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Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 25, 2017

Abe gambles on snap election as Koike surprises with new party

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirms he will call a snap election on Thursday and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike launches a new political party to take him on.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 25, 2017

High tech, IT and robots are at forefront of Japan's funeral industry boom

From a sutra-chanting humanoid robot to automated cemeteries, technological innovation is changing how Japanese deal with funerary rituals.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2017

Hokkaido 'workations' breathe fresh air into telecommuting

With a view of Mount Shari in the distance and an ocean breeze wafting in from the Sea of Okhotsk, working in this coastal community in northeastern Hokkaido is certainly an escape from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Sep 14, 2017

Written or rapped, Seiko Ito has a way with words

It's hard to describe Seiko Ito with one handy label. When I ask my friends to do it, they struggle.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Sep 8, 2017

Japan's lottery rakes in declining revenues as younger generation gives jackpot chances a pass

Several weeks ago Mavis Wanczyk, a 53-year-old woman from Massachusetts, won $758 million in the Powerball lottery — the largest single winner jackpot in North American history. Wanczyk said at a news conference that she had already quit her job and plans to "hide in bed."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 8, 2017

Yuriko Koike ally seeks to loosen ruling party's grip on national politics

A close ally of Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike who helped an upstart group crush the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo's local elections two months ago is setting up a political organization to attempt a similar feat at the national level.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 60 years of Malaysia-Japan ties
Aug 31, 2017

Extensive resources to support businesses

What is the mission of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE)?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2017

Public hearings on Japan's casino resort policies to be held in nine cities

With its basic recommendations for operating integrated resort casinos now complete, the central government will hold public hearings across the country this month to explain the requirements and the policies to address problem gambling and concerns about money laundering.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2017

Sake makers tout locally sourced rice to entice terroir-obsessed wine enthusiasts

Brewery executive Kosuke Kuji brought his best sake to a New York booze showcase 16 years ago hoping to promote high-end sake to a new generation of sophisticated foreign drinkers. They were a little disappointed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 12, 2017

Abe seeks to avoid repeating history of first tenure demise a decade ago

Unpopular policies and a slew of scandals triggered a slide in public support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that led to a heavy election defeat.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 3, 2017

With victory in hand, Koike to step down as head of Tomin First

A day after leading Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First) to a landslide victory in the metropolitan assembly election, Gov. Yuriko Koike reaffirmed her commitment to reform but said she would resign as leader of the upstart party to focus on the job at hand.
Japan Times
SPORTS
Jun 29, 2017

Plan to reform Japanese college sports greeted with mixture of hope, skepticism

Discussions over the introduction of a "Japanese version of the NCAA" to oversee this country's collegiate sports have prompted positive and negative reactions since they began last year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 24, 2017

Watch what you do and say: Broader ramifications of the new conspiracy law cause concern

"Big Brother in the form of an increasingly powerful government and in an increasingly powerful private sector will pile the records high with reasons why privacy should give way to national security, to law and order ... and the like." — U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Douglas, 1970
Reader Mail
Jun 16, 2017

Train security cameras a positive step in the fight against 'chikan'

Won't the lovely foreign women and girls coming to Tokyo in summer 2020 be thankful for those security cameras? ("JR to install security cameras on Yamanote Line trains", June 8.) In the past, the perverted Japanese salaryman who thinks sexually molesting women and girls of all ages is just an amusing...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 13, 2017

Why Japan's poor media grade matters

Japan has a media problem, and it's holding back the economy and undermining Abe's goal of raising Tokyo's global status.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2017

Tackling signs in Japan that you're not welcome

Some Japanese businesses post signs barring foreign people from entering. What can you do about it?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 3, 2017

Chilean wine a hit among Japan's working women

Japan's swelling ranks of working women have grape growers 10,000 miles away cheering.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 11, 2017

Koike vows to get more women to run in metro election in July

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike pledged on Thursday to field as many women as possible in the metropolitan assembly election in July, saying women are woefully underrepresented in the Japanese political arena.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 4, 2017

Cram schools help children with developmental disabilities prepare for future

Following his teacher's instructions, 7-year-old Eita slid out of his chair, tidied it up and then — in front of his fellow group members and teachers — said a few words about his performance during an after-school programming class he attended in April.
Japan Times
JAPAN / OKINAWA BEAT
Apr 12, 2017

Naha firm to open miniature model theme park in Okinawa featuring tourist sites around the world

A company based in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, is aiming to open a theme park in the prefecture around 2022 featuring exhibitions of famous cities around the world using miniature models.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 13, 2017

Hitachi looks to boost U.S. rail business amid Trump's $1 trillion infrastructure blitz

Hitachi Ltd. is aiming to expand its rail business in the U.S. by bidding for streetcar and light-rail projects as President Donald Trump pledges to spend as much as $1 trillion to upgrade infrastructure across the country.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Mar 4, 2017

Will we ever see no obstacles in our way?

Infrastructure in Japan is up to world standards in most areas, and in terms of public transportation it often surpasses those standards — but there's one field it falls way behind: utility poles and overhead cables that carry electrical power and telecommunications.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 1, 2017

J-Power aims to burn more natural gas and wood as Abe fights climate change

Japan's biggest electricity wholesaler knows it will take more than cutting-edge coal technology to save the environment.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jan 30, 2017

Hagino, Kaneto share annual swimming prize; Watanabe looks to future

Rio de Janeiro Olympic gold medalists Kosuke Hagino and Rie Kaneto shared the top prize for their achievements in 2016 from the Japan Swimming Federation at the annual Japan Aquatic Awards on Monday evening.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 14, 2017

Media sidesteps calling Japan Tobacco out on advertising conflicts

When I want a coffee I seek out Starbucks, not because I think it has the best product, but because it's the only coffee shop I know of that's 100 percent nonsmoking. Almost all others in Japan have separate smoking and nonsmoking sections, which are useless in terms of keeping smoke away from people...

Longform

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Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat