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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 4, 2016

Beijing rock dies before it gets old with latest club closure

Mao Live House, a legendary live rock music venue in Beijing, shut its doors on the weekend, the latest closure to hit China's music scene.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 1, 2016

Jobs help sink Japan's sub bid

In the end the government was not prepared to pay the biggest political cost of all, which is domestic electoral consequences of any decision that laid waste to still more manufacturing jobs in the state of South Australia.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 1, 2016

Ahead of rare North Korea Congress, money trumps party for most

Kim Dan-bi's brother is the model of the establishment North Korean: an army veteran and member of the ruling Workers' Party, he is now a manager at a state enterprise.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 30, 2016

Idols put Band-Aids on fragile male egos

Two cities in Tottori Prefecture have set up a facility called the Tottori Deai Support Center, which is a kind of matchmaking service for young residents. In December it published a pamphlet to help people looking for mates better understand what the opposite sex wanted.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 30, 2016

Hakone in hot water: Romance, gimlets and raunchy 'onsen'

"I think they're having an affair," murmurs my companion, the ever-observant Megumi. She nods at a middle-aged couple sitting next to us on the "Romance Car," the limited express train that links Tokyo and the hot-spring resort of Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 30, 2016

Japan's meek media kowtows to the government

Last week I compared the Catholic Church in Boston and Japan's "nuclear village" of atomic-power advocates — two powerful institutions that stifled embarrassing revelations for some time. The Oscar-winning film "Spotlight" depicts the comeuppance of the church hierarchy after investigative reporters...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Apr 30, 2016

Our picks from Salone del Mobile Milano 2016

As always, Japan was well-represented at Salone del Mobile Milano last month, with Sou Fujimoto creating a forest of spotlights for clothing retailer H&M's COS brand, Panasonic's "Kukan — The Invention of Space" installation, as well as separate exhibitions, including the Experimental Creations showcase...
EDITORIALS
Apr 29, 2016

A bold new vision for Saudi Arabia

Can Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman end Saudi Arabia's economic addiction to oil?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 29, 2016

Why Japan lost Aussie sub bid

The botched bidding process for a contract to build submarines for Australia's navy was an important lesson for Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2016

The next nuclear disaster may be intentional

Nuclear reactors are likely terrorist targets and not enough is being done to protect them.
Reader Mail
Apr 28, 2016

In defense of Japan's moral standards

Popular TV personality Becky and Diet member Kensuke Miyazaki were both recently caught in cheating scandals. Both cases involved the breaking of marital vows and in both instances the public figures involved suffered harsh consequences.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 28, 2016

House husbands gaining acceptance in Japan as gender stereotypes ease

One weekend afternoon in March, some 30 single men and women gathered at a matchmaking event in Tokyo's Yotsuya district in the hope of meeting their future partner. What was unusual was that the participants comprised men willing to become stay-at-home house husbands and women looking for such a partner....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 27, 2016

Van Sant plots a bleak hike through Aokigahara

At least Arthur Brennan didn't want sushi, an AKB48 concert or a night out on the town with a maiko (trainee geisha) on his arm. As Japan's ranking soars on the international travelers' destination lists, the more cliched their itineraries seem to get. But Matthew McConaughey's Brennan of Gus Van Sant's...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 27, 2016

Clinton dominates in Hollywood endorsements and cash

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' positions on fracking, free tuition and breaking up big banks wouldn't sound out of place in an Oscar winning-actor's acceptance speech.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 25, 2016

Hayao Miyazaki's films provide inspiration for You Say Party music video

You Say Party has a knack for getting pop culture references into its music videos. Past works have given visual nods to both "Twin Peaks" and "Little Red Riding Hood," and the four-piece's latest pays homage to Japanese animator and Studio Ghibli co-founder, Hayao Miyazaki.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 24, 2016

Famed African musician Papa Wemba dies during Cote d'Ivoire festival

Congolese rumba music legend Papa Wemba died after collapsing on stage in the Cote d'Ivoire in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to the private morgue where his body was taken.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 23, 2016

Ebb tide for press freedoms in Shinzo Abe's Japan

A perfect storm is descending on freedom of the press in Japan: The country just sank to No. 72 in the global press freedom ranking issued Wednesday by Reporters Without Borders, down from No. 11 in 2010. And David Kaye, the U.N. special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Apr 22, 2016

Kawaguchi developed unique training skills overseas

Masafumi Kawaguchi is not interested in the past. Not even in his brilliant American football career.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2016

Scientists give the tree of life a brand-new look

Humans are the only animal that has the power to choose which limbs of the tree of life survive.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 21, 2016

China eyes deeper military ties with Afghanistan

China wants to have deeper military ties with Afghanistan, including counterterrorism intelligence cooperation and joint drills, a senior Chinese officer told a visiting Afghan envoy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 20, 2016

Dispatches from the Kumamoto quake zone

Personal accounts relate tales of kindness and resilience after the initial confusion and panic of last week's deadly temblors.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Apr 20, 2016

Loeb's pick to run 7-Eleven operator faces next task: boosting margins

The head of 7-Eleven convenience stores in Japan survived an attempt by his boss to remove him and emerged as president at Seven & I Holdings Co. His next hurdles: turn around weaker units and navigate a leadership transition at the country's largest retailer.

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