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Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 13, 2016

For 'overtime refugees,' home is where the heart isn't

At night in Japan's big cities, overtime refugees roam the streets in search of alcohol, solace or a quiet place to sit with their laptops.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jun 9, 2016

Can Netflix's 'Hibana' spark a revolution in Japanese TV?

With the recent announcements made by both Netflix Japan and Amazon Japan that they will be putting out original locally made content, the country seems to be moving further into the age of internet-based TV. And it appears that the team at Netflix could be one step ahead with the recent release of its...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 7, 2016

Beijing to put two more lighthouses on South China Sea man-made islands into operation by year's end

Beijing has announced plans to put two more lighthouses in the disputed South China Sea into operation by the end of the year, state media has reported.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 6, 2016

As his stimulus efforts struggle, Abe pushes 'equal pay' to lift Japan's economy

When Fumiko Kasai returned to work a decade ago she found the job market was very different to the one she had left in the 1980s to raise her four children.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
May 26, 2016

Consistent Kisenosato needs title to secure promotion to yokozuna

Few involved in the world of sumo, as fans or as part of the inner workings of the sport would or could ever claim that Kisenosato has been anything other than the most consistent ozeki in recent memory.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 21, 2016

Japan's cybersecurity upgrade — too little, too late?

The Internet facilitates rapid data-sharing and increased communication between individuals, firms and government entities. This generates significant risks but, for most of the 2000s, Japan did not take commensurate countermeasures. The complacent attitude toward information technology security has...
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2016

NHK chairman's order to follow government line on Kyushu nuclear reactors sparks outcry

Outspoken NHK Chairman Katsuto Momii has found himself once again mired in controversy after news leaked he gave instructions that the public broadcaster should stick to the official government line when reporting on the nuclear reactor situation in quake-hit Kyushu.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 20, 2016

Dispatches from the Kumamoto quake zone

Personal accounts relate tales of kindness and resilience after the initial confusion and panic of last week's deadly temblors.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 12, 2016

Nagoya's big names, trains and automobiles

Mount Fuji whizzes by as I drive the Tokaido N700 series shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagoya. "Don't let the speed go above 270 kilometers per hour," warns Kaori Takagi. I heed the warning, though Takagi is not a shinkansen driver instructor. We are, in fact, in the simulator at the SCMAGLEV and Railway...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 23, 2016

Tokyo sightseeing boats offer unique views, but missing foreign tourist tide

A trip to Tokyo does not necessarily mean elbowing your way through crowds. You can get fine views of the capital from a boat on the bay.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 12, 2016

Japan's economic roller coaster is headed for another dip

After three years of Abenomics and record monetary stimulus from the central bank, the economy still cannot escape a roller-coaster cycle of expansion and contraction.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 12, 2016

'Par for course' so no reason to doubt North Korea army chief executed: U.S.

The United States said on Thursday it had no reason to doubt reports that North Korea executed its army chief of staff, describing it as typical of Pyongyang's brutal political climate.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 9, 2016

Economic jump-start sputters as 'third arrow' of Abenomics flies wide of mark

When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe launched his three-pronged program to revive Japan's stagnant, deflationary economy three years ago, the stock market cheered every step along the way.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 3, 2016

U.S. says open to patrols with Philippines in waters disputed with China

The United States is open to the possibility of joint naval patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea, a U.S. diplomat said Wednesday, stressing it would continue to exercise "freedom of navigation" in the disputed waters.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 29, 2016

Putin's son-in-law boosted by $1.75 billion Russian state loan

The son-in-law of Vladimir Putin stands to benefit from $1.75 billion in cheap finance from the Russian state, a Reuters examination of public documents shows. The money will help fund a petrochemical project at a company in which Kirill Shamalov, husband of Katerina Tikhonova, the Russian president's...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 24, 2016

Kerry to press China over North Korea, urge ASEAN unity over South China Sea

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry begins a visit to East Asia on Sunday in which he plans to press China to put more curbs on North Korea after its nuclear test and to urge Southeast Asia to show unity in response to China's claims in the South China Sea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2015

A Trump nomination win could spell the end of the conservative party

If the Republican Party doesn't get its act together, it will lose more than the 2016 presidential election.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 26, 2015

Protecting fans from batted balls presents an ongoing challenge

The recent recommendation by Major League Baseball that its teams expand protective netting between the playing field and stands at the ball parks is a good one. Too many fans have been injured by foul balls and bats flung into the stands, and the wise move is to follow the standard in Japanese stadiums....
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 10, 2015

Netanyahu chat still on but calls mount in Israel, U.K. to ban Trump over Muslim slurs

Donald Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States prompted calls that the Republican presidential front-runner be banned from Britain and Israel and cost him business in the Middle East.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Dec 6, 2015

Beware Japan's old problems posing in new packaging

When government announcements describe 'new' problems and propose solutions, they should be taken with a side-order of salt.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 29, 2015

China's shadow banking risk shifts to booming bond market

A year after China's financial regulators squared up to the systemic perils of "shadow banking," the threat is shifting to a booming corporate bond market, and risky borrowers' debt is finding its way into products aimed at retail investors.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Nov 27, 2015

Research faces a dire future

Thanks to poor funding and a lack of creative administration, Japan's recent success in winning Nobel Prizes will likely be followed by a long dry spell.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 25, 2015

Japanese woman wins BBC newcomer comedy award

Japanese stand-up comedienne Yuriko Kotani won this year's BBC Radio New Comedy Award for aspiring comics last Friday, beating five other finalists at the Comedy Store in London with a five-minute act blending humor and sarcasm.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 12, 2015

Cero helps radio station InterFM897 celebrate its new look

The members of Cero have just finished recording their radio show, "Night Drifter," when I meet them at the InterFM897 studios in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. When I walk into the studio, one of the group immediately points out my T-shirt, which has an air-brushed depiction of a beach at sunset with the word...
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 27, 2015

Russia's latest Syria adventure brings history full circle

Valery Anisimov and his fellow Russian servicemen were smuggled out of the Black Sea by ship, hidden below deck. They grew their hair long so they could pass as tourists, then landed at a Syrian port to join up with government military units.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 22, 2015

Embassies help foreigners in Japan overcome language barrier in times of disaster

Devastating floods that forced thousands of evacuations near Tokyo in September revealed shortcomings in disaster management when it comes to helping residents who do not speak Japanese.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 15, 2015

Paying-to-pollute flourishing with China planning carbon market

The world is coming to terms with the idea that putting a price on carbon emissions is necessary to fight global warming. Now there is a growing consensus on how to make it happen.

Longform

It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?