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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 19, 2019

Villains or visionaries? Hedge funds short companies they say 'greenwash'

Tens of trillions of global investment dollars are pouring into companies touting robust environmental, social and governance (ESG) credentials. Now short-sellers spy an opportunity.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / 2019 in Review
Dec 19, 2019

2019 saw just a few glimmers of hope in an otherwise mediocre year for Japanese film

The year predictably saw new iterations of long-running anime favorites top the box office, but the year's truly interesting films lay much further down the financial rankings.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 2019 in Review
Dec 19, 2019

Japanese television relied heavily on tried and tested formulas in 2019

While the Rugby World Cup and the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito brought the viewers flocking, television networks did little to offer anything else new in 2019.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Dec 18, 2019

Germany moves to ban gay 'conversion therapies'

Germany moved a step closer to banning so-called gay conversion therapies Wednesday, as the Cabinet backed a law that would punish bogus practitioners with up to a year in prison.
EDITORIALS
Dec 17, 2019

A big trade win for Trump

A restoration of order to regional trade relations is welcome, but there was no reason to have to endure the uncertainty, confusion and pain in the first place.
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2019

Cobalt fallout: Tesla and Apple among firms accused of aiding child labor in Congo

Five of the world's largest tech companies have been accused of being complicit in the death of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo forced to mine cobalt, a metal used to make telephones and computers, in a landmark lawsuit.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2019

Shareholder activism rises in Japan as firms go hostile and investors speak out

Record shareholder activism is combining with rare hostile takeover bids in Japan, in a trend that's seen as good news for investors in the country's ¥675 trillion stock market.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 14, 2019

Laughing at life's trials and tribulations in Japan

Life is tragic, life is comic; the glass is half-empty — no, half full. Point of view is all. Two magazines — President and Spa — represent the opposite poles of optimism and pessimism. For President, bad luck and good luck are all in the mind. The former is a failure of will, the latter always...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Dec 14, 2019

'Zen in Japanese Culture': An astute explainer of Japan's spiritual aesthetics

With 'Zen in Japanese Culture,' Gavin Blair deftly sidesteps superficial how-tos and Orientalism to deliver a in-depth explainer that leaves readers wanting to dig even deeper.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 13, 2019

'Post-chemical world' takes shape as agribusiness goes green

Agribusiness is increasingly turning to natural and sustainable alternatives to chemicals as consumers rebuff genetically modified foods and concerns grow over Big Ag's role in climate change.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 13, 2019

How much would you pay to work less?

Women are more willing to forgo salary for better life balance, but flexible policies could widen the income gap with men.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 13, 2019

Sending Japan's 'Paprika' out to the world

The biggest Japanese children's song of recent years gets an official English translation, in the hope of boosting diversity and interest in the language.
Japan Times
GLOBAL MEDIA POST / Ecuador report 2019
Dec 13, 2019

Finding new ground for growth with Japan and the world

To mark the centennial of the establishment of diplomatic ties with Japan, Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno flew to Tokyo last year accompanied by government officials, business leaders and entrepreneurs, all of them eager to build a stronger partnership with the world’s third-largest economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 12, 2019

With Honda mired in crisis over quality lapses, CEO Takahiro Hachigo seizes the wheel

At a two-day gathering for Honda's suppliers in March, Chief Executive Takahiro Hachigo sounded the alarm.
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2019

Next president of NHK vows to create programs people can trust

Terunobu Maeda, who has been named the next president of NHK, said Tuesday that he will focus on creating television programs the public can trust.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 11, 2019

Mina Perhonen: Fashion has a life of its own

Mina Perhonen's emotive approach to fashion highlights artisanship, eco-friendliness and our natural desire to connect and remember the past.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 10, 2019

'Fangirls' defend China from Hong Kong protesters and the world

For Li Mo, the footage of black-clad people clashing with police and vandalizing storefronts proved the final straw. The images of Hong Kong protesters fighting for greater autonomy from Beijing incensed the mainland-born postgraduate student and she could no longer remain on the sidelines. So, she joined...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 9, 2019

Support smaller think tanks in Japan

Hundreds of smaller think tanks and personal offices — essentially small to medium-sized enterprises — around the country may hold the key for Japan's rebirth.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Dec 7, 2019

A sneak peek behind the doors of Tokyo's State Guesthouse

Standing on the grounds of the State Guesthouse, Akasaka Palace on a crisp autumn day in November, it's hard to believe you're in central Tokyo, just a few minutes' walk from bustling Yotsuya Station. Birds can be heard chirping in the nearby garden and, aside from catching the occasional word or two...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 7, 2019

'Japan's Infamous Unit 731': Testament to the very worst of human experimentation

The recent reprint of Hal Gold's book, 'Japan's Infamous Unit 731,' keeps alive the memory of human rights atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 7, 2019

Japan's mega-banks named as world's biggest lenders for new coal plants

Japan's three biggest commercial banks are the world's top financiers of new coal plants, according to research released Thursday in Spain at the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 6, 2019

Defying local skepticism and 'Tokyo first' mentality, Science Park thrives in rural Yamagata

When Keio University professor Masaru Tomita accepted an offer in 2000 to head a new science lab in the city of Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, his fellow researchers — shocked at what they evidently considered his relegation to the countryside — warned him that his career was done for.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 5, 2019

'Nasty,' 'two-faced,' 'brain dead': NATO pulls off summit despite barrage of insults from leaders

NATO leaders set aside public insults ranging from "delinquent" to "brain dead" and "two-faced" on Wednesday, declaring at a 70th anniversary summit they would stand together against a common threat from Russia and prepare for China's rise.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Dec 4, 2019

Japan hopes U.S. trade deal will provide bulwark against Trump's unpredictability

The U.S.-Japan trade agreement is a gamble for Tokyo and will show whether concluding such a deal with Trump is a sufficient insurance policy that discourages him from making future demands.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 4, 2019

After 16 years in Japan, Sri Lankan woman still classified as an exchange student

Dakshini Siriwardena never expected that the failure of her father's business in Japan would leave her with no choice but to live here as an exchange student — despite having resided in the country for more than 16 years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 4, 2019

Nakamura Hochu: The Osakan Rinpa pioneer

The Rinpa school of painting's initial phase was formed by the superlative talents of Honami Koetsu (1558-1637) and Tawaraya Sotatsu (c. 1570-c. 1630) in late 16th-century Kyoto. The aesthetics resonated with the grand and powerful ornamental inclinations of the Momoyama Period (1573-1603) — gold leaf...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 3, 2019

Being your best self in spoken Japanese with the cast of 'Queer Eye'

When Western ideas on self-improvement are expressed in Japanese, what kinds of words pop up most often?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 2, 2019

What can we learn from 'Made in Japan'?

Japanese manufacturing has shifted from making brand-name products to cornering specific segments of the global supply chain.
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 29, 2019

Vancouver becomes first Canadian city to ban plastic straws and bags

Vancouver voted late on Wednesday to ban the use of plastic straws and bags from April next year, making it the first major Canadian city to enact such a wide-reaching ban, according to the city.

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