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COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2016

Electric cars take a back seat to SUVs in China

The Chinese government is determined to make the smog-choked country a leader in eco-friendly electric cars, but consumers prefer big gas guzzlers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2016

Histories that shouldn't be secret

U.S. President Barack Obama should release classified documents on the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba in 1961.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2016

Time to take sides in the war within Islam

We must acknowledge that two Islams are locked in a fight to the death, and that because the battlefield is the planet and the war threatens values that the West embraces, the fight is not solely the Muslims' affair.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Apr 17, 2016

Baby sitter option gains little traction amid parental reluctance

Nearly half of parents in Japan who responded to a recent survey by The Japan Times have considered using baby sitters but have not done so, with many citing lack of know-how on finding the right sitters as well as financial constraints.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 16, 2016

Donald Richie: The legacy of an entrenched view

The late Donald Richie lived at apartment number 804 in a block directly facing Shinobazu Pond in Tokyo's Ueno Park. The writer would lead visitors through his home's dimly lit entrance area — crammed with bookshelves — and his minuscule living room to the balcony, beneath which a vast lotus pond...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 16, 2016

Minimalist family 'camping' in the foothills of Mount Fuji

The birds are singing, the wind is rustling in the forest and sunlight is filtering through the treetops. So far, so idyllic — until my 3-year-old releases a primal bird-scattering shriek as she thrusts an axe into a piece of wood.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Apr 16, 2016

Anime biz sings the praises of shows

The first time I attended AnimeJapan, the industry's annual spring showcase in Odaiba, Tokyo, it was called the Tokyo International Anime Fair. Members of the public couldn't enter during the first two days, amateur cosplay (costume play) was prohibited, and while there were some presentations, most...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 14, 2016

Is 'Abeggedon' approaching?

As the yen heads to 100 against the dollar, economists are fretting over Japan's $10 trillion debt monster.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 14, 2016

Japan human rights improve but problems persist: U.S. State Department

Human rights in Japan have improved in some areas, the U.S. State Department said Thursday in an annual survey of nations worldwide, but it listed a slew of failings that remain unaddressed.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2016

Record 33 percent of Japanese put individual interests first

A record 33.9 percent of Japanese people believe that individual interests should be given priority over the interests of the entire public, a Cabinet Office survey showed Saturday.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Apr 8, 2016

April 9, 2016

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Apr 8, 2016

Tokyo bartender revives a 19th-century cocktail ingredient

The unsung hero of traditional Japanese cuisine is mirin, a deliciously sweet liquor made from sticky rice. Mirin is an essential cooking ingredient, used to balance the salty sharpness of soy sauce and to add luster to glazes. But prior to becoming a common fixture in the kitchen, the sugary beverage...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / EVENTS AND INFORMATION
Apr 8, 2016

Ritz-Carlton, Osaka, expands menu with Japanese restaurant re-opening

The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka's Japanese restaurant Hanagatami reopened its doors to the public after completing renovations on March 4, welcoming guests on a new culinary journey.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 7, 2016

Exoskeleton suit mimics life's creaks, weaknesses at 85 to boost awareness

With the push of a button, a perfectly healthy 34-year-old museum-goer named Ugo Dumont was transformed into a confused 85-year-old man with cataracts, glaucoma and a ringing in his ears known as tinnitus.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2016

Turkey's President Erdogan gambles and loses

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's personal ambitions are causing Turkey incessant, avoidable problems.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2016

Chinese firm wants to turn the world's lights on

The idea of an electricity 'supergrid' that can power the world is now technically feasible and the chairman of the world's wealthiest power company wants to make it a reality.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 5, 2016

'Revalue Nippon Project: Hidetoshi Nakata's Favorite Japanese Kogei'

April 9-June 5
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 5, 2016

'The Posters of Ikko Tanaka'

April 5-June 19
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 5, 2016

Time to include teachers in textbook selections

Teachers are professionals who are less likely to be swayed by special interest groups. It's time to give them a louder voice in the textbook selection process.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 4, 2016

Luckily for English speakers, machine translation still can't match a native's touch

The consensus is that translation will one day inevitably be taken over by computers — but we're not there yet.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 4, 2016

Abenomics failure explained

It's taken two Nobel laureates to point out how Abe has squandered a rare opportunity to shake up Japan Inc.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 4, 2016

Australian foreign minister says Britain should stay in EU

Australia wants Britain to stay in the European Union, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said, weeks before Britain holds a referendum on EU membership.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 3, 2016

Seeking Japanese courses for mature students; reconnecting with a lost mother

A British reader is keen to come to Japan and learn the language, and a woman in the U.S. hopes to get in contact with her Japanese birth mother.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 2, 2016

Finding the locus of David Mitchell

David Mitchell's world is always growing. Raised in England's West Midlands, Mitchell lived in London for a time before moving to Japan in 1994 — while he was in his 20s — to work as an English teacher. After eight years in Hiroshima, he returned to the U.K. to launch his career as a novelist.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2016

Mammoth burger? Ghostbuster device? Japan enjoys a range of April fools

Japanese firms served up lots of fun on April Fools' Day for those sharp enough to spot the joke.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 31, 2016

Ryuichi Sakamoto offers his thoughts on politics, Japan and how his music will change 'post-cancer'

"The Professor" is back in town. Last weekend, Ryuichi Sakamoto took the stage at Tokyo Opera City for the debut concert of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, a 105-strong ensemble of young musicians from Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, which counts him as its musical director.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 31, 2016

North Korea in 'top-speed dash' for May congress, Kim's nuclear policy

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is poised to declare his signature ruling policy during a rare party congress in May and, despite tough new U.N. sanctions, it is likely to be the twin pursuit of nuclear prowess and economic development.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 29, 2016

How Sharp is denting the Japan brand

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should use his bully pulpit to shakeup corporate Japan and bolster competitiveness.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 29, 2016

Review: Gwen Stefani at Zepp DiverCity

It has been almost 10 years since Gwen Stefani's last solo album, "The Sweet Escape" (December 2006). But the woman who bounded on stage to "Wind it Up" at Zepp DiverCity on March 16 exuded just as much energy as she did the last time she performed in Tokyo in 2007.

Longform

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