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CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 22, 2016

'Lockheed Incident Document 40th Year Shocking Scoop'; 'Yassan'; Xflag

Thanks mainly to a first-person "biography" written by former Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, there is renewed interest in disgraced former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka. NHK is presenting a series of special programs, some of which are dramatizations, about the scandal that brought Tanaka down: the Lockheed...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 21, 2016

Fuji Rock Festival celebrates 20 years

Who doesn't love an anniversary? For couples it's about rekindling moments of first love, for many nations it's about marking a significant moment in history. Anniversaries are, for the most part, true celebrations.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 21, 2016

Traders chasing Pokemon now battle over Nintendo's value

After investors pushed up Nintendo Co. shares with a fervor only matched by gamers chasing Pikachu, traders are now locking horns over how much the high-flying stock is worth.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jul 20, 2016

Eiken broadens language tests to address criticisms

As the Eiken Foundation tries to meet the demands of a growing number of test-takers, what do students, parents and teachers make of the tests?
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jul 20, 2016

Readers' letters: Rote learning, vocab and Eiken's aims

Some readers' responses to last month's article by Hans Karlsson, 'Is the Eiken doing Japan's English learners more harm than good?'
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jul 20, 2016

Views from Gifu: Now Abe has the numbers, is it time to tweak the Constitution?

People have their say on whether Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should push for constitutional revision now that he has the numbers in both houses of parliament to force a referendum on the issue.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2016

Ex-JET teachers eyed to help improve English-language tourist information

Former Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme participants (JET program) could be tapped to improve English-language information at cultural landmarks under a proposal being considered by the Cultural Affairs Agency.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 18, 2016

Brother in Tunisia says Nice attacker sent him 'laughing' picture before massacre

The man who mowed through a crowd with a truck, killing 84 Bastille Day revellers in Nice on Thursday, had phoned home hours earlier and sent a "laughing" picture from the French city, his brother told Reuters.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 17, 2016

Slot Machine plans to show Fuji fans how Thailand rocks

Thailand has been a destination for Asian artists looking to expand their markets. From J-rock to K-pop, fans in Bangkok have been able to listen to their fill. Rock band Slot Machine wants this to be a two-way conversation and the members say they'll begin it this year by being the first Thai band to...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jul 17, 2016

Thailand's tourism minister puts nation's sex industry in target

Thailand's infamous sex industry is under fire, with the tourism minister pushing to rid the country of its ubiquitous brothels and a spate of police raids in recent weeks on some of the largest establishments providing sex services in Bangkok.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 16, 2016

When Kyoto is overrun with tourists, head for the hills

The age-old road leading to Kiyomizu Temple had turned into a river of people. Accents and languages from across the world filled the shop-lined slope, as couples in rented kimono took photos with selfie sticks and amateur photographers tried to get a shot devoid of the crowds — a nearly impossible...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 16, 2016

Bushido: The awakening of Japan's modern identity

Opinions are divided when it comes to Japan's current Constitution, issued during the U.S. Occupation of 1945 -52: Is it an American imposition that unfairly refuses to recognize the nation as a "normal country" or a precious war-renouncing document that reflects Japan's unique status as the only country...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Japan Pulse
Jul 16, 2016

Hitting the mark at the Miraikan's ninja exhibition

The Miraikan's exhibition tests wannabe ninja by having them sneak, throw and jump their way through the museum.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2016

60 seen as too young to retire in aging, worker-short Japan

Hiroshi Suzuki had a fulfilling career in which he traveled the world as an engineer. Then, at age 65, he retired. That didn't last long. For the past seven years Suzuki, 72, has been a nursing aide in the Tokyo area, and says he's years away from true retirement.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 13, 2016

'Ishibumi': Tragic history set in stone

An annual ritual on Japanese television on or around Aug. 6 is a number of special programs about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Truth be told, after many years in this country I tune out more than I tune in. Just as the bombings were political acts, so are the many memorial programs...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 13, 2016

D.B. Cooper's final escape: FBI halts case 45 years after legendary U.S. skyjacking

It looks as if the man known as D.B. Cooper — the legendary criminal who hijacked a U.S. passenger plane, extorted $200,000 in ransom and parachuted to an uncertain fate — may have gotten away with it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 11, 2016

How Clinton limps forward after the FBI report

FBI Director James Comey may have recommended against charging Hillary Clinton; but, politically speaking, he hung her out to dry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 11, 2016

'Sukiyaki' lyricist Rokusuke Ei dies at 83

Rokusuke Ei, who wrote the lyrics to the global hit "Sukiyaki" ("Ue o Muite Aruko"), passed away from pneumonia at his home on Thursday. He was 83.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jul 10, 2016

Latest U.S. country rankings on human trafficking raise eyebrows in some Asian nations

When the U.S. government last week raised the Philippines to its highest ranking in a report that assesses how much countries are battling human trafficking, putting it alongside the likes of Britain, Switzerland and Australia, the decision was questioned by aid workers in the Asian nation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 9, 2016

'Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy': Access the back stages of bunraku

High drama with puppets might strike Westerners as an unlikely theatrical experience, but mannequins and those who operate them are accorded considerable respect in Asia.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Jul 8, 2016

July 9, 2016

Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 8, 2016

TV star Ishida announces intention to run for Tokyo governor

Ishida said he wouldn't go out of his way to seek endorsement from the opposition but wanted to stand against “Abe's monolithic administration.”
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2016

Travel survey bumps Kyoto from world's top tourist spot

City officials say huge crowds visiting its popular temples, shrines and gardens as well as its major downtown shopping districts, might be the cause.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 5, 2016

Seeing Greece, before its civilization peaked

We are only a month or so away from the Rio Olympics. While the world will soon be focused on that, in Japan many will also be thinking four years ahead to the Tokyo Olympics. It is easy, then, to see why the Tokyo National Museum is holding "A Journey to the Land of Immortals: Treasures of Ancient Greece."...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 4, 2016

Modern needs, crowds outgrow historic Harajuku Station

Built in 1924, Harajuku is the city's oldest wooden station building and a very congested gateway to a major youth culture hub.

Longform

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