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COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 6, 2016

Empathy key to human rights

'The heart of all discussions of human rights is the battle against discrimination. All human beings are equal. No discrimination is permissible. Absolutely none.'
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 5, 2016

It’s time to address the lifestyle challenges affecting health in Asia

Poor nutrition and obesity pose a severe public health challenge across large parts of Asia.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2016

Japan's first lady offers critics a household hotline to Abe

With high approval ratings stoking speculation that Shinzo Abe could become Japan's longest-serving prime minister in recent history, he faces the risk of becoming complacent. Enter Akie Abe, his wife of 29 years.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 3, 2016

What shape will populism take in modern Japan?

Populism isn't new. A wave of it generated democracy in ancient Greece, circa 500 B.C. Its modern form, born in America in the early 19th century, was a revolt against the planter aristocracy that had governed since independence in 1776. Andrew Jackson — said to be the first president born in a log...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Dec 3, 2016

Lottich inspiring Valparaiso with passion

For many years, Matt Lottich was one of the best basketball ambassadors that Japan has ever had. He made big contributions on a consistent basis. He respected the game and played it the right way.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Dec 2, 2016

December 3, 2016

Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 2, 2016

Lower House panel clears casino bill; opposition walks out in protest

The Lower House committee debating the casino legalization bill votes to send it to the Upper House as opposition lawmakers storm out in protest.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 1, 2016

Shady work practices earn nominations for Black Company Award

Ad giant Dentsu Inc. and courier company Sagawa Express Co., where employees committed suicide, were among this year's nominees.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 1, 2016

Tokyo Comic Con calls on Hollywood's big guns for star power

As we sit down for an interview, Tokyo Comic Convention Committee Chairman Mitsuaki Munegumi casually points to a glass case in the center of the room.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 30, 2016

'Japanese Girls Never Die': They want to have more than just fun

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he wants to build a society in which "all women can shine." But as Daigo Matsui graphically shows in his new film "Japanese Girls Never Die," women in Japan are still living in a male-dominated society that, in everything from unequal pay to blatant sexual harassment,...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 28, 2016

Kabul cops wage 'debauchery' crackdown, raid water pipe haunts

Afghan police and health officials raided cafes and restaurants in Kabul on Sunday, confiscating shisha water pipes and paraphernalia in a campaign to halt "debauchery and vulgarity.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 27, 2016

Kim's Castro condolence letter reveals long-standing North Korea-Cuba ties

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a message of condolences to Cuba over the death of former leader Fidel Castro, highlighting the two nations' long-standing ties, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said Sunday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 27, 2016

Finding fishy enlightenment and sustenance on the Mackerel Trail

The Wakasa Road is a historical trail that helped advance Japan's culture and cuisine. The Wakasa region of Fukui Prefecture, on the nation's west coast, was one of the strategic miketsukuni regions of Japan that produced food for the emperor in ancient times.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2016

Nobel-winning Belarusian writer Alexievich speaks on nuclear disasters and the future of human hubris

Svetlana Alexievich, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in literature, called the nuclear catastrophes at Chernobyl and Fukushima events that people cannot yet fully fathom and warned against the hubris that humans have the power to conquer nature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 26, 2016

A dark, bittersweet childhood becomes a manga masterpiece

"Sunny" is a manga masterpiece. Page by page, it quietly transcends similar slice-of-life comics in its depiction of children in a foster home, their caregivers and estranged parents. Written and illustrated by renowned manga artist Taiyo Matsumoto, this six-volume collection, which won the prestigious...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Nov 26, 2016

'Dave Barry Does Japan': Three weeks in Nippon with a baffled American

It has been a quarter of a century since American humorist Dave Barry "did" Japan — a task he completed in three weeks. "The Japanese culture is thousands of years old," he writes. "To truly grasp its incredible complexity and infinite subtle nuance, you'd need at least a month." Free of nuance and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 23, 2016

'Ants on a Shrimp': How Rene Redzepi found himself in Tokyo

Rene Redzepi is having his moment — and it's a long one. It began in 2010 when his Copenhagen restaurant, Noma, was deemed by Restaurant Magazine to be the best on the planet. Noma has now been voted to the No. 1 slot on the magazine's World's 50 Best Restaurants list four times and Redzepi remains...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2016

A sad ending looms for Park's political career

Even if South Korean President Park Geun-hye isn't forced to resign, she's finished politically.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 22, 2016

Overwork sanctioned by both firms and unions, with dim prospects for state intervention: expert

When the suicide of a female worker at ad giant Dentsu Inc. was recognized as karoshi, or death from overwork, many blamed a corporate culture that glorifies the "warrior" workers who sacrifice themselves for the good of the firm.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 21, 2016

Boosting Japanese innovation

To revive Japan's international competitiveness, the educational system must teach students how to think, make judgements and express themselves.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 20, 2016

Did U.S. academia help elect Donald Trump?

U.S. institutions of supposedly higher education are awash with hysteria, authoritarianism, obscurantism, philistinism and charlatanry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 19, 2016

Yoshino Yoshikawa switches up his 'kawaii' sound on 'Event Horizon'

The Japanese word for cute, "kawaii," has been popping up more and more in the English lexicon in recent years. From the popularity of Hello Kitty to singer Gwen Stefani's new kawaii-filled cartoon "Kuu Kuu Harajuku" being cute means making money, and it's no different in the world of music.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 17, 2016

Analysts point to Japan's untapped potential to boost the economy

Japan's population is declining, deflation has returned, and the nation's economy is still stuck in cycle of weak, stop-start growth. And yet, there are a number of hidden and underutilized resources that Japan could tap to try to escape this economic malaise.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 16, 2016

Mifune: The making of Japan's 'Last Samurai'

Toshiro Mifune was the first Japanese — or, for that matter, Asian — actor to become an international action star.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat