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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
May 28, 2016

Backstage drama on Ginza's Konparu-dori

A temperate breeze swings through the surrounding willow trees as I pass jewel-encrusted ball gowns in the display windows of Ginza Takaraya, near Shinbashi Station in Tokyo. I'm scouting out Konparu-dori, a street named for the eponymous noh troupe that was gifted land here by the Tokugawa shoganate...
JAPAN
May 28, 2016

U.S. to review Okinawa training procedures after report reveals sessions downplayed military crimes, disparaged locals

The top U.S. Marine general in Japan said orientation sessions for new recruits will be reviewed after it was found they contained derogatory statements about Okinawans.
JAPAN
May 27, 2016

Monju operator will need to meet myriad safety, transparency standards: report

The next operator of the troubled Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor will need to meet a range of safety and transparency standards, including appointing outside experts to help manage the project, according to a report submitted to the science minister Friday.
Japan Times
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
May 26, 2016

Consistent Kisenosato needs title to secure promotion to yokozuna

Few involved in the world of sumo, as fans or as part of the inner workings of the sport would or could ever claim that Kisenosato has been anything other than the most consistent ozeki in recent memory.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / EVENTS AND INFORMATION
May 26, 2016

Sparkling varieties boost popularity of sake among young women, non-traditional markets

Sparkling sake has recently been gaining popularity, especially among young women.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 26, 2016

Fearing U.S.-Vietnam alliance, Beijing tries to mend fences with Hanoi

China has played down this week's U.S. decision to lift a decades-old ban on sales of lethal arms to Vietnam as it looks to avoid aggravating relations already strained by territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Japan Times
JAPAN / OBAMA VISITS HIROSHIMA
May 26, 2016

WWII fighter pilot's Japan experience: From foe to family

The long and circuitous life of 92-year-old World War II veteran Jerry Yellin reads like a work of fiction.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
May 25, 2016

A little 'je ne sais quois' from Eric Rohmer

Everything we know about French films, we learned from Eric Rohmer. At least for Japanese cinema lovers, that's what it felt like, especially in the late 20th century.
JAPAN / Politics
May 25, 2016

Abe treads fine line in Ise Shrine tour as Shinto religion faces challenges

Ise Shrine is considered one of the holiest sites in Shinto, a faith whose rituals have been woven into Japan's culture for centuries.
Japan Times
JAPAN / G7 ISE-SHIMA SUMMIT SPECIAL
May 25, 2016

A place for transcending cultural differences

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Ise-Shima in Mie Prefecture for hosting the 2016 G7 summit, while welcoming the leaders and other people from all over the world. It is a great honor for Mie residents that world leaders come to our prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / G7 ISE-SHIMA SUMMIT SPECIAL
May 25, 2016

G7 ministerial meetings

The G7 foreign ministers issued the “Hiroshima Declaration on Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation” to reaffirm their commitment to creating a world without nuclear weapons, also naming Syria, Ukraine and North Korea as countries that may endanger that goal
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / OBAMA VISITS HIROSHIMA
May 24, 2016

Declassified U.S. cables reveal lead-up to Hiroshima A-bomb decision

On Aug. 6, 1945, Maj. Gen. Leslie Groves sent a top secret cable to his superiors in Washington, D.C.
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2016

Due process is being kicked off U.S. campuses

A lawsuit by a suspended Colorado university student should be remedial education for administrators.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 23, 2016

Barack Obama at Hiroshima

U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Hiroshima will show the world how bonds of alliance and solidarity are forged and maintained.
JAPAN
May 23, 2016

Japanese activist groups call on Abe to boost support for Syrian refugees

The decision by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to accept 150 Syrians over the next five years is both praised and criticized.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2016

Asahi eyes U.S. beer expansion with ¥400 billion war chest

Asahi Group Holdings Ltd., the brewer that's buying European brands from Anheuser-Busch InBev NV worth $2.9 billion, is now pursuing deals in the U.S. that would help boost distribution of its Super Dry beer in the world's largest economy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 21, 2016

Arita ware: Traditional Japanese porcelain has an international history

This year is ostensibly the 400th anniversary of Arita-yaki (Arita ware). An Arita city webpage tells us it was in 1616 that a forcibly relocated Korean farmer, Yi Sam-pyeong, discovered the white clay kaolin and then fired Japan's first porcelain. Other scholars have dated the first firing to 1610,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 21, 2016

Meguru Yamaguchi: 'Help others, keep creating masterpieces'

Contemporary artist on 'Lost in Translation,' pop art and taking a selfie.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 21, 2016

Late translator Ushigome served with pride, distinction during long career

The Baseball Bullet-In this week would like to remember Tadahiro Ushigome, long-time baseball personality who died in Tokyo last month of a blood disorder at age 79. Although the date of his death was April 9, it was not announced until May 4.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
May 20, 2016

May 21, 2016

Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 20, 2016

Cancer no longer a death sentence, although some Japanese firms treat it that way

Cancer is usually considered a death sentence, but a bill has been drafted to increase support for patients who want to continue working during treatment.
EDITORIALS
May 19, 2016

China marks a milestone in silence

Given the scale of the brutalities that were unleashed by the Cultural Revolution and the complicity of almost all Chinese in those events, China's near silence on its 50th anniversary almost makes sense.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 19, 2016

U.S. returns to Italy stolen 1493 Columbus letter on Americas discovery

The United States has returned to Italy a rare copy of a letter Christopher Columbus wrote in 1493 describing his discovery of the Americas, after the document was stolen more than 25 years ago and replaced with a forgery.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
May 18, 2016

Gunma's Hamilton happy to help others shine

The Japan Times has featured periodic interviews with players in the bj-league since 2006 in this long-running series. Gary Hamilton of the Gunma Crane Thunders is the subject of this week's profile. Because the league's final game was held on Sunday, this article wraps up the series in its current format....
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2016

May Day, Russia, Mayday!

Russian President Vladimir Putin used this year's holiday marking the Soviet victory in World War II to whip up jingoistic hysteria.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 18, 2016

Giving voice to foreign talent via the spoken word

Tokyo's English poetry scene gets a shot in the arm with a lively event night and new journal.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 18, 2016

North Korea's new ad men try out pitches to a growing consumer class

"Pyongyang Spirit: A drink you won't forget after drinking once," reads the text of an ad for a clear, vodka-like North Korean alcohol.

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