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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Jun 2, 2013

Language no barrier to multimedia Jon Kabira

With a long rousing cry of “Goooooooood Mooooorning Tooookyoooooooooooo!” Jon Kabira launches into his weekly radio show “JK Radio — Tokyo United” every Friday at 6 a.m. on J-Wave.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 2, 2013

Crony capitalism: corruption, disparities and stifled initiative

Crony capitalism is the scourge of contemporary Asia, lining pockets and diverting resources in ways that systematically undermine the public interest, accentuate disparities, sap innovative and entrepreneurial impulses — while also subverting governance.
Reader Mail
Jun 2, 2013

Mayor's unconvincing retort

The May 28 front-page article "Hashimoto looks to deflect sex slave blame" seems to suggest in some way that Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto has a valid point, when it should be made clear that he does not.
COMMENTARY / World
May 31, 2013

Harder battle over Benghazi

Many conservatives suspect that the U.S. State Department, with the White House in a supporting role, deceived the public about the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. This conspiratorial narrative is, in all probability, false.
COMMENTARY / World
May 27, 2013

The irresponsible part of the debt-growth row

Stanford economist calls rival economist Paul Krugman's notion that the U.S. can wait 10 to 15 years to start dealing with deficits and debt 'beyond irresponsible.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 26, 2013

Xenophobia stretches from the street to the dinner table

The territorial disputes between Japan and its nearest neighbors over the islands of Takeshima (Dokdo in Korean) and the Senkakus (Diaoyu in Chinese) have gradually faded from the front pages; but this does not necessarily mean there have been no repercussions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2013

Why China's developmental state says no to liberalism

Modern history is the story of how liberal democracy, originating in Britain and America, spread around the world. This may sound like an absurd fantasy. In actuality, this Whiggish narrative of progress underpins most newspaper editorials, political commentary and speeches in the West, and frames larger...
CULTURE / Books
May 19, 2013

Ranpo's novella of a desecrated grave continues to send shivers

There has long been a taste in Japan for the bizarre and abnormal. The experimental Taisho Era was no exception. A desire for sensory experience existed even in cinema. During a funeral scene, for example, an attendant might light sticks of incense in the theater, drawing the audience into the ritual....
Japan Times
WORLD
May 16, 2013

Houston, we have a superstar: Crooning astronaut Hadfield's enthusiasm goes viral down on Earth

Chris Hadfield, who crawled out of a space capsule on the plains of Kazakhstan early Tuesday, is dealing with gravity for the first time in five months and sudden global celebrity after singing a gone-viral made-in-space music video.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 16, 2013

Ryukyu sovereignty question simmers in China

The aim of China's questioning Japanese sovereignty over the Ryukyu Islands probably is to weaken Japan's claim to the disputed Senkaku Islands, which China calls the Diaoyus.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 12, 2013

Inose's lack of media savvy may have ruined Tokyo's Olympic bid

Two weeks ago, Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose gave an interview to the New York Times in which he violated International Olympic Committee rules by publicly bad-mouthing Istanbul and Madrid, the Japanese capital's two rivals to host the 2020 games.
COMMENTARY / World
May 9, 2013

Possible solution to Apple's cash-flow problem

It's possible that Apple's best long-term move would be to release a hefty portion of its unused cash to shareholders who would then plow it back into the economy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
May 5, 2013

Dai Tamesue: Japan's 'samurai hurdler' keeps rising to new challenges

Though word-class track athlete Dai Tamesue may have hung up his spikes, he has plenty of insights to share on how sports can play a bigger role in society.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 19, 2013

Unique vulnerability of the Boston Marathon

There is something unique about the vulnerability of marathoners and their supporters, emotional and physical, especially at the finish line and especially in Boston.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 18, 2013

Scroll displays the human side of Perry's arrival

"It's come pretty much out of nowhere," says British Museum curator Tim Clark, placing a small wooden box on the table — it's about the dimensions of a shoebox, slightly weathered and lightly inscribed with fluid kanji characters. "It was in Japan until last summer, where it belonged to a dealer, and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 12, 2013

'Sakura Namiki no Mankai no Shita ni (Cold Bloom)'

Grief doesn't have a sell-by date, not really. Decades after a loss, the absence is still felt, the memories remain.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 10, 2013

Why South Korea has already won

Pop stars, bourgeois lifestyle commentary and funny videos often seem to interest young South Koreans more than the latest provocation by the North.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 29, 2013

Revamped Kabukiza theater aims to charm a new audience

The Kabukiza is back — with big ambitions and aspirations to make the nation's classical theatrical entertainment more attractive to a 21st-century audience.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2013

Obama reveals support for 'strong Jewish state'

Operation Desert Schmooze, President Barack Obama's two-day charm offensive in Jerusalem last week, achieved its central goal of convincing Israelis that the U.S. president doesn't have horns.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2013

Japan Times, New York Times announce publishing agreement

Subscribers to two-section product, coming out Oct. 16, will also enjoy benefits in the digital domain.
PRESS / Corporate Trends
Mar 25, 2013

The Japan Times, New York Times announce publishing agreement for Japan

TOKYO — The Japan Times and The New York Times Company today announce a publishing agreement that will see the International New York Times packaged with The Japan Times in the Japan market. The combined product, which will be distributed Monday through Saturday, will be known as The Japan Times /...
SPORTS / PREMIER REPORT
Mar 22, 2013

Montenegro a challenge for England

It is a moment Jonathan Pearce will never forget.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 8, 2013

Veteran coach Nash has Toyama poised for playoff run

Stable leadership is as important to a team's success as hard-working players.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 8, 2013

'Arekara (Since Then)'

It's rare indeed that I ever wished a new Japanese film were longer — and I am not the only one. "This could be shorter by (name your number) minutes" is such a cliche of Japanese film reviewing and commentary that I inwardly groan every time I read or hear it; and yet more often than not, it's right....
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Mar 4, 2013

Werner, Jets salvage series split against Cinq Reves

Standing at the free-throw line, Chiba Jets big man Joe Werner appeared relaxed and confident during Sunday's game against the host Tokyo Cinq Reves. After all, it's a familiar place for him to be.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Mar 2, 2013

China's televised death march of foreign killers sparks debate

In an unusual action that quickly sparked debate online, Chinese authorities showed a live broadcast Friday of four foreign drug smugglers in their last hours before execution for killing 13 fishermen.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Feb 27, 2013

Glass may look geeky, but you have to applaud Google's vision

A few weeks ago, the chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt, spent four days in Cambridge as the Humanitas visiting professor in the university's Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, where I work. Afterward, one of the questions I was most frequently asked by people who hadn't been...

Longform

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