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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / Perspectives
Sep 6, 2021

Beyond the Games: Can the Paralympics' success spur change?

The global sporting event has provided Japan with an opportunity to reflect on the issues that create barriers to accessibility. What does the host nation do from here?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Aug 1, 2015

Your home may be your castle, but not all of it is yours

When we were thinking about buying a condominium some years ago, we looked at older units and brand new ones, and one of our least favorite features was pebbled or fogged window glass, which was ubiquitous. Early on, when we didn't know any better, we asked a real estate agent how much it would cost...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2017

Hypocrisy in the South China Sea

There are no 'innocents' in the South China Sea — only degrees of rationalization.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 19, 2019

Cinematically big in Japan: Where film crews lead, fans soon follow

A visit to a film location can add some movie magic to your Japan travels.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 17, 2019

Whitewashing racial bias: The ball's in Japan's court

In what felt something like a case of deja vu from last year's Masatoshi Hamada blackface fiasco, Japan welcomed in 2019 with yet another racially insensitive controversy, this time in the form of an ad from food company Nissin.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 12, 2016

Rocks, reefs and recriminations: a South China Sea glossary

An international Court issues its ruling Tuesday on a challenge brought by the Philippines to China's claim to more than 80 percent of the South China Sea.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 10, 2015

New round of China-bashing

What is altering the status quo and 'destabilizing' the South China Sea? Is it China's reclamation activities or is it the U.S. military rebalance?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2017

Tesla's first production Model 3 rolls off assembly line

It's finally here: the Model 3, Tesla's $35,000 (¥4 million) electric game-changer. A single black Model 3 rolled off the production line last Friday with a serial number all its own, kicking off a company-defining six months. The car will belong to Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO and co-founder, who shared...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 9, 2017

Nissan wins converts in Japan with ¥3 million driver-assist minivan

Yusuke Goto would have crashed his Toyota Crown five years ago if the premium sedan hadn't detected the 45-year-old was veering off and righted the steering wheel. So when he found similar features in the cheaper Nissan Serena minivan, it was an easy choice.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 17, 2017

Perilous South China Sea plan

If the U.S. pursues U.S. Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson's South China Sea position as policy, it will almost certainly mean high tension, instability and conflict in the region.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 23, 2015

Toyota finds air bags in demand on India's deadly roads

Toyota Motor Corp. has found that customers don't mind paying more for safety on the world's deadliest roads.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 17, 2005

Intelligent cars may make driving safer, but they aren't cheap

People driving in bad weather, at night or on slippery roads will be able to enjoy a greater sense of security, thanks to new cutting-edge technology developed by Japanese automakers.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 21, 2022

China accused of new territorial grab in South China Sea

Tensions between China and other claimants in the South China Sea — the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brunei — have been rising for years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 28, 2021

Debt-ridden Nissan hopes spending big on tech will reverse slide

After two years of faltering sales and fallout from the 2018 arrest of then-Chairman Carlos Ghosn, Nissan Motor Co.'s newly installed management is at another crossroads.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2016

The South China Sea is not a Chinese lake

If China takes a hardline path or fails to significantly moderate its behavior in the months ahead, the case for further international pushback will become compelling.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2016

Deceit and hypocrisy in the South China Sea

The deceit and hypocrisy of nearly all the claimants and major actors are complicating and confusing the issues in the South China Sea.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 18, 2015

South China Sea: what 12 nautical miles really means

If the U.S. government goes forward with its plans to conduct freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, it should be prepared for its intentions to be misread or distorted.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2015

The South China Sea spats: an alternative point of view

In the eyes of other countries, China has behaved badly in the South China Sea. In China's view so have other claimants — and the U.S. and now Japan.
Starting next year, all renovations to the new Imperial Hotel are scheduled to finish in 2036.
CULTURE / Art
Sep 16, 2023

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel enters the history books

The curtain is about to close on Frank Lloyd Wright’s contribution to Tokyo’s skyline.
Busan International Film Festival host Song Kang-ho presents the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award to veteran Hong Kong star Chow Yun-fat at the 2023 edition of the Asian film festival.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 18, 2023

Film fans flock to Busan festival despite scandal

Busan International Film Festival remains a prestige Asian movie event amid internal strife and budget cuts.
The Humane Ai Pin’s interface is projected onto the hand of company co-founder Bethany Bongiorno in San Francisco on Oct. 27. Humane, a company started by two former Apple employees, says its new artificial intelligence pin can stop all the scrolling.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 13, 2023

Silicon Valley’s bet on the device that comes after the smartphone

Humane's Ai Pin is being billed as the first artificially intelligent device.
SoftBank has agreed to buy a majority stake in Irish software developer Cubic Telecom for around €473 million.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 5, 2023

SoftBank buys majority stake in Irish car software developer

SoftBank will acquire 51% of Cubic Telecom, which provides a platform for automakers to update software functions in cars globally and in real time.
The Tsukuba Geo Museum is a hands-on exhibition facility.
ESG CONSORTIUM
Jan 22, 2024

New geopark museum, cycle park showcase Tsukuba’s attractions

The Ibaraki city of Tsukuba in November launched a new facility, Mt. Tsukuba Gate Park, that focuses on promoting the charms of the Mt. Tsukuba Area Geopark and supporting Japan’s cycling culture. City officials stationed there explained what the facility offers and how they aim to nurture the civic...
Philippine Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner walks past an honor guard during the arrival ceremony at Western Command, in Puerto Princesa, on the Philippine island of Palawan last August.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 21, 2024

Manila gets tough in the South China Sea as a showdown looms

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has taken a tough stance on territorial disputes with China — and he is backing this up with bold moves.
Zashikibina, an exhibit by a group organizing hina doll displays in Fukuoka Prefecture, depicts the era of "The Tale of Genji," in the Gyosho room at Hyakudan Kaidan in Tokyo.
CULTURE
Feb 18, 2024

Hina doll exhibition in Tokyo highlights Girls' Day tradition

The event is being held for the first time in four years, after it was canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tesla says that Autopilot enables its vehicles to steer, accelerate and brake automatically, but that the system’s features require "active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.”
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 9, 2024

Tesla settles over fatal Autopilot crash on eve of trial

The case centered on a 38-year-old Apple engineer whose Model X veered off the highway and slammed into a roadside barrier on his way to work.
Tim Cook (left), chief executive officer of Apple; John Giannandrea (center), senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy at Apple; and Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, California, on Monday
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 13, 2024

Apple to ‘pay’ OpenAI for ChatGPT through distribution, not cash

The partnership is apparently not expected to generate meaningful revenue for either party — at least, not at the outset.
Wins by conservative parties and losses by their leftist green opponents in the EU elections reflect broader trends of political polarization and nationalism not only in Europe, but also the world. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 13, 2024

Impact of EU elections on global politics and Japan's foreign policy

Japan is concerned about the rise of right-leaning parties that might undermine support for Ukraine and send signals to revisionist powers like China.
Samples of newly designed yen banknotes at the National Printing Bureau's Tokyo plant on June 19
BUSINESS / EXPLAINER
Jul 1, 2024

What you need to know about Japan's new banknotes

The last time the country redesigned its banknotes was 20 years ago.
An Apple Store in New York on July 29
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 15, 2024

Developing new tabletop home device, Apple pushes ahead with robotics shift

The company now has a team of several hundred people working on the device, which would offer a twist on products like Amazon’s Echo Show 10 and Meta Platforms’s Portal.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?