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Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 13, 2015

Islamic State says it's holding Israeli spy in Syria

The Islamic State group said on Thursday it was holding an Israeli Arab who had posed as a foreign fighter in order to spy for Mossad, an account denied by Israel and by the man's family, who said he had been kidnapped.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2015

Syria-bound photographer fears passport confiscation sets dangerous precedent

A freelance photographer who was prevented from going to Syria when the Foreign Ministry confiscated his passport in the wake of the Islamic State hostage crisis this month expressed concern Thursday his case will set a precedent that will undermine freedom of the press in Japan.
EDITORIALS
Feb 12, 2015

Putting reporters on a leash

In an unprecedented move, the Foreign Ministry last week ordered a freelance photographer who planned to go to Syria to return his passport for his own good.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Feb 12, 2015

Mountain view dinner in Urawa; strawberry delights in Osaka; foreign currency option in Hokkaido

Mt. Fuji viewing dinner in Urawa
BASKETBALL
Feb 7, 2015

Defense, fan support fuel Akita's success on road

The Akita Northern Happinets have rattled off 16 victories in their past 17 games.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 7, 2015

Breaking down the barriers: Can Tokyo improve access for people with disabilities?

In the summer of 2020, Tokyo will once again host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It's the first time the Paralympics will be hosted by a city for the second time.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Feb 7, 2015

Kansai proves no barrier to travel

Having planned a family trip from our home in Tokushima Prefecture to Kobe and Osaka, we packed our 14-year-old daughter's wheelchair in the car and took the highway to Awaji Island.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 6, 2015

One-child policy didn't give China too many boys

Research suggests that it was China's liberalizing economic reforms of the 1970s and 1980s that might have been responsible for today's heavily skewed gender ratio in favor of boys.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 5, 2015

When nostalgia entangles with an unsettling past

When Koichi Watari, the director of the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art contacted Yoshitomo Nara to organize a solo exhibition of his work, the artist was traveling around Hokkaido and Sakhalin with photographer and hard-core explorer Naoki Ishikawa. Nara suggested to Watari that they do a two-person...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Feb 5, 2015

Hot springs, family rooms; flowers, dinner say 'I love you'; Hawaiian flavors in Jingumae

Hot springs, family rooms
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 5, 2015

Ebola cases on the rise for first time this year, WHO says

The number of new cases of Ebola rose in all three of West Africa's worst-hit countries last week, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, ending several weeks of encouraging declines across the region.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 3, 2015

Alibaba scores a hollow victory over Beijing

Alibaba's success in its confrontation with the Chinese Communist Party is not a sign that life is generally improving for private business in China,
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 3, 2015

Don Matsuo to take solo experiences into Zoobombs' new act

In September 2013, weeks away from celebrating their 20th anniversary, Tokyo rock act Zoobombs announced they were disbanding. The group's leader, guitarist and vocalist Don Matsuo, and his wife, Zoobombs' keyboardist Matta, went on to form a new group called The Randolf. However, that project was short-lived...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 3, 2015

Canadian foreign minister to quit amid talk of tensions with prime minister

Foreign Minister John Baird is unexpectedly set to resign from the federal Cabinet this week amid what sources said had been tensions with the prime minister's office.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2015

Obama and Modi work the magic of 'optics' for the benefit of each other's home crowd

For his first Republic Day in office — a day when India celebrates its republican history, diversity and military might with a grand pageant in New Delhi — Prime Minister Narendra Modi dipped into his hat and pulled out Barack Obama. The main point of the U.S. president's visit seems to have been 'optics.'
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Jan 31, 2015

Time leap

None of our kids (in the U.S.) called me. It's my birthday today.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jan 30, 2015

Japan's fertile architectural evolution

Today, Japanese contemporary architecture enjoys an outstanding international reputation, but the story of its emergence to a position of such accomplishment and acclaim has not yet been told comprehensively. A pair of exhibitions at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa presents a postwar...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 29, 2015

Scott delivers epic tale with 'Exodus'

While promoting his new film "Exodus: Gods and Kings," Christian Bale referred to his character, Moses, as "likely schizophrenic" and "one of the most barbaric individuals that I ever read about in my life."
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jan 29, 2015

Rose bath, champagne at Royal Park; Granvia Osaka elegant dinner course; Cerulean Tower Valentine's Fair

Rose bath, champagne at Royal Park
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 28, 2015

South Korea, China warn Japan not to backtrack on apology over wartime past

South Korea and China have warned Japan not to backtrack on an apology issued 20 years ago over its wartime past when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe makes a statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 27, 2015

Northeastern U.S. hunkers down, awaits 'crippling' blizzard blitz

The U.S. Northeast on Monday braced for a massive, crippling blizzard that could dump as much as 3 feet of snow as tens of millions of people were urged to stay home and airlines canceled thousands of flights.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 26, 2015

New York, Northeast brace for massive blizzard

A storm could bring blizzard conditions to New York and large parts of the U.S. Northeast while dropping more than 1 foot (30 cm) of snow across New Jersey and Long Island and as much as 2 feet through eastern New England, including Boston, threatening travel delays, school cancellations and blackouts....
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 25, 2015

Modi, Obama announce nuclear breakthrough after New Delhi talks

In a glow of bonhomie, U.S. President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a deal aimed at unlocking billions of dollars in nuclear trade, a step that both sides hope will help establish an enduring strategic partnership.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 24, 2015

Mika Mifune gets ready for some serious 'me' time

Historian Daniel J. Boorstin once defined a celebrity as someone who is "known for his well-knownness" — a person famous for being famous. Though many celebrities have talent and other attributes that draw attention, it is easier to gain notoriety passively by being related to someone who already has...

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