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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 21, 2017

Trump administration weighing broad sanctions on North Korea, top U.S. official says

The Trump administration is considering sweeping sanctions aimed at cutting North Korea off from the global financial system as part of a broad review of measures to counter Pyongyang's nuclear and missile threat, a senior U.S. official said Monday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 20, 2017

Watch, read, rewind: using Netflix to boost your Japanese

It's a great time to be studying Japanese. As well as the internet, students can mine online video streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu to improve their language skills.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 18, 2017

'Where They Create: Japan': Glimpsing the minds of creatives through their workspaces

When asked how his design process works, Teruhiro Yanagihara, creative director of the ceramics collaboration project 1616/Arita, says, "My brain is initially 'where I create.'"
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Mar 18, 2017

'Kappa': Akutagawa's masterpiece blunted by time but still fascinating

Ryunosuke Akutagawa is probably best known outside Japan for "Rashomon" but "Kappa" is considered to be his masterpiece by fans and scholars. Narrated by a "mental patient" and introduced as a tale overheard directly by the author, "Kappa" is a fantastical satire in the "Gulliver's Travels" mold.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Mar 13, 2017

China lawmakers add defaming Communist Party 'heroes' to civil code offenses

Lawmakers on Sunday introduced amendments to China's nascent civil code to make defaming "heroes and martyrs" of the ruling Communist Party a civil offense, as the leadership moves to strengthen its grasp on the history of the People's Republic.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 13, 2017

Iraqi forces find grave holding some 600 Shiite inmates executed by Islamic State

The remains of hundreds of mainly Shiite inmates killed by Islamic State militants when they overran a prison in northern Iraq more than two years ago have been unearthed by forces retaking the area from the group, a spokesman said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 10, 2017

Six years on, Fukushima child evacuees face menace of school bullies

"Radiation! Bang bang!"
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Mar 6, 2017

Belly nice — and nasty: the many uses of 'hara' in Japanese

Introduce a wide range of phrases using the noun u8179 (u306fu3089, belly).
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 5, 2017

Battle-hardened in Britain, May prepares for Brexit divorce talks

If past form is anything to go by, Prime Minister Theresa May is unlikely to bow to political expedience in Brexit negotiations but will make up her own mind about what she believes is best and refuse to give ground.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 2, 2017

The 'Gettysburg in the Pacific' and Japan-U.S. reconciliation

Iwo Jima is the invisible symbol of reconciliation between Japan and the U.S.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 28, 2017

A feeling of dread descends on Baltics again

The people of Estonia and the other Baltic states fear being consigned to Russia's sphere of influence yet again.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 27, 2017

Quest for Japan-EU leadership

Today, the EU and Japan are in the best position to transform what has been coined as 'the crisis of the West' into an opportunity to innovate and to deliver stability and prosperity.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Feb 25, 2017

Naoto Fukasawa: Between craft and design

Naoto Fukasawa is probably best known internationally for his designs for Muji, in particular for the wall-mounted CD player he created in 1999, which was featured in Gary Hustwit's popular 2009 documentary "Objectified." Now he remains a creative adviser for Muji, while still designing interiors, lighting...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Feb 25, 2017

Nintendo is switching it up

It's still early in 2017, but Switch, Nintendo's newest gaming console, is bound to be the most desirable hardware of the year. Both a home console and a handheld, it's being touted as an all-in-one must have. Drop it in its dock and players can game on a television screen. Attach Joy-Con controllers...
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 23, 2017

Cerezo target J. League upset

The following is the first of a two-part preview for the upcoming J. League season. Team-by-team previews of the nine lowest-ranking teams competing in the first division are listed.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 22, 2017

'Close-Knit': The pride that breaks the prejudice

Japan would seem to be a paradise for LGBT people. Transgender "talents" have been appearing regularly on Japanese TV for decades and LGBT folks can walk the streets here with little fear.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 22, 2017

CITA 'usher' points to need for a Japan theater shakeup

You won't be alone if you've never heard of the Tokyo-based International Centre for Theatre Arts, because few have seen any plays it has staged and anyway its focus is firmly on building a reputation outside Japan.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Feb 21, 2017

How Trump's plans might deal a blow to Japanese firms

If Trump tries to realign the global structure of manufacturing industries that have become heavily concentrated in Asia, Japanese firms will be hit hard.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 21, 2017

Where the advent of flying cars might take us

If flying cars become popular, they are likely to ease urban traffic problems by expanding the areas where people are able to live and work.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 18, 2017

Japan's 'Undercover Boss' reinforces stereotypes at work

The government proposal to limit overtime for salaried workers is supposed to reduce the incidence of karōshi (death from overwork), which often takes the form of suicide, and yet the authorities seems squeamish about making demands on employers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 18, 2017

Japan tries to shed its pessimistic image

Japan ailing? Japan suffering? Nonsense. "Japan is the richest country in the world," proclaims Sapio magazine. And the best. And the happiest. The brightest future looms.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 18, 2017

With Florida rally, Trump looks to bypass media as campaigner-in-chief

After a tumultuous opening month in the White House, President Donald Trump is heading to a friendlier, familiar and potentially rejuvenating place: the campaign trail.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2017

Trump immigration policies deja vu for descendants of WWII internees

Seventy-five years ago an executive order issued by then-U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt uprooted the families of Japanese and Americans of Japanese ancestry, or Nikkei, who were removed from Western coastal regions in the U.S. and taken to remote, guarded camps.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 15, 2017

'Weiner': America's walking, talking punch line

If you feel like your cinematic diet has been a bit lacking in schadenfreude lately, then look no further than "Weiner," an astounding internet-age documentary of hubris and disgrace, where no stupid behavior, once recorded, ever disappears.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 11, 2017

'Japanese Robot Culture: Performance, Imagination and Modernity': Yuji Sone examines the enduring love of robots

It is an experience many in Japan now know: a visit to a SoftBank mobile phone vendor that ends in an attempt to converse with a small, white machine called Pepper.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 9, 2017

Can golf diplomacy help Abe score win-win on trade and defense?

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is betting a round of golf with President Donald Trump will help protect Japan's crucial auto industry and strengthen defense ties with the U.S.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 8, 2017

Lessons we can learn from an exchange of dolls

The power of exchange — of people, of art, of ideas, of empathy and of hope for a better future — has long proven to be enduring.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 8, 2017

White House weighs designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is considering a proposal that could lead to potentially designating Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, according to U.S. officials.
Japan Times
SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Feb 7, 2017

LeBron risking reputation with his constant whining

Oh boy, here we go again. Looks like LeBron James is once more getting too big for his britches.
EDITORIALS
Feb 5, 2017

Tax-avoidance adoptions

A Supreme Court decision effectively condones the status quo. But it should lead people to think about the practice of adoption as a tax-reduction measure.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.