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COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2015

Islamic State's war on art

The Islamic State's destruction and sales of ancient artifacts is a crucial piece of its recruitment and financing strategies.
WORLD
May 18, 2015

Britain investigates sailor's disaster warning over nuclear subs

Britain's Royal Navy said Monday it has launched an inquiry after a sailor who served on its submarines armed with nuclear weapons said the vessels had major security flaws and were a "disaster waiting to happen."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
May 17, 2015

Black filmmakers 'find their edge' in Japan

This month's green-tinged Black Eye focuses on black filmmakers in Tokyo — a group of brothers forging their dreams into reality, getting it done here in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 16, 2015

Cruising the waves of Japan's culture

As the great ship surges into Tokyo Bay I'm on the prow, hair streaming in the wind, like Kate Winslet in "Titanic." Wooded crags come into view, dotted with buildings and the odd factory chimney. The buildings are modern, not wooden houses, but the crags are still much the same as Commodore Matthew...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 16, 2015

JCP gains ground, but not column inches

Years ago a Japanese acquaintance applied for a green card when her American husband decided to move back to the United States. Someone told her she should not say she once voted for the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) during her interview, otherwise U.S. Immigration would reject it. As far as I know,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 16, 2015

Japan's runners need a change of pace

In "The Way of the Runner," Adharanand Finn has written an entertaining account of Japan's obsession with long-distance running (and training). However, the problem is when he veers off the running track into the land of cliche. Consider this: Finn writes that bread only comes in packets of three slices,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 16, 2015

Marathon Japan

Thomas R.H. Havens warns us early in "Marathon Japan" that "the emphasis is on sports history, not the anthropology of running communities or body culture." What this means is that, for the most part, in place of analysis and interpretation we get facts, and those who aren't absolutely besotted with...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 15, 2015

Funassyi — Japan’s favorite shrieking pear

It's all going pear-shaped, and that's a good thing for Funabashi's popular mascot.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 14, 2015

Germany is Mercury, the U.S. is Mars

Washington has to realize that it is increasingly neglecting America's geoeconomic power in favor of its military dimension, at the cost of its influence.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 14, 2015

Maya Inoue makes a play to refine her father's theatrical legacy

Hisashi Inoue's death at the age of 75 on April 9, 2010, at his home in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, was a major event in the postwar Japanese theater world. It moved many dramatists to stage works by the great author and playwright who combined comedy and searing social and political commentary into...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 13, 2015

Kawabuchi chosen as new Japan Basketball Association president

Japan 2024 Task Force co-chairman Saburo Kawabuchi was officially elected as the new president of the Japan Basketball Association during an extraordinary council and board meeting on Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 12, 2015

A prosaic picture of Japan's rural decline

With all the current problems facing Japan's rural communities, "Salt of the Earth" at the Tokyo Gallery is a visual contribution to an ongoing debate on their value and survival. The rhetoric of the show espouses the humble virtues of life in Amami, a group of islands between Kagoshima and Okinawa,...
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2015

Why Putin treats fantasy as history

In the worldview of Russian President Vladimir Putin, winning matters more than truth.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 11, 2015

A woman's job in Japan: watch kids, care for parents, work late

Hiromi Nakasaki remembers working past midnight on New Year's Eve and during holidays as a business systems consultant in Japan's notoriously harsh work environment. Last summer, at the height of her career, she quit.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 10, 2015

Writers in Kyoto offers expats a forum to discuss state of publishing in Japan

Those who love the English language and the written word have always found like-minded souls to associate with, formally or informally, in cities where English-speaking expats and immigrants are located. In Japan, though, once one is outside Tokyo, such gatherings are rare.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 9, 2015

Dancing on the waves at Miyajima

"The mystery of the Orient is legendary . . . it was in the air the moment we stepped ashore in Kyoto, and now in Tokyo it began to envelop us." That's how Charlie Chaplin described his arrival in Japan. I'm not sure if the "Little Tramp" ever visited the island of Miyajima on any of his four trips to...
EDITORIALS
May 8, 2015

Honor the current Constitution

Amid the current effort to rewrite the Constitution, Japan should remember how well it has served the nation these past seven decades.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
May 8, 2015

Californian flavor conference explores green tea's versatility

Making the perfect cup of matcha — the frothy green tea served during Japanese tea ceremonies — requires skill. The trick is to use a bamboo whisk to whip the brew swiftly with a smooth back-and-forth motion of the wrist.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 5, 2015

'Sony Design: Making Modern'

April 29-June 14
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 5, 2015

'Feast of Beauty: 300 Years of Western Painting'

April 29-June 21
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2015

Australia's moral posturing at Indonesia is misguided

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was wrong to allow the execution of two convicted Australian drug traffickers to damage relations with Indonesia.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / EXPO MILANO 2015
May 3, 2015

Japan embraces global cuisines in 'washoku' culture

Japanese cuisine has never been as popular around the world as it is now. Sushi is available in the most unexpected places, and dishes like tempura, sashimi and teriyaki can be readily found, too. Japan itself is recognized as a mecca for great cuisine from all parts of the world, with the Michelin Red...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPO MILANO 2015
May 3, 2015

Ministries work hand in hand to shine spotlight on Japan

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has played a leading role in Japan's participation in World Expositions since Expo Osaka in 1970. This year, METI is acting as organizer together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) for the Japan Pavilion in Expo Milano 2015,...
Japan Times
WORLD
May 1, 2015

Italy hopes Milan's scandal-dogged Expo 2015 will feed economy, raise spirits

Italy opens the Milan Expo on Friday, torn between hopes that the showcase of global culture and technology will cheer up a gloomy national mood and fears that it will be overshadowed by scandal, delays and street protests.

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