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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Apr 17, 2023

Miyagi firms tap abundance of product innovation found through collaborations

Many companies are creating new products and services by incorporating innovative technologies and ideas that are not available within their own organizations.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Apr 17, 2023

Fukushima care providers falling behind on business continuity planning

Without plans, it will be difficult to keep offering services during large-scale disasters, but amid a chronic labor shortage operators lack personnel to work on forward thinking.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Apr 16, 2023

Japan springs into action for Salone del Mobile Milan 2023

The world’s largest annual furniture and design trade fair is back in full force, and Japanese designers are well represented.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 15, 2023

Beautiful nature provides respite, outdoor activities

Nagano Prefecture is known for its mountains, hosting part of “the Japan Alps,” a term coined by a British man during the Meiji Era (1868 to 1912). Mountain ranges above 3,000 meters stretch north to south through central Japan over six different prefectures, drawing climbers, mountain lovers, skiers...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Apr 15, 2023

Artisans update timeless craft of intricate ‘puzzle cabinets’

Although the craft of making karakuri-dansu is slowly disappearing, a craftsman and his son are keep the tradition torch lit with story-filled pieces for collectors and enthusiasts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 14, 2023

Cannes lineup features films by Hirokazu Kore-eda and Takeshi Kitano

Hirokazu Kore-eda's 'Monster' is a nominee for the top prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, while Takeshi Kitano's 'Kubi' will be screened under the Cannes Premiere category.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2023

Nissan seeks tech tie-up without Renault as alliance nears end of road

Japan's third-biggest automaker by sales is seeking a partner outside the auto industry to develop software that connects vehicles to cloud-based services.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 11, 2023

North Korea's Kim calls for more 'practical and offensive' war deterrent

The nuclear-armed North has reacted angrily to a recent spate of joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea — some of the largest in five years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2023

Seoul theater chain swaps screens for climbing walls to lure young Koreans

South Korea's largest multiplex movie chain operator started installing climbing walls in 2021 in one of its multiplexes, demolishing two movie screens to make way for the walls.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 10, 2023

U.S. warship sails near Chinese-controlled islet in South China Sea

While the U.S. frequently makes such voyages to challenge China's territorial claims in the strategic waterway, the latest one took place as Beijing staged war games around Taiwan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Apr 10, 2023

Already at risk, performing arts in northern Okinawa dealt blow by pandemic

The local culture of the Yanbaru region is rich in variety, ranging from dance and theater to staff fighting and drum dancing, but relies on being handed down from generation to generation.
JAPAN / Politics / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Apr 10, 2023

Harassment of women in politics is rampant in Kyushu, survey finds

The text-based survey found that more than half of the 145 female members of prefectural and municipal assemblies surveyed had experienced some form of harassment in their work.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2023

Putin’s paranoia deviates from its Soviet roots

Russia has yet to resort to the drastic reprisals of the Stalinist years, but the regime’s opponents still face some deepening perils.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 9, 2023

The camera never lied ... until AI told it to

AI can now do all the things photographers used to labor over without the user ever knowing. It can also transform backgrounds or wipe away people from the image entirely.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 7, 2023

Haruhiko Kuroda less dovish as he departs BOJ after decade of massive stimulus

The BOJ's failure to change public expectations raises a lot of questions about the effectiveness of unconventional monetary policy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2023

International law and halting the authoritarian drift

In a globalized world, the task of containing rising authoritarianism cannot be left to individual countries, because one rogue leader’s malfeasance can affect everyone.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2023

Lightweight school backpacks in spotlight in Japan

Many of the lightweight options, which resemble Japan's traditional randoseru leather school backpacks and offer similar features, are priced at more affordable levels.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 6, 2023

Twitter’s blue check apocalypse is upon us. Here’s what to know.

Changes on the social media site are likely to make it harder for users to discern real people from impersonators, while making posts from accounts that don't pay less visible.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Apr 3, 2023

Japanese preschools rush to install safety devices on buses for children

The transport ministry released specification guidelines for the devices in December, with a number of organizations quickly adopting the measures to enhance safety on their buses.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Apr 3, 2023

Aiming for zero waste, Hiroshima firms gear up for plastic recycling drive

A number of companies based in the prefecture are either developing their own recycling techniques or contributing to wider efforts to improve local environmental standards.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 3, 2023

Business innovations boost national recycling efforts

The Japanese have long embraced the need to protect and preserve the natural world, safeguarding our shared environment for generations to come. As a nation, the Japanese have been ahead of the game when it comes to initiatives such as recycling to conserve finite stocks of resources, helping to tackle...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 1, 2023

Planck Stars take their shenanigans on the road

The joke's on the naysayers: The idol-pop band of pranksters goes global with a world tour.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 31, 2023

Black Country, New Road ramps up the theatrics

Riding high on its triumphant Fuji Rock debut last summer, the British art-rock band returns to the country for its first Japan tour.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 30, 2023

‘Brats, Be Ambitious!’: Childhood friendships get dark

Set in the late 1980s, Shin Adachi's melodramatic coming-of-age film about a quartet of scrappy boys draws inspiration from Rob Reiner's 1986 classic “Stand By Me.”
Japan Times
Mar 30, 2023

Kotozna partners with Cross Language to support the multilingualization of websites using the multilingual chat tool "Kotozna laMondo"

Kotozna (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, CEO Genri Goto, https://kotozna.com/en) will form a business alliance with Cross Language Co., Ltd. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Mitsunobu Fukuda) from MARCH X, 2023 to support the multilingualization of corporate websites by utilizing the chat...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 29, 2023

Hawks load up to chase Buffaloes for 2023 Pacific League pennant

Orix retained most of the squad that helped it defend its PL title, but the Kyocera Dome residents will have to fend off plenty of challenges.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 28, 2023

North Korea unveils smaller nuclear warheads that may fit on variety of missiles

The unveiling came as leader Kim Jong Un ordered the boosted production of 'weapon-grade nuclear materials.'
BUSINESS / Longform
Mar 27, 2023

Can the return of international cruises bolster Japan’s beleaguered tourism industry?

The industry is struggling to deal with pandemic-induced challenges such as staff shortages and concerned residents near ports.

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