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Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 3, 2022

Hokkaido's Ishikari Beach offers rich bounty for beachcombers

The Tsushima Current carries objects from the south as it flows northward in the Sea of Japan, and the west wind from the Eurasian continent pushes them ashore.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 2, 2022

Escape into the courtly Heian Period with Genji

As a new year dawns, find calm and beauty in the vanished world of Murasaki Shikibu's 'The Tale of Genji.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Jan 1, 2022

What to expect in the Year of the Tiger

Astrologers say the tiger denotes strength, vitality and growth — qualities that will hopefully stand us in good stead as we look to move past the uncertainty that COVID-19 has wrought.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Outlook 2022
Dec 31, 2021

Could omicron be the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Experts say the omicron variant could accelerate the pandemic's transition toward becoming a disease that the world can manage more easily and learn to live with.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 31, 2021

Chinese bishops and priests brief Hong Kong clerics on Xi's view of religion

The meeting has been described as Beijing's most assertive move yet in its attempts to influence Hong Kong's diocese, which is answerable to the Vatican.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / The Year Ahead: Reckonings
Dec 30, 2021

Preventing a U.S.-China nuclear arms race

Tensions in Asia are rising as Beijing rapidly expands its nuclear arsenal.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / The Year Ahead: Reckonings
Dec 30, 2021

Post-peak China at a crossroads

Has Beijing squandered the years of power China had gained because of its economic strength and the problems faced by Western countries since the 2008 global financial crisis?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 29, 2021

How errors and inaction sent a deadly COVID-19 variant around the world

In early 2021, flare-ups in the Indian city of Amravati were the first visible warning that the delta variant was spreading. A devastating path across the world would soon follow.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 28, 2021

Developing young minds for a better future

Many academics and policy pros travel in their own bubbles, seeing only counterparts or folks who pay for the privilege. Who they don't mix with are tomorrow's future leaders.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 28, 2021

As miners chase clean-energy minerals, tribes fear a repeat of the past

Mining interests have long overrun tribal rights in Idaho, and as the Biden administration seeks to start a revolution in renewable energy, tribes worry about the past being repeated.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 28, 2021

COVID-19, diversity and art were among the things we were talking about in 2021

Paralympics announcer Jason Hancock said it best, 'I feel our generation has the ability to bring a fully inclusive Japan closer to reality.'
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 27, 2021

In Osaka, friends and strangers share a communal meal

Feeling hungry? Feeling lonely? The doors are open to you at Cocoroom, regardless of your nationality.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Dec 26, 2021

Liven your year-end spread with the 'three friends of winter': pine, bamboo and plum

'Nishime' is a favorite dish among the Japanese during the year-end holidays, and this recipe will help ensure your spread makes the cut.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Dec 26, 2021

Brewer and chef team up for an adventure in 'Saketronomy'

Naohiko Noguchi collaborations aim to present Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, as a destination for gastronomic adventures.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Dec 25, 2021

Child adoption slowly gains ground in Japan, though prospective parents still face obstacles

Child adoption slowly gains ground in Japan, though prospective parents still face a number of obstacles in trying to expand their families.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2021

An existential threat to humanity: Democracy’s decline

Increased outsourcing of production has contributed to hypernationalism, which in turn is fueling the rise of anti-democratic leaders who exploit people's desperation.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 24, 2021

Kumi Yokoyama pushes LGBTQ conversation forward in Japan while raising game on pitch

Yokoyama was praised by U.S. President Joe Biden for showing courage after coming out as transgender earlier this year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Dec 23, 2021

Shioli Kutsuna’s close encounters with Hollywood

The Sydney-born Japanese actress faces an alien invasion in the new Apple TV+ series, 'Invasion.'
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 23, 2021

Japan needs to tackle economic security head-on

Japan must devise strategies for competitiveness globally and against China at three levels: intelligence, security and innovation.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 21, 2021

China bill would ban employers asking about pregnancy status

Gender discrimination is already illegal, but current laws are vague, and Beijing seeks to ease pressure on working women as the birth rate declines.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 21, 2021

What happens when Instagram success meets a market meltdown

THG became a billion-dollar company through makeup and supplements that were wildly popular on social media. The good times didn't last.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2021

A fond farewell to two musical inspirations

The music world lost two legendary musicians in December, Robert Michael Nesmith and Robert Warren Dale Shakespeare.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Dec 21, 2021

Not everyone is sold on the new U.S. ambassador to Japan

Emanuel's appointment is worrisome for Japan, which desires the ambassadors sent to Tokyo to have influence and support in their home governments, something he does not seem to enjoy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2021

2022 is a year to call out greenwashing in China

Since Xi's climate pledge, several Chinese companies have announced net-zero deadlines, but many of the proposals consist of vague promises rather than concrete measures.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 20, 2021

What the Modi Twitter breach tells us about hackers

Pitching bitcoin has become the Rick Roll of the hacking community — a funny prank rather than a nasty attack.

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