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Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Apr 28, 2023

A genre of anime known as 'isekai' promises the ultimate do-over. And fans love it.

What if you were able to escape the doldrums of your current life and start fresh? That's the premise offered by a genre of anime that is increasing in popularity.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Apr 28, 2023

Anime luminary Masao Maruyama warns Japan is at risk of losing the crown to China

One of the industry's most important players says rampant commercialization is a threat to Japanese creativity when it comes to animation.
SOCCER
Apr 27, 2023

Urawa and Al Hilal ready to finally meet for Asian Champions League title

The winter World Cup in Qatar and travel complications caused by COVID-19 mean Asian soccer has yet to crown its 2022 champion more than a year after the competition began.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2023

Betting on bacteria to fix the cement industry’s emissions problem

Denmark’s concrete manufacturing giant IBF and U.S.-based startup Biomason are creating a new kind of cement mix that requires less energy to make.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 22, 2023

As Xi befriends world leaders, he hardens his stance on the U.S.

China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, rolled out the red carpet for President Luiz InAcio Lula da Silva of Brazil, lauding him as "an old friend of the Chinese people.” He sipped tea in a garden with President Emmanuel Macron of France, treating him to a performance of an ancient Chinese zither. And he...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2023

Ukraine’s spring offensive just got harder

The bad news for Ukraine is that U.S. spies doubt Kyiv’s military and the Western alliance is fractious. The good news is that Ukrainians have the stomach to fight.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 18, 2023

Government asks firms to work together to stop harassment during job hunts

As Japanese companies hire aggressively, concern is growing over the prevalence of owahara, a form of harassment in which prospective hires are pressured into ending their job-hunt.
Japan Times
SPORTS
Apr 17, 2023

Arsenal manager confident Gunners can handle pressure of title race

Arsenal's bid to win the Premier League for the first time since 2004 is in danger of imploding.
Figure Skating
Apr 14, 2023

Charismatic showman Daisuke Takahashi raises ice dancing's profile in Japan

Daisuke Takahashi has thrilled figure skating fans with his showmanship alongside partner Kana Muramoto.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 13, 2023

Leaked U.S. intel document claims Serbia agreed to arm Ukraine

Serbia's Defense Minister Milos Vucevic dismissed the document's assertions as 'untrue' in a statement on Wednesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 11, 2023

Does Macron's stance on Taiwan weaken G7 deterrence against China?

One of Kishida's top goals for next month’s G7 summit is to create a united front on issues like China and Ukraine, but that job may have just got harder.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 6, 2023

BOJ’s Kuroda hands $11.7 trillion ‘shock and awe’ experiment to his successor

In 10 years, the BOJ forked out ¥1.55 quadrillion ($11.7 trillion) on bonds, stock funds and corporate debt. The staggering cost has economists asking: 'Was it all worth it?”
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Apr 5, 2023

Sumo's declining recruitment shows need for fresh ideas

As Japanese children gravitate toward sumo and rugby, the Japan Sumo Association may need to take a more active role in overseeing the sport's grassroots levels.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Apr 5, 2023

With eye on China, Japan to offer military aid to like-minded countries

The framework was set up as Tokyo moves away from a strict nonmilitary approach to ties with its neighbors and looks to realize its vision of a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific.'
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 3, 2023

U.S. military aid policies leave Taiwan in a bind, business council chief says

“I am concerned that U.S. security assistance is creating new issues that will have to be dealt with in the coming years,” said Rupert Hammond-Chambers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2023

From sharing site to anime giant, Crunchyroll marches forward

Crunchyroll is now a streaming giant credited with helping Japanese anime transform from a nerdy subculture into a lucrative global industry poised to conquer new markets.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2023

The other conflict on Europe’s doorstep

In clear violation of a 2020 cease-fire agreement, Azerbaijan is fueling a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and once again threatening neighboring Armenia with military aggression.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 22, 2023

Can Nippon Ishin 'skip' to true national political prominence?

The Osaka-born party faces a make-or-break moment in next month’s series of local elections across the nation.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 22, 2023

Kishida meets Zelenskyy for talks in surprise visit to Ukraine

The Japanese leader's unannounced visit for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy underscored Tokyo's support for the war-torn country.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2023

Nobel-winning Japanese novelist Kenzaburo Oe dies at 88

Oe was regarded as one of Japan’s leading contemporary novelists and was the second Japanese person to win the literary award.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Longform
Mar 11, 2023

Abandoned after 3/11, Fukushima starts attracting new residents

People are moving to areas near the crippled nuclear power plant in the prefecture lured by the promise of subsidies, discount housing and work opportunities. But will these migrants stay?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2023

Pandemic murder wave has crested. Here’s the postmortem.

Homicides were down in the U.S. in 2022 and continue to fall in the biggest cities. The cause of the spike during COVID-19 is still being determined.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 7, 2023

China warns U.S. risks catastrophe with moves to ‘contain’ Beijing

Foreign Minister Qin Gang calls Washington’s approach toward Beijing a reckless gamble that threatens the future of humanity.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 6, 2023

Is biodegradable better? Making sense of 'compostable' plastics.

Some fear these 'magical' solutions could lead to further environmental havoc and even encourage more wasteful consumption.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 6, 2023

Iceland shows the world how to run on reliable and clean energy

Every home in Iceland is heated with renewable energy, with 90% coming from district heating systems that tap hot water directly underground.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / Longform
Mar 6, 2023

Can urban farming play a key role in food security?

From small orchards to high-tech vertical farming, producing food in Japan's urban areas could help address key social and environmental issues.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 4, 2023

The Murdoch empire — and Fox News — is at a crossroads

Just how influential Rupert Murdoch remains looms large in Republican circles ahead of what portends to be a contentious 2024 U.S. presidential primary race.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 3, 2023

Ukraine clings to Bakhmut as U.S. readies $400 million in new military aid

Russian forces have been attacking the city in Donetsk province for months, and the site has become one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 28, 2023

The EU is cracking down on plastic. Will others follow?

The European Commission has proposed sweeping packaging regulations, requiring product packaging in the EU to be easier to reuse, recycle or in some cases, compost.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Feb 24, 2023

India wants a clean energy transition deal — and its coal too

Simultaneously beefing up both coal and renewables points to a messy energy transition for India, including the risk of job losses if some coal mines are abandoned.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan