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Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Food Sustainability in Japan
Apr 11, 2020

To meat, or not to meat: The future of Japanese cellular agriculture

Would you notice if the cubed meat in your cup noodle wasn’t “real” meat? If you did, would you care? What if the future of our meat supply counted on it?
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Apr 10, 2020

Ep. 39 ‘Always Remembered’

Now, more than ever, I need the sweet escape of TV drama as a reminder of a time when we weren’t in the throes of a pandemic. Although the past few episodes of “Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020” were hard to watch, this episode delivered more than enough heartwarming charm to pull me back into the...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Apr 10, 2020

Shortage spurs rush on materials for DIY virus masks in Hokkaido

A nationwide shortage of face masks amid the growing COVID-19 outbreak has sparked a rise in the number of people who make homemade masks using cloth as a substitution for medical gauze as protection against the novel coronavirus.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2020

Impossible dilemma? World watches Italy as firms plead to return to work

Many Italian companies and academics are pressing the government to reopen factories to prevent an economic catastrophe, as the world watches how the first Western country to impose a lockdown can extricate itself from the unprecedented measures.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 4, 2020

Who suffers the most from the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?

Media outlets have long been trying to figure out what cancellation or postponement of the games would mean to Japan economically. They now have a much better idea.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Apr 4, 2020

Anime cons ‘will never be the same’ after the coronavirus

The spread of COVID-19 has caused many large-scale events to be cancelled, including a lot of anime fan conventions. The question now is, will these events survive to cosplay another day?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 4, 2020

Defining masculinity in a brave new world of despair

Dad works in a bank. “For a man, work is everything” — that’s his motto. It was his father’s before him. Unquestioned and undoubted, it entered his bloodstream.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Apr 3, 2020

Ep. 38 'Case of The Costume Incident'

We at The Japan Times have described “Terrace House” on multiple occasions as the ultimate show to help you unwind after a long day. That's mostly because there's none of the intense, emotionally triggering drama that other reality TV shows tend to rely on.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 3, 2020

Actress Aoi Mizuhara explores Asian family values in 'The Farewell,' her Hollywood debut

Japanese actress Aoi Mizuhara explores Asian family values in her debut Hollywood film, 'The Farewell,' which is set for release in Japan in April.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 3, 2020

U.S. jobless claims soar to once-unthinkable record 6.65 million

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits soared to a record 6.65 million last week, a level unimaginable just a month ago.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 3, 2020

Global coronavirus cases surpass 1 million

Global coronavirus cases surpassed 1 million on Thursday with more than 52,000 deaths as the pandemic further exploded in the United States and the death toll climbed in Spain and Italy, according to a Reuters tally of official data.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 2, 2020

With suicide note and lawsuit, Moritomo scandal back to haunt Abe

With the publication of a suicide note by a former Finance Ministry official and subsequent lawsuit by his widow, the Moritomo Gakuen scandal has returned to haunt Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But with Abe saying the issue has been settled and Japan finding itself in the midst of the coronavirus crisis,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Apr 1, 2020

Ep. 37 'Another Terrace!!'

Most weeks, watching “Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020” is a fun indulgence that lets viewers bask in the low-stakes drama of six 20-somethings (and an occasional 30-something) pursuing crushes, following their dreams, going on dates and cooking meals. But Episode 37 was different because when it comes...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 1, 2020

Meet the expat comedians who keep Tokyo smiling

Probably the biggest paradox of stand-up comedy is that while there are no schools of humor — no Bachelor of Laughs degree, not even a “funny” skill on Linkedin to endorse your friend for — stand-up comedians are out there in good numbers. Even in Tokyo, where speaking English can be a struggle,...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 1, 2020

How a gulf prince charmed Indonesia's Jokowi and poured money into the country

During a visit last summer where he strolled through the tropical gardens next to Indonesia’s summer Presidential Palace, Abu Dhabi’s crown prince offered to build a grand mosque for his host, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. If that seemed like a generous gesture, the two men struck a bigger bargain within...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 30, 2020

Ken Shimura’s entertainment legacy spans generations

Entertainer Ken Shimura didn’t belong to any single generation. Following news that the 70-year-old comedian had died on Sunday from pneumonia caused by COVID-19, TV broadcasters on Monday featured both Shimura’s contemporaries and much younger personalities visibly upset over his passing.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 28, 2020

Fed brings the global financial system back from the abyss

Sitting calmly in front of a bookshelf filled with thick volumes of the "Federal Reserve Bulletin," Jerome Powell this week set out to offer a simple explanation for the complicated steps the U.S. central bank is taking to relieve dire stresses in the global financial system.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 28, 2020

Face masks can foster a false sense of security

What’s happening in Japan is written all over our faces — our blank, expressionless, masked faces. Never before, it seems safe to say, have so many people gone about masked.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 28, 2020

Dealing with anxiety during a global pandemic

As coronavirus news floods our social feeds, it's important to take care of our mental well-being as well as our physical conditions.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 27, 2020

Abe denies wife attended cherry blossom party in defiance of coronavirus calls to abstain

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday that his wife, Akie, did not attend a cherry blossom viewing party in Tokyo despite calls to refrain from outdoor gathering to help contain the coronavirus outbreak.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2020

COVID-19: A strategic shock shakes the world

For Japan, COVID-19 has taken a 2020 that was meant to be a stable and historic year with the Olympics and has thrown it into disarray.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 14, 2020

Social media helps Japan's embattled parents connect over schools' closure

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recommendation that all elementary, junior high and high schools in Japan close through the end of their April spring break in order to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus caught nearly everyone in the country off guard when the news broke in late February.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Mar 13, 2020

Ep. 36 'Angel'

It looks like romance is in the air for the “Terrace House” housemates, and just in time for the new year! A few of them, including Yume and Shion, already have some dinner plans, but Toshiyuki Niino isn’t wasting any time and squeezes in one last date with Yume before 2019 ends.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 12, 2020

Japanese investors bought record $41 billion of overseas bonds in week

Japanese investors went on a record shopping spree in global debt markets last week as the yen strengthened and their hunt for yield intensified.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 7, 2020

Paradise lost: Japan longs for simpler times in trying days

The Japanese weren't always workaholics. Once upon a time, work had its place and knew its place. It didn't swallow life whole. Other pursuits were given their due. People worked without being consumed by work.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Mar 6, 2020

Ep. 35 'The Monster in the Hallway'

I have to hand it to Toshiyuki, aka "Shacho," he knows how to steal the spotlight.

Longform

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