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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 12, 2014

West versus Islamic State: the ransom dilemma

The refusal to pay ransoms to terrorists can seem callous, but in truth it is the only ethical policy. Governments that pay ransoms to save some of their citizens' lives put the remainder of their citizens — and others — at greater risk.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 10, 2014

And the Mud Ship Sails Away: Knee-deep in it without a care in the world

After premiering at the 2013 Tokyo International Film Festival, Hirobumi Watanabe's slacker comedy "Soshite Dorobune wa Yuku (And the Mud Ship Sails Away)" became an international festival favorite, and it's easy to see why.
WORLD
Dec 7, 2014

Slain U.S. photojournalist remembered as passionate free-thinker

An American photojournalist who U.S. officials say was executed by al-Qaida militants in Yemen was a passionate free-thinker known for his rich portrayals of pro-Democracy protests and life, friends said on Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Dec 5, 2014

Nagoya YWCA offers language classes with day care

The Nagoya YWCA School of Japanese Language in Aichi Prefecture has added a "Bambina" course to its curriculum.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 3, 2014

Screen icon's son brings women's rights to the stage

"Since I was a child, I always wanted to devote my life to film as my father did," Kenta Fukasaku said during a recent chat in which his late, great role model, the charismatic movie director Kinji Fukasaku, often figured.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 3, 2014

NNTT's 'Don Carlo' adds politics to love

Although still only 41, the conductor Pietro Rizzo has already performed close to 50 different opera titles around the world, and he's now back in Japan with Giuseppe Verdi's "Don Carlo" — his third production for the New National Theatre, Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 2, 2014

With all parties opposed to tax hike, policy debates ring vague

Official campaigning for the Dec. 14 Lower House election started Tuesday, but voter enthusiasm remains low.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 1, 2014

What to buy, where to go: 40 steps to maximum merriment this Christmas in Japan

From meeting Pikachu in Fukushima to a laughter ritual in Osaka, here are dozens of ways to make sure you make the most of the festive season.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Dec 1, 2014

Iwate's Randall stays focused on winning

The Japan Times features periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. Scootie Randall of the Eastern Conference-leading Iwate Big Bulls is the subject of this week's profile.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Nov 30, 2014

Video shop worker jolted into career as diversity advocate

When the Great Hanshin Earthquake hit in January 1995, Taro Tamura, then 23, was quick to sense the need in foreign communities for disaster-related information.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 29, 2014

Debating milk, names and workplace blues

Milk — liquid innocence. If milk lets you down, what won't? It looks healthy, tastes healthy — surely it is healthy? Appearances, we know, are deceiving; still, this particular illusion dies hard.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 29, 2014

Mirei Shigemori: at home with stone

Between the years 1924 and 1975, Mirei Shigemori (1896-1975) designed more than 180 gardens in Japan, an extraordinary creative output by any standard.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Nov 29, 2014

The Columbia Anthology of Japanese Essays

Not exactly essays, not exactly poems, zuihitsu — a uniquely Japanese genre of literature — may be hard to define, but they are delightfully easy to read. "The Columbia Anthology of Japanese Essays," edited and translated by Steven D. Carter, presents a definitive collection of this genre, written...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 27, 2014

Shadowy Chinese agency woos Taiwanese to win island back

Ever since a civil war split the two sides more than 60 years ago, China has viewed Taiwan as a renegade province that needs to be absorbed into the mainland. To that end, the Taiwanese businessmen working in China form a beachhead in a war of hearts and minds.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Nov 26, 2014

This teacher's seen more ESL acronyms than you've had hot dinners

Even after long years teaching English in Japan, he still views himself as an avant-garde teaching artist, as can be seen by what insists he now be called: The Adjunct Instructor Formerly Known as Bob.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Nov 25, 2014

Grand Prix Final places on line at NHK Trophy

Yuzuru Hanyu's expected return to the ice won't be the only drama unfolding this week in the NHK Trophy at Osaka's Namihaya Dome, where spots in the Grand Prix Final will also be on the line.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Nov 25, 2014

Jordan's global impact transcended racial, economic boundaries

The Japan Times will be running excerpts from Hall of Fame writer Sam Smith's new book "There Is No Next: NBA Legends on the Legacy of Michael Jordan" over the next few months. This marks the first installment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 24, 2014

With ethics classes receiving upgrade in 2018, worries of nationalism rise

Starting in the 2018 academic year, so-called "dotoku" (moral education) will be part of the regular curriculum in elementary and junior high schools, instead of its current status as an "activity outside the set subjects."
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 21, 2014

Award-winning American director Mike Nichols dies at 83

Mike Nichols, a nine-time Tony Award winner on Broadway and the Oscar-winning director of films such as "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," "The Graduate" and "Carnal Knowledge," died on Wednesday at age 83, ABC News said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 19, 2014

Hurt-till-you-laugh approach to making comedies

When Yosuke Fujita's debut feature "Zenzen Daijobu (Fine, Totally Fine)" started making the international festival rounds in 2008, it charmed nearly everyone who saw it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 19, 2014

Open Windows: 'Sliding into the creep zone'

What has happened to Elijah Wood? The former child star whose career out-survived most of his contemporaries is slipping further and further into the creep zone. In the decade since his signature role as Frodo in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, his roles have gone from nerdy and vulnerable to nerdy...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Nov 19, 2014

Jamaican sisters come bearing victuals and vibes

Baye McNeil profiles two Jamaican women who have built thriving careers for themselves in the Land of the Rising Sun, half a planet away from the Land of Wood and Water.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 15, 2014

Shrinking well: Is depopulation affecting Japan's energy, climate goals?

Keishi looks a lot like it did when Toshiko Nakamura first moved there four decades ago. The quiet farming community in Nagano Prefecture is a patchwork of verdant rice fields, lush kitchen gardens and picturesque post-and-beam houses nestled between pine and chestnut trees on the slopes of Mount Hijiri....
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2014

Battle against Ebola raises ethical questions

The tiny number of Ebola cases in rich countries — and the ensuing panic-inducing headlines and quarantine measures — have brought home the global nature of infectious disease today.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 13, 2014

Atom Egoyan raises demons in 'Devil's Knot'

When three children were murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993, the case quickly developed into a massive media spectacle.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 12, 2014

Ecotherapy Getaway Holiday: Finding feminism on the way to a waterfall

Doesn't every kid imagine being lost in the woods?

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