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LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Feb 22, 2016

Seeing the other side and defying expectations with 'han shite'

Today we will introduce the meaning and usage of the adverbial phrases Xu306bu53cd(u306fu3093)u3057u3066 (contrary to X) and Xu53cdu9762(u306fu3093u3081u3093) (on the contrary), which are mainly used in written language, formal speech, lectures or when talking about a rather serious theme. In the pattern X(noun/noun phrase)u306bu53cdu3057u3066Y(clause), X is usually a word like u4e88u60f3 (u3088u305du3046, anticipation), u671fu5f85 (u304du305fu3044, expectation), u4e88u6e2c (u3088u305du304f, prediction), u610fu5fd7 (u3044u3057, will) or u610fu601d (u3044u3057, intention), u6cd5u5f8b (u307bu3046u308au3064, law) or u30ebu30fcu30eb (rule), and Y is the result or fact that betrays the content of X. In Ms. Yamani's sentence in Situation 1, X is her and her staff's expectation that their product would sell better and Y is the fact that it is not. Its noun-modifying form is uff5eu306bu53cdu3057u305f, as in u5e38u8b58(u3058u3087u3046u3057u304d)u306bu53cdu3057u305fu884cu52d5(u3053u3046u3069u3046) (an action that defies common sense).
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 22, 2016

Nanami preaches caution in Jubilo's return to top flight

Jubilo Iwata might be back among the J. League elite, but manager Hiroshi Nanami is not expecting instant miracles.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 22, 2016

Side effects possible if negative rates deepen, ex-BOJ official says

The Bank of Japan's new negative interest rate policy may bring "side effects" if the central bank further pushes rates into the red, a former BOJ chief economist warns.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 22, 2016

Samsung launches new campaign against Apple with Galaxy S7, virtual reality gear

Samsung Electronics Co. showed off virtual reality hardware alongside its latest Galaxy S7 smartphones, in its latest attempt to breathe life into its premium line and wrest ascendancy back from Apple Inc.
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Feb 22, 2016

Just take a snap and let Aichi smartphone app explain what's seen, and where

An Aichi-based electronic parts manufacturer has developed a free smartphone app that allows people to obtain information on tourist spots simply by taking photos of them.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Feb 22, 2016

Money trail shows China middlemen at heart of North Korea’s illicit cash-flow network

A trail of money stretching from a Panamanian shipping agent to an octogenarian Singaporean to a Chinese bank provides a window on why U.S. efforts to tighten sanctions on North Korea may be harder to achieve than in the case of Iran.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 21, 2016

Oil prices poised to remain low as Saudis 'blink'

Panic is mounting among the major oil producers over the prospect of a long period of very low oil prices.
EDITORIALS
Feb 21, 2016

Egg-freezing: choice and risk

Freezing a woman's eggs so she can give birth later in life opens up important questions that should be addressed before the technology becomes even more widespread.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 21, 2016

Fear grows China has no currency solutions

China's revised exchange-rate peg continues to rattle global financial markets, with no return to stability in sight.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 21, 2016

Anti-drone firms work to counter devices in tiny battle for the skies

The drone intruder was roaming around the Rose Bowl as 94,000 fans cheered, oblivious to the threat. But scientists testing a new security device at the game detected its radio signals and seized control.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Feb 20, 2016

Stem cells used to replace part of the human brain

Sometimes I imagine famous scientists and doctors from the past magically catching a glimpse of our modern world. Sure it's fun to picture their gawping faces, but the daydream also helps remind me that we take so much for granted these days. And, in fact, it illustrates the incredible pace of discovery,...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 20, 2016

Thousands marry in mass South Korea wedding ceremony

About 3,000 couples from 62 countries tied the knot in South Korea on Saturday, in a mass wedding ceremony conducted by the Unification Church founded by the late Reverend Sun Myung Moon.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Feb 20, 2016

In first, U.S. admits nuclear weapons were stored in Okinawa during Cold War

The Pentagon revealed Friday “that U.S. nuclear weapons were deployed on Okinawa prior to Okinawa's reversion to Japan on May 15, 1972.”
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 20, 2016

Vietnam protests China missile deployment, Australia, New Zealand urge restraint

Vietnam protested to China on Friday at a "serious violation" of its sovereignty over Beijing's apparent deployment of an advanced missile system on a disputed South China Sea island, while Australia and New Zealand urged Chinese restraint.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 20, 2016

'To Kill a Mockingbird' author Harper Lee dies at 89

Harper Lee, who wrote one of America's most beloved literary classics, "To Kill a Mockingbird," and surprised readers with a second book about racial injustice in the South after living a largely reclusive life for decades, died at the age of 89 on Friday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 19, 2016

Omake Club helps Zombie-Chang escape down her own artistic rabbit hole

Midway through our conversation at a dimly lit Shibuya cafe, Meirin Yung offers to break down any song on her recently released album under the name Zombie-Chang. I choose the slacker-inspired "Semete Kanashii Tokiniwa" (loosely translated as "At Least in Sad Times") that served as the advance preview...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 19, 2016

Beat Takeshi uncovers greatness; using beef for bribery; CM of the week: Daiwa House

The Japanese word "idenshi" means "gene," but a homonym that changes the last Chinese character in the compound to "history" alters the meaning slightly. Both are manifest in the title of the special "Seiko no Idenshi" ("History of Successful Inheritance"; Nippon TV, Mon., 7:56 p.m.), hosted by comedian...
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 19, 2016

Mazda, MMC expand Takata-linked recalls by 2 million vehicles

Mazda Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. added more than 2 million vehicles to worldwide recalls linked to Takata Corp. air bags in response to the latest confirmed death caused by rupturing safety devices.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE UNRELIABLE FOOD CRITIC
Feb 19, 2016

A new ceremony for tea in the rundown heart of Osaka

In Japan — especially in Japan — food and drink have always been about more than merely nutrition or a mere succession of tastes. They have also been a pretext for bringing people together in social rituals that don't have to be ancient, formal or solemn: rituals focused on food and drink can also...

Longform

Pedestrians commute through Shibuya Station in central Tokyo, an area that is almost never devoid of people.
As the rest of Japan shrinks, Tokyo grows