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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 21, 2020

Singapore’s new city of the future is its greenest project yet

The project is part of the city-state's effort to reduce a carbon footprint that's bigger than some countries that are 50 times its size.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 6, 2020

Suga's rejection of nominees to top advisory body prompts calls for reform

The way the council chooses its members has prompted criticism and calls for reform from supporters and opponents of Suga's decision.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / The Great Reset
Sep 29, 2020

Smart cities need smarter governance

Opening up localities to artificial intelligence and big data needs regulation to ensure it gets off the ground.
Japan Times
ESG CONSORTIUM
Aug 31, 2020

Possible tech for more viable recycling

More than half of the total output of plastic waste in Japan is currently used for thermal recycling. A new joint venture company, R Plus Japan Ltd., consisted of 12 cross-industry companies within the plastic supply chain, aims to introduce a new and more sustainable way of recycling that makes it possible...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 23, 2020

Good design gets a handle on eco-bags

Since the kickoff of plastic bag fees at shops in Japan, there's been no shortage of new eco-bags. “On: Design” has a few designer alternatives to the tote.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 11, 2020

Should Tokyo ban TikTok and WeChat?

I had not used TikTok until yesterday. My niece in her mid-20s said she had stopped using the TikTok app — a Chinese-owned video-sharing social networking service — because it's best suited for teenagers. After downloading and trying the app for a while, I deleted it because she was right.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 9, 2020

Trump signs coronavirus relief orders after talks with Congress break down

President Donald Trump signed executive orders on Saturday partly restoring enhanced unemployment payments to the tens of millions of Americans who lost jobs in the coronavirus pandemic, as the United States marked a grim milestone of 5 million cases.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 8, 2020

Chilling Japanese ghost tales with contemporary twists to help you beat the summer heat

Here's a look at modern takes on Japanese ghost stories that will give you chills and thrills during Japan's spookiest time of year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 30, 2020

Musician Marihiko Hara delivers 'Passion' project drawing on the sacred and unfamiliar

Marihiko Hara creates a sense of coexistence with the piano and electronic sounds on his new album, “Passion.”
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 26, 2020

Misty Fujii: 'I love when music was original and raw'

Involved with Black Lives Matter Kansai, DJ Misty Fujii also delivers a stream of soul classics via online radio.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2020

U.S. adds 11 companies to economic blacklist over China's treatment of Uighurs

The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday added 11 Chinese companies implicated in what it called human rights violations in connection with China's treatment of its Uighurs in Xinjiang in western China to the U.S. economic blacklist.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Jul 18, 2020

Jewels on the table: The allure of mamezara

Mamezara plates demonstrate immense technical precision and a playful spirit not evident in larger dishware, and open a door to a world of beauty.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 7, 2020

Arrested under new law, Hong Kong protesters get swabbed for DNA

Police made their first arrests last week under a sweeping new security law imposed by China, taking 10 protesters into custody.
Japan Times
ESG CONSORTIUM
Jun 17, 2020

Work toward sustainability recognized with awards

The Japan Times launched the ESG Consortium in 2018 to help disseminate English information of engaged parties by covering their activities and organizing symposiums among other supportive measures. ESG stands for “environmental, social and governance.” These factors are increasingly considered essential...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 30, 2020

Japanese whisky is breaking records at global auction houses

When a bottle of Karuizawa 52-year-old Zodiac Rat sold for a record price at auction in March 2020, the sale proved Japan's whisky is serious business.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 28, 2020

Composer Joe Hisaishi opens up to streaming

Film composer Joe Hisaishi says he is writing more as a result of COVID-19, but is determined not to write about the pandemic itself.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 11, 2020

Japanese books to get you through a lockdown

With "staying in" now the new "going out," housebound activities have become officially the cool thing to do. But what if you’re stuck for a good book? Read on to see four of our critics’ top reads for an extended period of self-isolation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Mar 28, 2020

'Grit, Grace, and Gold' review: The Olympics are postponed, but this book's a winner

On the surface, sports and haiku are an incongruous mix but, as Nagamura notes in the introduction, 'Writing good haiku involves the same attention to grace, balance, strength, bravery, restraint and observation that propels athletes to their peak.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 24, 2020

Entrance fee to Mount Fuji to become mandatory

An expert committee that advises the “Mount Fuji World Cultural Heritage Council” working group comprised of prefectures such as Yamanashi and Shizuoka, had confirmed a discussion as of (Feb.) 18th for an entrance fee for Mount Fuji.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2020

Want to know if COVID-19 was there before you?

No one is using big data as effectively as South Korea to combat the coronavirus, even if it gets a little personal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 22, 2020

‘33⅓ Japan’ has nerdy but accessible tales of albums and artists

With the '33u2153 Japan' series, music aficionados bring classic Japanese albums and artists to life in nerdy, but accessible, prose.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / Children's Literature in Japan
Feb 15, 2020

Shuntaro Tanikawa: Acclaimed poet, beloved children's author

The best in children's literature earns devout adult fans too, and perhaps no other Japanese writer embodies such cross-generational popularity than Shuntaro Tanikawa.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Davos Special 2020,Tackling Marine Plastic Waste
Jan 20, 2020

Islands of abundant nature spoiled by ocean waste

Situated in the Sea of Japan and wedged between the Kyushu region of southwestern Japan and the Korean Peninsula, Tsushima is a group of islands with a resident population of 30,000 people. The blue, clear ocean waters encircling Tsushima are a popular spot for fishing and marine sports, while on the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Jan 18, 2020

A toast to mingei: The significance of unknown craftsmen

What is so special about mingei (folk crafts)? For Muneyoshi Yanagi it was significant that ordinary, unknown and largely uneducated craftsmen used natural materials to make objects that were sublimely beautiful.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Jan 11, 2020

A toast to mingei: Shining a light on new uses for objects both venerable and hardworking

In Jeffrey Montgomery's Lake Lugano home, items that are no longer used in everyday life in Japan, or that might even be at risk of being thrown away, find new purpose and bring new charm.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Jan 11, 2020

Kokubunji: Signs of the times on Tokyo's western front

Named for its temple, history and legend flow through Kokubunji.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Dec 28, 2019

A toast to mingei: Living with the rustic beauty of Japanese folk crafts

Jeffrey Montgomery began collecting mange (Japanese folk crafts) about 40 years ago and has now accumulated more than 800 pieces. He believes mingei is an important part of humanity's shared heritage.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?