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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 11, 2015

Hoodie Monks mix beats with their Buddhism

The Hoodie Monks bring together two cultures that might at first seem like unlikely partners: Buddhism and hip-hop.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 11, 2015

Sapphire Slows looks to build on her past lo-fi success

'I get asked, 'How can you make it as a musician?' and I really think it's all about mental strength," says Kinuko Hiramatsu, who produces music under the name Sapphire Slows.
EDITORIALS
Oct 11, 2015

Smog returns to Southeast Asia

Consumers can help pressure palm oil companies to stop using fire to clear land in Indonesia by supporting products certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Oct 10, 2015

Saitama's 'Little Edo' is big on Japan's colorful history

As my smartphone clock flashes from 11:59 a.m. to 12 p.m., I watch the visitors to Kawagoe, in Saitama Prefecture wipe the sweat from their foreheads and direct their attention toward a more primitive form of time keeping — the Toki no Kane (Bell of Time) tower in the middle of the town square.
EDITORIALS
Oct 10, 2015

Raise nursery school salaries

Increasing pay for preschool teachers would be a vital step in getting more women into the labor force, in particular by increasing capacity at nursery schools so more mothers could work.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 10, 2015

California gets first comprehensive regulations on medical marijuana

California Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday signed into law the state's first comprehensive regulations on medical marijuana, two decades after legalization fueled disparate local rules, a gray market in cultivation and concerns about the ease of obtaining the drug.
EDITORIALS
Oct 9, 2015

Nobels in medicine and physics

Japan can take great pride in its two Nobel Prizes this week, but the honor should also remind the government of the needs for robust support for basic research.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 9, 2015

Belarus vote sets stage for Putin duel with EU

For an election deemed unnoticeable by international observers, there will be plenty of global attention when Belarus votes for president on Sunday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 9, 2015

Abe counts on Kato to reverse sliding birthrate, labor exodus in aging Japan

Prime Minister Abe is counting on his new minister in charge of population decline to inspire imitators. He's a father of four.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 8, 2015

Ocean heat wave harming world's coral reefs this year: experts

Corals reefs are suffering a severe underwater heat wave this year for the third time on record, including a mysterious warm patch in the Pacific known as "The Blob," scientists said on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 7, 2015

Australians should follow India's presidential model

As Australia grapples with whether to become a republic, it should look to India for guidance.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 7, 2015

Fukuoka honors Asians for work to preserve and reinvent culture

The Fukuoka Prize is awarded to three Asians for their contributions to 'preserving and creating the unique and diverse cultures' of the continent.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 6, 2015

Abe pledges ¥45 billion to Sri Lanka for airport development

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday pledged ¥45 billion in loans to expand Sri Lanka's sole international airport.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Oct 4, 2015

We are family: cats Tencha and Sencha

Found huddled in terror by the side of the road, blind kitten Tencha escaped certain death when he was rescued.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 4, 2015

Brazil: cutting emissions by fighting deforestation

With an incredible 41 percent reduction in emissions since 2005, Brazil is creating an environmental model for the entire world.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 4, 2015

Feeding strategy of blue whales revealed

The blue whale is the largest creature on Earth and perhaps the biggest that ever lived, so it is no surprise it has a huge appetite. But the strategies this behemoth uses to get enough food has not been well understood — until now.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Oct 3, 2015

Don't be green about the charm of tatami

When we were thinking of buying a condominium, we visited several old danchi — apartments built by Japan's former public housing corporation — because they were cheap and, we thought, easy to renovate. One of the units we inspected had bedroom floors made of tatami mats, and we wondered if we could...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Oct 3, 2015

Sled dogs in an age of climate change

When I first went to the Canadian Arctic in 1958, sled dogs were a part of life for the indigenous Inuit and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and part of the scenery and the soundscape for everyone in those frigid far-northern reaches.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2015

Kuroda's retreat from bonds stymied by expectations for more BOJ stimulus

With the economy weakening markedly, banks are flocking to longer-dated government debt on expectations the Bank of Japan will expand its stimulus program. That's creating fresh challenges for BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda, who's trying to get banks to buy fewer bonds and lend more.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 2, 2015

Ozzie the eagle dead after live-streamed duel with love rival in Florida

A love triangle between bald eagles that played out before thousands of fans on a live webcam has ended badly in Florida with the death of Ozzie, longtime mate of Harriet, according to a Florida wildlife clinic.
EDITORIALS
Sep 30, 2015

Bar exam system needs reform

The system for choosing who writes questions for the bar exam is in need of a major revamp in light of the recent scandal involving a Meiji University professor.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 29, 2015

U.S.-Japan environmental agreement on U.S. bases flawed, experts say

The new accord allows Japanese officials access to U.S. military bases in Japan to conduct environmental surveys, but experts question its effectiveness.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2015

FOIA documents reveal hot spots, fish kills and toxic dumps on Okinawa military base

Following an 18-month battle, the Pentagon has released records detailing serious contamination on Okinawa base land slated soon for return to civilian use.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 29, 2015

Abe, regional leaders use U.S. visit to showcase Japan

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may be in New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly, but he is also busy using the visit to promote Japan as the place to do business.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 28, 2015

With eye on succeeding Abe, Ishiba launches own LDP faction

Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight and current minister for regional revitalization Shigeru Ishiba launched his own faction within the ruling party Monday, with an eye toward succeeding Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as the party's next president.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 28, 2015

India should create its own Silicon Valley

Indian tech companies have focused on low value-added IT services rather than developing high value-added products. It's time for a change.

Longform

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