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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 31, 2013

Fascinating glimpse into world of hacking

It is perhaps a little hard to remember now, but in 2010, there seemed to be a new global superpower. A superpower that acted in unorthodox ways, which was unaccountable and yet of the people, and that was above all nameless, faceless and, as it styled itself, Anonymous.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 29, 2013

Japan's love affair with Chekhov

"I have rarely seen a great production of any Chekhov play in Japan. Sometimes, I've even wanted to ask how they managed to make them so tedious."
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 24, 2013

All Miami Dolphins should have seen Obama

The case for declining a White House invitation because of political disagreement is weakest when the occasion is purely ceremonial and the president is acting as head of state.
Reference / Q&A
Aug 21, 2013

'Barefoot Gen' pulled as anti-war images strike too close to home?

The decision by the board of education of Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, to limit students' access to the manga series "Hadashi no Gen" ("Barefoot Gen") at school libraries continues to cause a stir. While some support the move, others say it disrespects the best-selling anti-war classic, which tells the...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 19, 2013

Will this be another lost opportunity with Iran?

As Iran's new 'moderate' president, Hassan Rouhani, called for renewed dialogue on uranium enrichment program, stubborn U.S senators seemed to block their ears.
JAPAN / Media
Aug 17, 2013

Gillette advertising campaign touts hairlessness as the new macho

Pouty supermodel No. 1 says she likes a man with a little hair on his chest, "but definitely not on his back."
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 17, 2013

Japan's China imperative: overcoming problems, repairing relations

There is speculation that quiet diplomacy may lead to a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and China's President Xi Jinping. Certainly there are good reasons to expect no meeting of minds on some crucial issues that divide the two nations, but these need not prevent their leaders sitting down together...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 16, 2013

Race to build water-grab dams endangers Himalayas

The future of the world's most famous mountain-range could be endangered by a vast dam-building project, as a risky regional race for water resources takes place in Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2013

How Russia's 'science of sex' threatens gays

Whatever is done to help sexual minorities in Russia, it must be done with an understanding that sex in Russia has a very different history than it does in the West.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 2, 2013

Could the PTA and bowling leagues breed extremists?

What if exposure to civic organizations — and not social isolation, per se — is more likely to contribute to the rise of extreme movements, including fascism?
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 30, 2013

Fairley tries to avoid spoilers but it's all part of the game

The standard opening line when speaking to someone about the TV series "Game of Thrones" basically amounts to a spoiler alert.
BUSINESS / BALANCING INTERESTS
Jul 22, 2013

Farmers stealing TPP spotlight from other key issues

While a great deal of political and media attention is focusing on what the Trans-Pacific Partnership might mean for Japan's agricultural sector, less is being devoted to how it could impact investor-state disputes and copyright laws, two controversial areas that present a growing challenge to forging...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 20, 2013

Two alluring mysteries set in China

Qiu Xiaolong's police procedural novels, featuring Shanghai police inspector Chen Cao, have gradually shifted from the earlier themes dealing with the deep wounds left by the insanity of the 1960s' Cultural Revolution, and have more recently focused on social issues more relevant to present-day China....
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jul 19, 2013

That's me in the picture: how 'selfies' became a global craze

It starts with a certain angle: A smartphone tilted at 45 degrees just above your eyeline is generally deemed the most forgiving. Then a light source: the flattering beam of a backlit window or a bursting supernova of flash reflected in a bathroom mirror, as preparations are under way for a night out....
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 16, 2013

Swiss study finds sound waves can be used to levitate and move small objects

Scientists have been able to use the power of sound to levitate small items — including insects and fish — for decades. But now researchers from Switzerland have figured out how to move objects around in midair, according to a new study.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 13, 2013

A diary washed ashore opens up a world of multiple realities

A good read transcends into the eternal, melding the real now with a timeless present. Ruth Ozeki's "A Tale for the Time Being" is all that and more: a quietly amazing achievement, a careful construct bridging quantum physics and the role of the reader/observer, a Zen eternity of multiple realities...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 23, 2013

Reflections on two cities

Having written over 10 guidebooks myself, I speak from experience when I say that working on these projects is a mixed blessing. Writing a first-time guide to a little-known part of the world, with the freedom to innovate with format and content, can be a rewarding task, but where there is a rigid template,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 21, 2013

The bell tolls on Demon Pond

The sound of the temple bell of "Yashagaike (Demon Pond)" will ring for the first time at the New National Theatre, Tokyo (NNTT) — but it's the bell's silence that will reverberate for the characters of this new Japanese-language opera.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 20, 2013

'Leo Lionni: Book! Art! Book!'

Leo Lionni was an accomplished painter, sculptor and graphic designer, but he is best known as the acclaimed author and illustrator of popular children's books such as "Swimmy" and "Frederick."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 2, 2013

Taking anime too seriously

'Why study anime?' the author of this study of anime asks himself. Good question, thinks the reader. Why indeed 'study' a pop art whose appeal is less to thought than to mass, unreflecting, spontaneous enjoyment?
CULTURE / Books
May 5, 2013

Exploring a world of all things cute and the people who buy them

'Hello, Cutie!' is a cute book about cute things and the (sometimes cute) people who create those things.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 28, 2013

The story of the Occupy movements by one of the leaders

I'm torn. I can't work out whether the Occupy movements were responsible for their own demise; and I can't work out whether I've had enough of reading tomes about the brave new world of revolutionary consensus-building.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Apr 21, 2013

In 'Tsukuru Tazaki,' Murakami once again shifts his point of view

Two thousand and nine was a good year to be a Haruki Murakami fan. Seven years after writing his last epic novel, "Kafka on the Shore," with only the bite-sized 2004 "afterdark" to tide over his readership, the author published the massive two-volume "1Q84." Looking back now, it's also clear that Murakami...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2013

Margaret Thatcher and the 'Big Bang'

Americans have been surprised at the sharply divided views in Britain over the governance of Margaret Thatcher, a product with more appeal in export markets.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2013

Fans flock early to snag Murakami's latest book

Fans of Haruki Murakami lined up at bookstores from the wee hours of Friday morning to be the first to get their hands on the famed author's much-anticipated new novel.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2013

500,000 copies of latest Murakami book printed

A half a million copies of internationally acclaimed author Haruki Murakami's new book have been printed as excitement builds for the reclusive author's latest work, which goes on sale Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2013

Dispelling five myths about stress

Life coaches talk about working toward emotional fitness, as if we can judge our psyches. But some ideas about stress and its risks are simply wrong.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 31, 2013

Glacial change slow to heat up Japan's economy

The Japanese manager was once portrayed as a fearless samurai ready to take on the world. This was when Western companies and management scholars woke up to the presence of a potent competitor outside the Western world.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 26, 2013

If corporal punishment works, where are all the champions?

In the final scenes of Aaron Sorkin's powerfully written film "A Few Good Men," one of the U.S. Marines on trial for the murder of a fellow serviceman is bewildered as to why he has not been cleared of all charges after his commanding officer admits ordering the attack. "We did nothing wrong," cries...
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Mar 26, 2013

Consensus: Corporal punishment in sports misguided, demoralizing, backward

The following are some readers' responses to the March 12 Foreign Element column by Richard Parker headlined "Right or wrong, corporal punishment can produce winners." See many more in the comment section below the original article.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.