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November 26, 2024
 

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A young woman (Atsuko Maeda, right) reveals a traumatic event from her past to a one-night stand (Ryota Bando) in “Voice.”
CULTURE / Film
Feb 29, 2024

‘Voice’: Raw performances knit together moving omnibus

Yukiko Mishima’s film consisting of three standalone segments powerfully speaks to the emotional wounds of trauma.
A group of departed souls trapped in limbo tries to find closure — and finish an uncompleted movie — in Michihito Fujii’s “The Parades.”
CULTURE / Film
Feb 29, 2024

‘The Parades’: Glossy afterlife drama is no ‘After Life’

Michihito Fujii’s wistful film is less than the sum of its influences.
Gamers of a certain age immediately recoil in pain when the name "Aerith" is mentioned — this is why the character's death still means so much today.
LIFE / Digital
Feb 29, 2024

With one death, Final Fantasy VII changed the game

With one shocking act, Final Fantasy VII rethought the social contract of games where players are largely free from consequences.
Starbucks workers hold a rally in New York City in 2022.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 29, 2024

Starbucks' pivot on union may shape labor relations beyond its stores

The iconic coffee chain has been locked in a bitter, high-profile and multifront battle with the union across the U.S. since its first win in 2021.
Vietnam's National Assembly (Parliament) building in Hanoi.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 1, 2024

Report says Vietnam to crackdown on workers' rights and foreign aid

The 88 Project couldn't confirm the document's authenticity but acknowledged its partial coverage in state media.
Migrant workers harvest and package vegetables in a greenhouse in Gasan-myeon, South Korea, in December.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 3, 2024

South Korea needs foreign workers, but often fails to protect them

Though a shrinking population makes imported labor vital, migrant workers routinely face predatory employers, inhumane conditions and other abuse.
An earthquake measuring a shindo 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale that hit southern Chiba Prefecture was among several that have shaken the area in recent days.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 3, 2024

Japan warns of more strong quakes as 'slow slip' phenomena hits Chiba

Three earthquakes measuring a shindo 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, as well as four measuring a shindo 3, have occurred since Thursday.
When Japanese American makeup artist Kazu Hiro first started experimenting with makeup as a teenager in the 1980s, one face leapt out at him from books and magazines he saw in shops: legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 4, 2024

Oscar-nominated makeup genius Kazu Hiro comes full circle with 'Maestro'

Nominated for his fifth Academy Award, Kazu Hiro faced some criticism for the way he depicted Bradley Cooper as conductor Leonard Bernstein in "Maestro."
Soldiers during a live-fire exercise in Weiden, Germany
WORLD / Politics
Mar 5, 2024

Germany faces pressure to tighten security after Ukraine details exposed

One official described the lapses that led to the leak as expected from people who have never had security briefings but not from military officials.
The nun said she hopes her going public will cast a spotlight on the extremely cloistered nature of temples that she warned can be a hotbed of sex crimes.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 5, 2024

Japan Buddhist sect probes nun's sexual assault claims

The woman, reportedly now in her 50s, had previously accused the older monk of rape but authorities dropped her case in 2019, media reports said.
Riken Yamamoto is the ninth Japanese architect to receive the Pritzker Prize in the award’s 45-year history.
CULTURE / Art
Mar 5, 2024

Riken Yamamoto awarded Pritzker Prize for architecture

Riken Yamamoto is the ninth Japanese architect to receive the honor, making the nation again the country with the most Pritzker laureates.
Fisherman Masahiro Ishibashi (center) unloads a haul of tiger puffers in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, in February.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 6, 2024

Fukushima fishers strive to recover catches amid water concerns

The 2022 catch totaled 5,604 metric tons, roughly 20% of the yearly catch before the Great East Japan Earthquake.
A man (Pierre Taki) who gives sea burials to cremated remains finds himself in hot water after a customer asks him to scatter the ashes of a murderer in “Horizon.”
CULTURE / Film
Mar 7, 2024

‘Horizon’: Ethical dilemma makes for muted drama

Katsuya Kobayashi gives his cast space to wade through murky moral decisions in his directorial debut, “Horizon.”
In “Matched,” a dating app makes a wedding planner’s (Tao Tsuchiya, center) love life all the more difficult when it turns up a string of murders and a stalker.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 7, 2024

‘Matched’: Contrived thriller tries to make dating scarier

Clueless characters and a strained plot are hardly a perfect match in Eiji Uchida’s suspense film about murder and dating apps.
Chai Wanrou at the Daming Palace National Heritage Park, in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China. The 28-year-old is part of a growing movement that envisions a future with no husband and no children.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 7, 2024

More Chinese women choosing singledom as economy stutters

Chinese President Xi Jinping last year stressed the need to "cultivate a new culture of marriage and childbearing."
Korean Canadian director, playwright and screenwriter Celine Song walks on the stage to pose for photos after a screening of her film, "Past Lives" in Seoul last week.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 7, 2024

Oscar-nominated Korean diaspora film follows 'lives we leave behind'

"Past Lives," which marks Celine Song's debut as a director, is one of several recent films that address the Korean diaspora.
Mayuko Kashiwazaki tries on her mask after getting into costume before a dress rehearsal for "Dojoji," a famous noh drama about the revenge of a betrayed woman.
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 7, 2024

An 'all-women' noh production challenges traditional Japanese ideas

While women have been involved in noh for decades, older audiences tend to expect an all-male cast. Now, actors believe the times are changing.
Beyond factors such as the "motherhood penalty," Japanese women struggle to advance in their careers due to the structure of the workforce, including the two-tiered clerical versus managerial track.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 6, 2024

Why is it taking so long to break the glass ceiling?

Japan isn't unique in having a thick glass ceiling, but some factors don't apply to other countries, like the U.S., where many more managers are women.
It turns out that the mutations that make some people vulnerable to the neurological condition once had a useful function, protecting their ancestors from pathogens.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 6, 2024

Ancient DNA could be hiding all kinds of health secrets

Ancient genomes are unlocking the past and may provide blueprint for the origin of diseases.
Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk says the Japanese public needs to know more about obesity rates before the weight-loss drug can take off in the country.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 9, 2024

Is Japan as thin as it thinks? Weight-loss drug maker says no.

In Japan, some 33% of men and 22% of women have a BMI of 25 — the crucial threshold — or more.
Akira Toriyama
CULTURE
Mar 8, 2024

'Dragon Ball' creator Akira Toriyama dies at 68

A post announcing his death said Toriyama was “working on many projects” and that “there was so much more that he wanted to accomplish.”
A hiker walks toward Asahidake in Hokkaido. The health and environmental issues around PFAS could be a particular problem for Japan, which boasts a number of globally renowned outdoor brands and related suppliers.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Mar 10, 2024

Japan’s revered outdoor brands face down PFAS challenge

Outdoor apparel consumers are generally more environmentally conscious, but are likely to be using products that have a big environmental footprint.
A DJI drone emerges from the casing on top of a BYD Yangwang U8 vehicle.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 11, 2024

China EV makers woo buyers with in-car beds, kitchens and drones

Top EV makers are facing a slowdown in demand at home as consumers curb spending.
Italian women are having fewer children — with some eschewing motherhood altogether.
WORLD / Society
Mar 11, 2024

Italian women are burying the myth of the mamma

Italy has one of the lowest birthrates in the world at 1.24 — well below the level needed for the population to sustain itself without immigration.
Christopher Nolan poses with the Oscars for best picture and best director for "Oppenheimer," in the Academy Awards press room on Sunday.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 11, 2024

The Academy gives Christopher Nolan's masterpiece its highest accolade

It is, in the words of its director, the story of the most important person who ever lived.
Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas, winners of the Oscar for best picture for "Oppenheimer," pose with Takashi Yamazaki, winner of the Oscar for best visual effects for "Godzilla Minus One," at the Governors Ball, following the 96th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, on Sunday.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 11, 2024

‘Oppenheimer’ caps a big night with best picture Oscar

The big night for ‘Oppenheimer’ offered hope for traditional cinema.
Cheung Cheuk-man dances during a breaking competition in Macau on April 8, 2023.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 11, 2024

Hong Kong plumber's Olympic breaking dream goes down drain

Plumber by day, breaker by night, Cheung Cheuk-man was disappointed to miss out on an Olympic berth at the Paris Games
A Daiso shop in New York in September 2022. While Daiso originally entered the U.S. in 2005, it has scaled these efforts up over the past few years — the retailer now has about 120 stores across seven states.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 11, 2024

Daiso banks on ‘brand Japan’ for U.S. expansion

The discount store chain plans to open 65 stores in the U.S. in 2024, and over 100 next year.
Anti-capitalist protesters with Occupy San Francisco take part in a demonstration on the streets of the Californian city in October 2011.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2024

The economic future of our overworked grandchildren

While John Maynard Keynes predicted a future of leisure and abundance, the world has seen an increase in wealth disparity and a culture of overwork.
The Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima remains an iconic symbol of the destruction of the atomic bomb on that city.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 12, 2024

Hiroshima grapples with 'Oppenheimer' Oscars success

While locals would have liked to see more Japanese representation in the film, they are at least happy that some discussion is taking place.
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.
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.
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.
Rayssa Leal and Chloe Covell on Japan’s teen skaters: We are friends, not rivals
Brazil’s Rayssa Leal celebrates after winning the women's Street League Skateboarding competition on Saturday in Tokyo.
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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The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono
The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

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