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COMMENTARY / World
Sep 14, 2016

Quest for a moral compass

The Cultural Revolution tore China's social fabric and transformed the society into a dog-eat-dog world, the vestiges of which are still felt today.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 11, 2016

Missile spat can't diminish China's K-pop love

In the war for Chinese hearts and minds, South Korean soap stars are clearly the winners.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 3, 2016

Students visit Tokyo mosque to get unbiased glimpse of Islam

A recent wave of terror has fueled anti-Muslim hostility worldwide, fostering a negative image of Islam — a faith still unfamiliar in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 12, 2016

Art Fair Tokyo to feature more overseas representation and lower prices at this year's event

Every year, Tokyo becomes a hot spot for art and, every year, newcomers to the scene consider taking the plunge and buying their first piece. Now in its 11th year, Art Fair Tokyo hopes to make things a little easier on first-time buyers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 24, 2016

Fed up with bland cars, automakers tap anime for 'J-factor' inspiration

Some of Japan's top automakers, with a reputation for quality performance wrapped in often bland design, are turning to the country's pop culture to give them the "J-factor" and help set them apart in a world of growing look-alikes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2016

Japan's indie acts make an impact in New York without the help of 'Cool Japan'

Music industry extravaganza South by Southwest (SXSW) is over and, as always, some of the Japanese acts were able to make it to New York while they were in the country.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Feb 27, 2016

Japan's cult brands get into character

When the topic turns to "Cool Japan" and the various related efforts to capitalize on Japan's indubitable cultural capital internationally, commendation — or more frequently the lack thereof — is easy to come by. The question of how Japan markets its own culture domestically, however, is a largely...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jan 24, 2016

Eating crow on the issue of the clever critters we consume

The controversies surrounding the eating of various animals in our modern world are numerous: the hunting of bluefin tuna to near-extinction; eating shark fin soup (in which only the fin is used and the rest of the shark is often discarded); the consumption of dogs in various Asian countries; the use...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 19, 2015

Takashi Murakami's reluctant homecoming

Ebisu Yokocho has never looked so fabulous. It's the night before Halloween and costumed women with talon-like nails and feathered eyelashes snake their way through a boisterous crowd crammed into this narrow alley of food stalls and bars. The smell of booze and grilled meat mingles with the scent of...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Oct 25, 2015

In Japan, adultery can cost you your job as well as your marriage

Companies must be able to prove that specific damage has been done to their business if they want to fire cheating workers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 5, 2015

Briefly maligned, bilingual rappers gain visibility

English words and phrases have been a part of the Japanese MC's arsenal since hip-hop culture began making inroads here in the early to mid-1980s.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2015

India and Israel start to see enemies within

Right-wing demagogues emerging in both India and Israel seek to forge a new national identity by stigmatizing particular religious and secular groups.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2015

Consultation center offers insights for firms looking at business in Japan

Different customs and cultures are part of the experience when visiting another country.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2015

METI considers 'kimono day' to revive industry, cash in on tourism

Sometime next year, expect to see colorful kimono-clad commuters winding their way through the morning rush hour in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki Station, the main hub for government workers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / TELLING LIVES
May 13, 2015

Nagoya DJ brings Japanese history to life

Chris Glenn's participation in relief efforts in the disaster-hit Tohoku region made the news in 2011, when as a member of a group of pilots he flew a helicopter to deliver food, water and medicines for evacuees.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Apr 8, 2015

Do Western men have it bad in Japan? Readers discuss

A small selection of the large number of comments received in response to Olga Garnova's recent column, 'Spare a thought for Western men trapped in Japan.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 1, 2015

Exporting ‘Wild Style’: Fab 5 Freddy remembers when Bronx hip-hop invaded Tokyo

Flashback to the Japan of 1983: Childish idol Seiko Matsuda was topping the charts, Japanese guys were trying to dress like Boy George and kids in discos vainly watched themselves dance in floor-to-ceiling mirrors as Frankie told them to "Relax." Believe it or not, this is the exact moment hip-hop hit...
Japan Times
JAPAN / HOTEL SPECIAL 2014
Oct 24, 2014

Respecting other cultures leads to success

ANA, Japan's premiere airline and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) began a joint venture, ANA InterContinental, in 2006, becoming the largest international hotel operator in Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2014

Structure self with propriety, Confucius said

When President Xi Jinping addressed the International Confucian Association to mark the 2,565th anniversary of the birth of Confucius, he did not remind listeners that Mao Zedong had launched a nationwide campaign to flame the philosopher.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Sep 26, 2014

New markets may save Japan's manga exports

The North American manga business took a beating last decade. After peaking around 2005-06, the lethal storm of oversaturated shelves, a collapsing U.S. financial industry and the bankruptcy of major American bookstore chain, Borders, left publishers and distributors in a panic. Downsizing, restructuring...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Aug 25, 2014

Use them or lose them: There's more at stake than language in reviving Ryukyuan tongues

With the last speakers of the Ryukyuan languages dying out, an identity is vanishing too.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Jun 29, 2014

Cartoonist Ernst captured 'fish-out-of-water' gaijin as they floundered

Having often been told by the Japanese that he would 'never understand' their culture because he was not one of them, American cartoonist Tim Ernst decided to embrace this notion and deploy it creatively.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 3, 2013

Nori represents Japan at BC One breakdancing competition

This past weekend's Red Bull BC One breakdancing event in Seoul was something of a battle of titans.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 23, 2013

Back to the future: Shinto's growing influence in politics

Immaculate and ramrod straight in a crisp, black suit, Japan's education minister, Hakubun Shimomura, speaks like a schoolteacher — slowly and deliberately.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 19, 2013

Japan's juke scene gears up to go foot to foot with Chicago

I am at Battle Train Tokyo, the first official footwork dance tournament in Japan. It's being held at Kata, a gallery in the capital's Ebisu district. Sixteen dancers have signed up in the hope of becoming Japan's footwork champion, which comes with a ¥50,000 cash prize and a small championship belt...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices
Nov 4, 2013

No safe country for foreign women: the debate

Holly Lanasolyluna's article published Oct. 23 attracted an unprecedented number of online comments. More than 5,000 people also answered the accompanying poll about safety in Japan. Here are just some of the mails and comments.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?