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November 26, 2024
 

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A fledgling film director (Mayu Matsuoka, center) returns home to make a film about her dysfunctional family in “Masked Hearts.”
CULTURE / Film
Oct 26, 2023

‘Masked Hearts’: Catharsis comes out of familial discord

Yuya Ishii returns to his indie roots with a comedy-drama that comes from a personal and painfully real place.
Taro Yamada, parliamentary vice minister for education, speaks to reporters at the parliament building in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 26, 2023

Parliamentary Vice Minister Taro Yamada steps down over affair

The first Cabinet resignation since a mid-September reshuffle deals a blow to Kishida at a time when public support rates have plummeted.
A banner displayed at the entrance of Shibuya Ward’s Center Street makes clear that authorities do not want Halloween revelers to roam the streets as has become the custom.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 27, 2023

Why deal with the crowds when you can have a ‘mundane Halloween’ online?

People are busy thinking up costumes at Halloween, so will yours be flashy and outrageous? Well, an online trend proves "bland" can be just as fun.
Inagaki, now 90, says a pivotal trip to the United States in 1969 changed not only his fashion sense from preppy to hippie but also his approach to music.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 27, 2023

Saxophonist Jiro Inagaki’s golden age of jazz rock

“WaJazz Legends: Jiro Inagaki” highlights the musician’s eclectic oeuvre, which has transformed a sidetrack artist into a pillar of Japanese jazz.
Christopher Nolan's film about the creator of the atomic bomb, "Oppenheimer," was released in theaters worldwide this summer and received mostly strong reviews. However, distributors still have not announced whether the film will be shown in Japan's cinemas.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 28, 2023

Will Japan ever see 'Oppenheimer' screened in its cinemas?

Christopher Nolan’s film about the creator of the atomic bomb still doesn't have a Japan release date. There’s more than one possible reason for that.
Matthew Perry at the premiere of "The Kennedys After Camelot" in Beverly Hills, California, in 2017
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 29, 2023

'Friends' actor Matthew Perry dies at age 54

Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times that Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home.
A mob looking for Israelis and Jews overran an airport in Russia's Caucasus republic of Dagestan on Sunday, after rumors spread that a flight was arriving from Israel in this image taken from video posted to Telegram.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 30, 2023

Mob storms Russian airport looking for Israelis

A mob looking for Israelis and Jews overran a Dagestan airport, after rumors spread that a flight was arriving from Israel.
Buffaloes infielder Marwin Gonzalez fields the ball as the Tigers' Takumu Nakano attempts to steal second during Game 1 of the Japan Series at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Saturday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 30, 2023

Orix's Gonzalez eager for more jewelry with win in Japan Series

The Buffaloes infielder, who is in his first season in Japan, is fine tuning his approach as he goes along.
Laborers work at a private garment factory in Hanoi in 2021.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 31, 2023

Clothing-makers find it hard to break with China’s supply chain

Amid economic uncertainty and weakening consumer demand, many are discovering that finding alternative production hubs comes with its own challenges.
Maritime Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Ryo Sakai speaks during a news conference Tuesday at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2023

Defense chief condemns ‘outrageous’ response in SDF harassment case

A male perpetrator of sexual assault was forced to apologize directly to the female victim despite her wishes not to see him.
The Nihon University football club dormitory in Tokyo
JAPAN / Society
Oct 31, 2023

Nihon University staff downplayed drug use problem, report says

The report shows how the university’s system of governance led to the delay in taking action against the American football team’s culture of drug use.
A former pop idol (Mai Fukagawa) finds herself in a slump with little money, no partner and precarious mental health as she nears her 30s in “Tsundol.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 2, 2023

‘Tsundol’: Pop idol on the brink gets mental health uplift

While it is a predictable drama about a former singer getting her life together, the film addresses her mental well-being in a refreshing manner.
An out-of-work porn director (Go Ayano, right) goes on a drunken trip down memory lane with one of his dead lover’s former partners (Tasuku Emoto, left) in “A Spoiling Rain.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 2, 2023

‘A Spoiling Rain’: A boozy, rueful requiem for love and porn

Based on a novella, Haruhiko Arai’s drama keeps the melancholy core of its source material but expands it into a personal ode to the erotic film industry.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton has finished the last two races second on track, although he was disqualified from the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin when the car failed post-race checks, and has looked increasingly comfortable in the car.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 2, 2023

Hamilton wants to win in Brazil but has sights on future glory

The 38-year-old great has not triumphed since 2021 but he remained optimistic about the future.
A man herds yaks during in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Beijing has begun to exploit vast deposits of Lithium on the Tibetan plateau — around 85% of the country's total reserves.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Nov 2, 2023

China lithium boom harming fragile Tibetan plateau: report

The world's biggest EV market largely relied on other countries for the lithium needed in batteries — but that is changing.
The Chairman's steamed flower crab with aged Shaoxing wine and chicken oil
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 5, 2023

Seeking 'the perfect combination of Chinese and French cuisine'

Chefs Daniel Calvert and Danny Yip are old friends, but for the first time this month, they're collaborators.
Under President Vladimir Putin rule, reason, logic, and humanity appear to have been systematically eroded from Russian life, similar to the era of Stalin and his gulags. 
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2023

Russian life imitates dystopian art

The state in Russia has always tended toward absolutism and its coercive and penal arms have rarely wielded as much power as they do now.
From left: Yusuke Nagai, Taiyo Someya and Kaori Sakakibara formed their band Lamp in 2000, developing a cult following over the years with their own blend of 1960s pop harmonies, ’70s folk craft and ’80s bossa nova brightness.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 3, 2023

The slow and steady rise of Lamp, a cult favorite

With new album 'Dusk to Dawn,' the folk rockers bring light to the new Japanese music canon.
A sculpture of Confucius at the Temple of Confucius in Beijing. A new report has found that almost all of the China-funded Confucius Institutes in the U.S. have closed, showing how far ties between Beijing and Washington have soured.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 3, 2023

China’s Confucius Institutes are disappearing from U.S. campuses

All but five of the institutes, which were created in 2004 to promote Chinese language, are now closed,
The Self-Defense Forces face numerous obstacles in meeting their recruitment targets: Demographics, private-sector competition and image and morale issues.
EDITORIALS
Nov 3, 2023

The SDF has a big problem: Filling its ranks

The Japanese government needs to take steps to address SDF recruitment challenges that put the nation's security at risk.
Occupy Wall Street protesters hold a rally in front of the U.S. Federal Reserve bank in downtown Denver in November 2011.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 3, 2023

When minority rule by neoliberals fails

Left-leaning movements and progressive ideas and policies have gained ground in the United States, altering the perception of free markets.
Survivors of a recent earthquake sit in front of a damaged house in Chiuri village at Jajarkot district on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 6, 2023

Relatives of Nepal quake victims cremate loved ones

Since the quake, thousands of buildings have collapsed or developed cracks making them uninhabitable.
Yogendra Puranik, the first person from India to win elected office in Japan, at the Indian cultural center he manages in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward in October 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 6, 2023

Japan needs Indian migrants. How can it attract them?

India can help fill the domestic labor gap, but for migrants to succeed, Japan must embrace a genuinely intercultural approach.
Tiger Woods competes at the British Open in July 2022.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Nov 8, 2023

Tiger Woods to own and play for Florida team in virtual golf league

The team will begin play in January when TGL launches its inaugural season at a custom-built arena in Florida.
From convenience stores and pizza franchises to makers of mattresses and whisky, businesses are looking to cash in on the popularity of "Godzilla Minus One."
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 8, 2023

Latest Godzilla movie is a beast at the Japan box office

Boosted by mammoth marketing campaign, "Godzilla Minus One" racks up over ¥1 billion in opening weekend.
In a world where human speech is nonexistent, a woman (Misa Wada) survives on her own in an abandoned building in “Motion Picture: Choke.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 9, 2023

‘Motion Picture: Choke’: A silent 'tour de force' performance

Misa Wada offers a full range of emotions in Gen Nagao’s thought-provoking and imaginative film set in a reality where humans don’t speak.
Japan’s most famous monster attacks Tokyo just as the city is rebuilding itself from the destruction of World War II in “Godzilla Minus One.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 9, 2023

‘Godzilla Minus One’: Legendary monster levels up visually

Admirable visual effects bring the beast to life in the franchise’s newest entry, which looks more like the 1954 original than anything in decades.
Tokyo International Film Festival celebrated the 120th anniversary of Yasujiro Ozu’s birth with screenings of the director’s films, including 1953’s “Tokyo Story.” The festival also held a symposium featuring three world-class filmmakers discussing Ozu’s contributions: Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Jia Zhangke and Kelly Reichardt.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 9, 2023

Kelly Reichardt: 'Yasujiro Ozu truly tries to achieve stillness'

The indie director discusses Ozu's cinematic impact on the 120th anniversary of his birth at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog's claim all Gazans are responsible for Hamas' actions ignores the iron grip the group has over the strip and how isolated its people are.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2023

No, Gazans can’t rise up against Hamas

Claiming all Gazans are responsible for Hamas' actions ignores the iron grip the group has over the strip and how isolated its people are.
Former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Gov. Ron Desantis of Florida, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott, take the stage for the third Republican presidential debate in Miami on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 9, 2023

Trump-bashing Republican rivals still don't break with him

The third GOP debate's focus seemed trained on former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who is rising in early polls.
Bluesky is booming in Japan — mainly for reasons other than U.S. politics
According to Similarweb, average monthly user numbers for Bluesky on Android in Japan quintupled in the 12 months to October.
Taiwan stuns Samurai Japan to capture Premier12 title
Japan starter Shosei Togo reacts after allowing a three-run home run against Taiwan in the fifth inning of the Premier12 final on Sunday.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat
Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
AI boom makes 139-year-old cable maker Japan’s hottest stock
Fujikura's headquarters in Tokyo's Koto Ward. The company's share price has surged by more than 400% this year.
Japan and U.S. to form missile plan in case of Taiwan emergency
A U.S. Marine Corps M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and a Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Type 12 Surface-to-Ship Missile (12SSM) system are put on display at a symposium at a base in Kisarazu, Japan, in June 2022.
Bluesky is booming in Japan — mainly for reasons other than U.S. politics
According to Similarweb, average monthly user numbers for Bluesky on Android in Japan quintupled in the 12 months to October.
Are you leaving your loved ones digital legacies or headaches?
The National Consumer Affairs Center reports a growing number of consultations regarding "digital legacies" — data and online services left behind when people die.
How Japan can exit the fossil fuel subsidies it can’t seem to quit
A man walks past a gasoline station in Tokyo on Thursday.
Corporate donations remain sticky point in political reform talks
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addresses a meeting at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters on Thursday to discuss political reform.
An iconic 32-foot doughnut might give Randy’s an edge in Japan
Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, California. Replicas of the giant doughnut sculpture will be installed, where possible, at shops in Japan.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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
By Greg Dvorak

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