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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 20, 2017

Sumito Yamashita claims 156th Akutagawa Prize

The 156th Akutagawa Prize was awarded to 50-year-old author Sumito Yamashita for his book "Shinsekai (New World)," which explores his teenage experiences, the selection committee of the prestigious literary award announced Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2017

Confidant says Emperor told him he wants abdication option codified for future monarchs

Mototsugu Akashi, an 83-year-old retiree in Tokyo, received a call at around 10 p.m. on July 21 at home from the most unexpected, unlikely caller: Emperor Akihito.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2017

Record 9.4 million foreign tourists visited Osaka in 2016

Over 9.4 million foreign tourists visited Osaka last year, the largest number ever, Osaka tourism authorities announced earlier this week.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 20, 2017

Fortress Washington braces for anti-Trump protests and biker allies ready to step in

Washington turned into a virtual fortress on Thursday ahead of Donald Trump's presidential inauguration, with police ready to step in to separate protesters from Trump supporters at any sign of unrest during the festivities.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 19, 2017

Thief makes €15 million jewelry heist in Cannes

A robber brandishing a pistol and a grenade stole diamonds worth €15 million ($16 million) on Wednesday in the French Riviera town of Cannes and calmly escaped on foot, a regional prosecutor said.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 18, 2017

Trump's options for weakening dollar extend far beyond tweeting

Donald Trump may have a point: the dollar is indeed strong. Judging from the Federal Reserve's own trade-weighted dollar index, the U.S. currency is now around 7 percent above its four-decade average.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Jan 17, 2017

Hiwatashi aims for top-eight finish at U.S. nationals

Reigning American junior champion Tomoki Hiwatashi will compete in the senior U.S. nationals for the first time this week when he takes the ice at Kansas City's Sprint Center.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / DAVOS SPECIAL 2017
Jan 17, 2017

A taste of high-quality Japanese food and drink

Davos participants again this year will have a chance to taste and experience the finest the world of Japanese gastronomy has to offer at the Central Sporthotel Davos on Jan. 18.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / DAVOS SPECIAL 2017
Jan 17, 2017

Ancient seat of Japan's warrior culture

The origin of Japan's ruling class extends into the mists of ancient history, far before the country was unified after a period of civil wars and well into the first millennium A.D.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2017

As Trump era looms, Beijing fortifies the South China Sea

Since last year's surprising election of Donald Trump, Beijing has looked to up the stakes and increase its leverage in the disputed South China Sea. This past December, China seized a U.S. Navy unmanned underwater vehicle near the Philippines. The seizure was made outside of Beijing's expansive and...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2017

Dangerous uncertainty surrounds Taiwan Strait

The world's most dangerous flash point got much more dangerous last Wednesday when China sent its lone aircraft carrier into the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan scrambled fighter jets in response. This is how accidental wars start: provocation and counter-provocation in an environment with too much uncertainty....
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jan 14, 2017

Don't let winter stop you from going out

It's the coldest part of the year in Japan. Combine frigid weather with cramped apartments, rambunctious kids and a dose of cabin fever and you have a parent's recipe for frustration. However, in Tokyo there are countless options for indoor family fun, and with the season in mind, I've created a list...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 14, 2017

Mishima and the maze of sexuality in modern Japan

In June 1948, novelist Osamu Dazai committed suicide. The 38-year-old, who had just completed his masterpiece, "No Longer Human," and whose fame was peaking, jumped into Tokyo's Tamagawa Canal with his mistress, Tomie Yamazaki, and drowned.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 14, 2017

Assad linked to Syrian chemical attacks for first time

International investigators have said for the first time that they suspect President Bashar Assad and his brother are responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, according to a document seen by Reuters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jan 13, 2017

Ginza sushi restaurant tests Champagne pairing

Nothing says "festive" like Champagne, that most elegant of elixirs. The drink's life-affirming effervescence makes it a natural choice for New Year's celebrations, but Champagne pairs so well with many of my favorite foods that I drink it far more often than once a year — with everything from raw...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 11, 2017

'The Neon Demon': Demonically arty — in a good way

With "The Neon Demon," director Nicolas Winding Refn seems to have come to the end of a trilogy that began with "Drive" (2011) and continued through "Only God Forgives" (2013). The idea seems to be to take genre-flick styles — car action, revenge and horror — and unravel them to the point where they...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 11, 2017

Kerry snipes at Trump's tweets, picks' lack of accountability, warns of 'authoritarian populism'

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday warned of the dangers of authoritarian populism and offered a thinly veiled critique of Donald Trump's prolific use of Twitter, saying it allowed the president-elect to avoid accountability.
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2017

Redefining the 'elderly' age

As the rapid graying of Japan's population continues, a proposal has been made to redefine the "elderly" age to be in line with people's changing perceptions as to when their golden years begin. In the face of mushrooming social security costs in an aging society, the government plans to start making...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2017

China's free ride set to end once Trump is president

After relishing the Obama administration's unremitting obsequiousness toward it, Beijing must now brace up and face an assertive new U.S. team that is unlikely to put up with its covert territorial expansion and trade manipulation.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Jan 10, 2017

Orser's 'Rink of Champions' has a new one in Cha

This season has seen the emergence of several young stars on the skating scene. Perhaps no one has made as big of an impact as South Korea's Cha Jun-hwan, who became the men's national champion on Sunday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2017

Relief sought for Japan's teachers forced to supervise extracurricular activities

The education ministry said Tuesday it is calling on boards of education nationwide to provide a holiday for overworked junior high and high school teachers, many of whom are exhausted from having to supervise extracurricular activities such as sports, even on weekends.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 10, 2017

World War II: Yasuka Goto gets up close and personal

Some artists from earlier generations like Tsuguharu Foujita (also known as Leonard Foujita) have been "outed" in the past decade or two and are now almost celebrated for producing incredibly complex propaganda paintings complicit with Japan's World War II ideology. For others, however, such politics...

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