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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jan 5, 2023

War in Ukraine highlights importance of cutting-edge technology in conflict

Deployment of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are key to progress in military conflicts.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 27, 2022

Online army deploys to save Ukraine's art and heritage

Historians, librarians and IT specialists from around the world have joined forces since the invasion began to form an online army to back up everything from websites to libraries.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 11, 2022

The mysterious man who built (and then lost) Little Tokyo

The cluster of these Japanese-style businesses on Stuyvesant Street came together organically over many years. Japan Village emerged nearly all at once.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 5, 2022

South Korea claims appropriation over traditional clothing at Beijing Olympics ceremony

South Koreans have expressed ire in the past over recent Chinese claims that some aspects of Korean culture, such as kimchi and hanbok, are of Chinese origin.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Women at Work
Dec 21, 2021

Standing out above the old boys: Forging a path as a woman in corporate Japan

Ryoko Nagata of Japan Tobacco was adamant she didn't want to work with cigarettes, and went on to prove her worth to the firm in other sectors.
Japan Times
France Report 2021
Nov 17, 2021

An ‘exceptional partnership’

Following the success of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, Paris is getting ready to welcome the world in 2024.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jul 26, 2021

Biracial representation, game soundtracks and shiny pecs: bright moments at a somber Olympic opening

The program lacked the over-the-top glitz originally planned, but still served some memorable scenes, with pantomime performers and Naomi Osaka stealing the show.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 20, 2021

Japanese language opens doors for Thai students

Driven by a love of anime and manga, and enticed by employment opportunities, the number of people wanting to learn has risen.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 6, 2021

Foraging in Japan: What to eat and where to find it

In her book, “Eating Wild Japan,” Winifred Bird traverses the country searching for edible plants and the stories of those who pick them, eat them and live surrounded by them.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 25, 2020

The Ainu language and the global movement for indigenous rights

With the Ainu language considered to be on the brink of extinction, global connections are breathing new life into revitalization efforts.
Japan Times
Special Supplements / G20 Osaka Summit Special
Jun 27, 2019

A citadel of humanistic education fostering global citizens

Within the verdant grounds of the Soka University Campus, there are two unmissable bronze statues.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 23, 2019

Dancer Kaiji Moriyama celebrates ninja in his latest work

A creative yet shy child fascinated with origami and crafts, Kaiji Moriyama discovered dance late, at the age of 21 while a university student. He has certainly made up for the lost time, though. Just seven years since first studying the art form, he performed to rave reviews at the 2001 Edinburgh Festival...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 17, 2019

Michael Jackson's influence cannot be canceled

Credible accusations of abuse against an artist don't make his art less great, but they do make it less enjoyable.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Feb 27, 2019

Dogen: Humor that's not lost in translation

Living in Japan can, from time to time, present a fair amount of frustration for non-Japanese, especially if they can't speak the language well. Long-term resident Kevin O'Donnell, who creates YouTube videos about Japan under the name "Dogen," isn't afraid to vent but avoids any vitriol.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 25, 2019

Japan's Ainu recognition bill: What does it mean for Hokkaido's indigenous people?

In a first for Japan, a bill to legally recognize the Ainu as the indigenous people of Japan is about to be submitted to the Diet.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Mar 14, 2018

The Japanese lessons of a 'plastic Paddy'

A Briton of Irish stock finds the 'Irishness' he seeks not on the Emerald Isle itself but in the expat pubs of his adopted land.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 16, 2017

Taste test: Does the future of meat lie in a lab?

Biochemist Yuki Hanyu's vision for the future includes a supermarket that has plenty of meat, none of which has come from a farm. Instead, it has all been grown in a laboratory.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jan 9, 2017

Let's discuss the disappearance of traditional festivals

Sixty traditional festivals and dances in 20 prefectures designated by local governments as intangible folk culture assets have been ended or suspended due to declines in population and the aging of rural communities, a survey has found.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jul 29, 2015

A Chinese front opens in the battle over Taiji's dolphin drive hunts

There was much media coverage in April of the decision by the World Association for Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) to suspend its Japanese affiliate, JAZA, because of concerns over animal cruelty due to the sourcing of captive dolphins from the infamous drive hunts in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
May 27, 2015

In international education in Japan, there's diversity between as well as within schools

Profiles of four schools demonstrate the wide range of philosophies and curriculums that families can choose from.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Jan 1, 2015

Donald Keene reflects on 70-year Japan experience

My first visit to Japan was very short, only a week or so in December 1945. Three months earlier, while on the island of Guam, I had heard the broadcast by the Emperor announcing the end of the war. Soon afterward, I was sent from Guam to China to serve as an interpreter between the Americans and the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Mar 1, 2014

Masako Shirasu: woman of the world

"If you use beautiful things every day, you will naturally cultivate an eye for beautiful things without giving it a second thought. In the end, you will be repelled when you encounter the ugly and the fake. If only all Japan would come to see this, how much more joyous our lives would be and how genial...
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Nov 12, 2013

Has anime lost its cachet in America?

I had been invited to host a Q&A with renowned "Gundam" creator and sci-fi novelist Yoshiyuki Tomino at The New York Anime Festival. But when my handler and I arrived at the designated room, we found it empty and dark. "Over here," a staffer called from across the hall. "Too many people."
Gamers play the "Minecraft" game at E3 2017, one of the biggest events in the gaming industry calendar, in Los Angeles. Since the first version of Minecraft was released to the public 15 years ago, the block-based world-building game has become a global phenomenon. Players of all ages and backgrounds have used the game for everything from educational projects and architecture to building communities and creating artworks.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2024

Sweden's small game studios punching above their weight

In 2022, the country's game developers had a combined revenue of 32.5 billion kronor ($3 billion).
Korean skincare routines tend to be more complex than Japan’s counterpart beauty industry of “less is more,” making K-beauty something of a sweet spot between Japan and the West.
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 9, 2024

K-beauty or J-beauty? The two 'are not so different these days.'

In early 2024, imports of Korean beauty products to Japan topped French cosmetics for the first time.
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2024 Liveability Index gave Tokyo perfect scores for stability and health care.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 28, 2024

Osaka and Tokyo ranked as world’s ninth and 14th most livable cities

The Economist Intelligence Unit scores cities on the basis of education, stability, health care, culture, and the environment and infrastructure.
The volunteer lifesavers of Nishihama Surf Lifesaving Club never know what's in store at the start of their day.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Aug 19, 2024

It's no simple day at the beach for Japan's volunteer lifesavers

Protecting beachgoers from drowning, heatstroke and possible tsunami, lifesavers are seeking formal recognition for what they do.
Cars are assembled at a Maruti Suzuki manufacturing plant in Manesar, India, in September 2023. Suzuki is one of the success stories for Japanese manufacturers trying to establish joint ventures in India, having become a household name in the country.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 29, 2024

For Japanese companies in India, local staff are an invaluable resource

The roots of Japanese investment in India go far back, to 1958, when the latter became the first country to receive official development assistance from Japan.
The city of Kyoto boasts historic artifacts and cityscapes that millions are willing to travel thousands of kilometers to see, but such treasures are not cheap to maintain, prompting the city to ask foreign tourists for a helping hand.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 13, 2024

Kyoto partners with e-gift service company to let tourists Donate & Go

The new donation service allows foreign tourists to contribute toward the preservation of cities they visit while receiving a gift in return.

Longform

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