins praise

JBC sits down for an interview with Dr. M.G. Sheftall of Shizuoka University about the kamikaze phenomenon and what makes this exhibition unique.
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2015

The harsh lessons of Nepal's quake disaster

Earthquakes plainly lie beyond the control of human beings. Yet the vast spectacle of suffering they reveal should make us ask larger questions of our actions.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK
May 2, 2015

Vizer's attack may be costly

Playing political hardball with the IOC is not a winning proposition.
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2015

What not to do after the Baltimore riots

To help avoid future riots, U.S. authorities could start by training cops not to automatically treat people in such predominantly black neighborhoods as criminals.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Apr 28, 2015

Wizards surprise Raptors, rest of league with sweep

Let's not overstate the change in the Washington Wizards that enabled the Wizards to pull off the first-round playoff upset and sweep the favored Toronto Raptors.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 28, 2015

How far is Japan willing to go to back the United States?

What was once America's most stable relationship in Asia is moving into the category of 'it's complicated.'
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2015

Reality check: Drones aren't precision weapons

When it comes to drones, the fantasy of precision is just that, a fantasy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 28, 2015

Anger over sex slave issue clouds Obama Asia strategy

President Barack Obama's attempt to refocus his foreign policy on Asia is running into centuries-old animosities that are seared into the psyches of U.S. allies in the region but barely remembered by most Americans.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2015

Why North Europeans are the happiest people

What are Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark and Norway doing that make them the world's happiest countries?
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2015

Pakistan key to the advance of China's global interests

Besides serving as the linchpin of China's India-containment strategy, Pakistan is now its launch pad for playing a bigger role in the Indian Ocean and Mideast.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Apr 26, 2015

Cycling the Kyoto maze could get easier

As Kyoto residents know, bicycles are the best way to get around the congested city, which is taking steps to make it more amenable to foreign cyclists.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 25, 2015

Water insecurity costing global economy billions

A new report on water insecurity says floods and drought amid climate change and a lack of investment in reliable water supplies is weighing on the global economy by tens of billions of dollars a year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Apr 24, 2015

Embalming tiger shrimp in tempura at Shintaro

The recipe for tempura is widely credited to Portugese and Spanish missionaries who lived in western Japan during the late 16th century. In "Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art," author and chef Shizuo Tsuji, writes that, as this new dish caught on in Japan, it was slowly adapted for local tastes, eventually...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 24, 2015

A shift in U.K. foreign policy?

The British election in May could produce dramatic outcomes in trans-Atlantic and trans-channel relations.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 24, 2015

Fracking seen turning 'tornado alley' Oklahoma into deemed quake country by USGS

U.S. government geologists now recognize much of Oklahoma as earthquake country, accounting for the bulk of 17 regions newly designated for seismic hazards attributed to underground disposal of wastewater from fossil fuel production.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Apr 21, 2015

To defeat sexism, men need to take a stand against other men

When it comes to dealing with highly sexist males, just one other man's voice has more sway those of hundreds of victims and countless public awareness campaigns.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake