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COMMENTARY / World
Jan 20, 2014

Ambiguous fisheries law sets up in-your-face conundrum for China

The ambiguity of China's 'new' fisheries law courts conflict by setting up an in-your-face conundrum for its neighbors
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Jan 19, 2014

Fukushima kids' teeth to be checked for strontium-90

The Fukushima Prefecture Dental Association will spearhead efforts to determine whether children's teeth contain the radioactive isotope strontium-90 amid worries they were exposed to fallout from the triple core meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant in March 2011.
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Jan 18, 2014

In Jomon and Heian, the times weren't a-changin'

"Man the change-maker." That is one definition of Homo sapiens. Other creatures are changed — by Nature, by evolution — over vast expanses of time measured in hundreds of thousands or millions of years. Humankind consciously generates change. We innovate, build, invent, destroy, build again. Even...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 18, 2014

Child stars stud orphanage drama; new fantasy series features ninja vigilante; CM of the week: U-Can

An orphanage is the setting for the new Nippon TV drama series, "Ashita, Mama ga Inai" ("Tomorrow, Mama Will Be Gone"; Wed., 10 p.m.), which stars the two hottest child actors in Japan right now, Rio Suzuki and Mana Ashida.
BASKETBALL
Jan 17, 2014

Hamamatsu beats Tokyo for fifth straight win

The Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix are hitting their stride as the second half of the season begins.
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jan 17, 2014

Toyota to commercialize robots for physical therapy market in 2015

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to launch a line of physical therapy "robots" as early as in 2015 to tap demand expected for machines that can help the elderly get through rehabilitation.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jan 16, 2014

Iwate's Yonamine never loses track of ultimate goal: winning

Tsubasa Yonamine doesn't grab front-page headlines or dominate the highlights segment on TV sports shows. He helps his basketball team achieve success.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 16, 2014

Hit Hokkaido's slopes for tasty seasonal fare

Kutchan, near Niseko, is probably the only town in Japan where convenience stores stock pinto beans and Vegemite. In fact, Hokkaido's ski paradise, internationally known for its powder snow, is steadily forging a new reputation, one bite at a time.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN WEB WATCH
Jan 16, 2014

Japan's mobile apps provide an 'A' for every 'Q'

Question and answer sites have for a decade been one of the most popular user-contributed services on the Web — and Japan is no exception. On the traditional Web, the market has been occupied by a few big players, but the recent popularity of smartphones has attracted new startups to the mobile Web...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 15, 2014

Toyota's Lexus sees methodical gains in U.S. to emerging markets

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus luxury line aims to grow as much as 10 percent annually for the next 30 years as it expands in the U.S., its biggest market, as well as in emerging markets from China and Vietnam to Brazil and Peru.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 14, 2014

Will Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine beat Spotify?

Buying music is passe; nowadays it's all about renting. Billboard reports that sales of "album plus track equivalent albums" fell by 7.6 percent in 2013. (Among subcategories of both digital and physical media, only vinyl sales increased last year.) The new hot trends are monthly subscription services...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jan 12, 2014

No lack of ideas on a course of action for English education

Last week's Learning Curve column, "English fluency hopes rest on an education overhaul," looked at the persistent mismatch between the education ministry's stated goals and the actual outcomes of English language education in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / WEDGE
Jan 12, 2014

Pakistanis find niche in used car business

Led by Pakistanis living in Japan, exports of Japanese used cars are growing, thanks to their durability and high technology. In particular, Pakistanis at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) in Beppu, Oita Prefecture, have been very active in the used-car business, using social networking services...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jan 10, 2014

Chubu won't stop at just 10 million tourists

The government achieved its target of seeing 10 million tourists in 2013, thanks largely to the easing of visa requirements for Southeast Asian travelers and the weakening of the yen to fight deflation.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2014

Russian road to mediocrity

Only a few economists in Russia seem to stress the importance of understanding the impact of the current mass outflow of capital and the sharp deterioration of the situation in world commodity markets.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jan 9, 2014

Stay plan for Tokyo marathoners; New year lunches in Kobe; meals from the movies

Stay plan for Tokyo marathoners
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 9, 2014

Enjoy Japan's countryside, from Okayama to Hiroshima, for just ¥100

The Ibara Line starts at Soja Station and runs westbound across Okayama Prefecture to terminate at Kannabe Station in Hiroshima Prefecture. The line opened in 1999, and along its roughly 40-km route, it offers vast views of typical Japanese inaka (countryside) during the hour-long journeys.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 8, 2014

'Tokutechikai Buddhism Art'

Pure Land Buddhism, which began in India around the 2nd century B.C., offered a path to salvation for those who found difficulties with the more rigorous forms of Buddhist practice. It later spread to China and, by the 6th century, to Japan, where it is now the second most popular form of Buddhism.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jan 8, 2014

Shimane struggling after departure of coach, top star

The Shimane Susanoo Magic have dropped out of playoff contention this season, but big man Jeral Davis remains a bright spot for the fourth-year franchise.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / NOTEBOOK
Jan 7, 2014

'Washoku' in Florence; JTA's whale shark jets

EVENTS
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 4, 2014

Looking ahead at what 2014 may hold

Happy New Year, and a reminder as we are in 2014, it was 10 years ago when Japanese baseball went into a crisis. There was a threat of contraction to 10 or even eight teams and a long hot summer of uncertainty as team owners and players negotiated and finally agreed to maintain the two-league, 12-team...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 4, 2014

SMAP meets the "real" Lady Gaga; Tomoyo Harada branches out in "Kami no Tsuki"; CM of the week: La Vons

The five SMAP lads have saved their highest-profile guest of the year for last. This Monday, their weekly variety show "SMAP×SMAP" will feature not only Lady Gaga, but also her father, Joe Germanotta, who owns an Italian restaurant on Central Park in New York City. One of the regular segments of the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 2, 2014

'Seventh Code'

One of the more baffling and maddening aspects of the pop music scene here for a lot of foreign observers, especially those who write about it for the English-language media, is the long-continuing and now overwhelming popularity of girl idol groups, whether or not their names end with "48." For the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 31, 2013

Tokyo prepares to get schooled in the art of beats

Although the major spectacle looming on Tokyo's horizon is undoubtedly the 2020 Olympics, there is one event this year that will be eagerly anticipated by anyone who spends longer on their gym playlist than their workout: The Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) is set to take place here in October.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 28, 2013

A garden sanctuary in the city

There is a visible nod to tradition in the shaping and use of natural materials to finish off the exterior of International House, a Modernist building in one of the nicer residential areas of Tokyo's swank Roppongi district.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 28, 2013

Names of 2013 we're unlikely to forget

Social media continues to undermine the influence of the more traditional kind exemplified by television and print publications, so my choices of most notable public phenomena of 2013 are qualified by the notion that maybe people aren't paying as much attention to them as I might think.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 28, 2013

A Day in the Life

"A Day in the Life" features 12 short stories told from the point of view of a man in his 60s. Each tale is essentially a reflection of aging, an examination of the moment in our lives when the confidence of our youth is replaced by the uncertainty of our physical and mental faculties.

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