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Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 21, 2017

In uncertain times, Japan opts to save

A funny thing happened on the way to the marketplace. The crowd thinned out. Consumption? Been there, done that. Enough.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 21, 2016

Quotes of 2016, from 'Die, Japan' to 'Trump shock'

Some of the good, bad and ugly of what various people said or shouted out loud in 2016.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 19, 2016

Japanese buzzwords capture the zeitgeist of then, now and what's to come

Take a journey through the buzzwords of years past and present — and hazard a guess at what's coming in 2017.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 17, 2016

Western culture and the end of Japanese 'harmony'

Japan grew up with wa (harmony). Conflict and competition are the creative engines of Western civilization; Japan traveled a different route to the tumultuous present.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 3, 2016

What shape will populism take in modern Japan?

Populism isn't new. A wave of it generated democracy in ancient Greece, circa 500 B.C. Its modern form, born in America in the early 19th century, was a revolt against the planter aristocracy that had governed since independence in 1776. Andrew Jackson — said to be the first president born in a log...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2016

'Superhuman' slugger tops year's list of buzzwords

A superhuman effort on the baseball field inspired the top buzzword of the year, it was announced Thursday, in a contest that highlights social, political and entertainment trends.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 26, 2016

Hopes of stopping Tokyo 2020 are fading

NHK has announced that its yearlong historical drama series for 2019 will be about Japan's involvement in the Olympic movement, focusing on the nation's first foray to the games in 1912 and its first time hosting them in 1964. The story will also, according to Kyodo News, cover "events that took place...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 19, 2016

Is Japanese pop music losing its relevance?

Shukan Bunshun recently ran some articles describing how last year the talent management company LDH allegedly paid entertainment behemoth Burning Productions to ensure that one of LDH's acts would win the top prize at the 2015 Japan Record Awards (JRA). Accompanying one of the articles was a photo of...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 5, 2016

The unbearable burden of 24/7 work

There was no nonsense about the 1990s in Japan. The economy had crashed, the bubble had burst. "The age of human relationships is over," declared a corporate executive to Aera magazine in 1996, defending the cost-cutting layoffs then gathering speed. "This is the era of the discount store. The only sales...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Oct 22, 2016

Shocking blog post forces debate on the financial drain of dialysis in Japan

About 0.25 percent of the population requires dialysis, but this group is responsible for one-30th of the country's medical costs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 15, 2016

The audacity of trust: defying the dangers of life in Japan

I am a very trusting fellow. When I cross the street I trust the driver of the approaching vehicle to suppress whatever rage or hatred my appearance may inspire and not mow me down. I walk down the street trusting those within knife-range not to have a knife, or whoever has one not to be in the grip...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / HOME TRUTHS
Oct 1, 2016

Tokyo faces declining condominium prices

In Japan's housing market, there has always been one verity: Certain parts of Tokyo will always be popular and, therefore, profitable for developers. However, according to various media reports, that verity may have collapsed, at least when it comes to new condominiums.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 10, 2016

Godzilla hits middle age but is still fueled by Japan's anxieties

Within one month of its July release, Toho's "Shin Gojira" ("Godzilla Resurgence") attracted more than 3.6 million viewers. Box-office takings are already estimated to have surpassed ¥5.3 billion, putting the film more than halfway toward the seldom-attained figure of ¥10 billion. Toho has great expectations...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 3, 2016

Two of Japan's pacifist voices go silent

Rokusuke Ei — writer, broadcaster, raconteur — died on July 7 at the age of 83, roughly two decades after publishing a best-seller called "Daiojo," which means "Dying Peacefully." Several media outlets reported that Ei passed peacefully. He'd had Parkinson's disease for a number of years before he...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Aug 6, 2016

Sitting on reform of the criminal justice system only exacerbates the problem

One of my favorite Japanese sayings is "Zen wa isoge," or "Make haste to do what is right." Such a philosophy is particularly true insofar as crime prevention is concerned — if you move too slowly, or not at all, terrible things can happen.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 30, 2016

Crimes that imperil Japan's safe image

On July 22, The Japan Times ran an article with the headline, "Crime set to hit postwar low this year, first-half data shows." In it, the National Police Agency reported that the number of criminal offenses is on track to fall below 1 million for the first time since World War II ended, down from the...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 2, 2016

Japan dances with the death penalty

Last week, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced his plans to reinstate the death penalty, which was abolished in his country in 2006. Duterte says he believes in retribution: If you kill someone, you deserve to die.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 25, 2016

Yesterday: When the 'Beatles typhoon' hit Japan

Fifty years ago this week, the Fab Four played some of their final live performances in Tokyo. We speak to fans who were u2018swept off their feet' by the visit.
JAPAN / Media
Jun 17, 2016

Minor’s death sentence sees Japan media split on anonymity rule

The debate centers on whether to name a man who lost an appeal against a death sentence for a 2010 double murder.
JAPAN / Politics / Q&A
Jun 13, 2016

Masuzoe clings to office as pressure mounts over funds scandal

Japanese Communist Party representatives in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly announced Monday the party's decision to submit a no-confidence motion against Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe, which could force the embattled governor from office.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jun 11, 2016

Fuel-efficiency scandal could end up hitting car buyers in the pocket

The entire auto industry has had its image damaged in the mileage scandal, which means the transport ministry will likely require all carmakers to carry out stricter testing that will cost much more money.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jun 4, 2016

The struggles of a local sumo hero

An oft-repeated question these days, and one not necessarily confined to sports media, is whether 29-year-old wrestler Kisenosato will make it to sumo's highest rank. Or is he destined to remain a perennial bridesmaid?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 21, 2016

The second life of Kakuei Tanaka

In July 1976, the month when 218 million Americans were feting their nation's 200th birthday, dramatic events were taking place on other continents also. On July 4 — America's Independence Day — an Israeli commando force staged a dramatic raid on Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all but four of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 16, 2016

Crime and thriller writer Kanae Minato named winner of Yamamoto Shugoro Prize

The 29th Yamamoto Shugoro Prize will be given to Kanae Minato for her book "Utopia," the award's screening committee said Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 13, 2016

Tokyo governor Yoichi Masuzoe apologizes but remains defiant in face of funds scandal

Yoichi Masuzoe insists his use of political money was legal even as he admits feeling embarrassed and vows to do better for his city.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 11, 2016

Tokyo's governor becomes embroiled in fresh public funding scandal

Yoichi Masuzoe once again finds himself mired in ignominy, this time over a possible violation of political funding laws.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2016

BOJ board member Sakurai's Ph.D. credentials questioned

Weekly magazine Shukan Post has raised questions about new Bank of Japan Board member Makoto Sakurai's credentials, saying there is no record of him submitting a thesis or graduating with a Ph.D.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 7, 2016

Tokyo's governor is in a high-spending league of his own

The more the media digs, the more it is uncovering about Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe's profligate ways.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?