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Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 3, 2019

Abe clears decks for debate on amending Japan's Constitution

When the extraordinary Diet session convenes on Friday, 15 government-sponsored bills are expected to be submitted — one of the lowest totals since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's second stint started — reflecting his administration's determination to focus its energy on revising the Constitution.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2019

National Public Safety Commission tackles topics from elderly driving to Tokyo Olympics security

The government will consider various measures to prevent traffic accidents involving elderly drivers, including the introduction of a new driver's license category with special limitations, National Public Safety Commission Chairman Ryota Takeda has said.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 2019

Keep South Korean judiciary independent

What is truly at stake now is the future of democracy in South Korea.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Sep 28, 2019

Social media conversation on Rugby World Cup reflects concern about 2020 Olympics

Netizens have been anticipating the start of the Rugby World Cup in Japan for months now and not just because of the action on the field. While the online masses closely followed and reacted to the Japanese team’s opening match win over Russia — not to mention anything related to the All Blacks’...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 27, 2019

What's behind Japan's political stability?

A majority of the Japanese electorate is quite sensible supporting a realistic security agenda and a moderately liberal economic and social agenda.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 27, 2019

Aichi illustrator shines light on local moon-viewing tradition called 'Japan's Halloween'

There is a tradition in Japan of holding moon-viewing parties to celebrate the harvest on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, believed to be the best time of the year to watch the full moon, and this year it fell on Sept. 13.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 25, 2019

'The Flowers of Evil': Overacted, overblown and odd

Noboru Iguchi takes a manga-like approach to his latest film, which tells the story of a teenage boy's relationships with a handful of very different girls
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 24, 2019

Kyoto Experiment marks the end of an era

The 10th edition of Kyodo Experiment kicks off on Oct. 5, promising a range of overseas and domestic performers at a number of venues across the city
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 21, 2019

'Japanese Linguistics': Insightful description meets valuable instruction

'Japanese Linguistics' is a broad-spectrum primer on Japanese, covering everything from grammar to the social context of the language, for the undergraduate student or avid polyglot alike.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Sep 20, 2019

Artist shines a spotlight on all-female theater group in postwar Hiroshima Prefecture

During the post-World War II recovery period the city of Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, was home to an all-women's theater group.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 20, 2019

Mie city's outreach to struggling residents in public housing pays off

Officials in the city of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, are working to reduce rent delinquency among low-income residents of municipal housing, by visiting defaulters individually and compiling custom payment plans.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Sep 20, 2019

Sapporo group to equip emergency shelter for people with special needs

A Sapporo-based association providing support to people with rare and intractable diseases is planning to establish its own shelter early next year allowing people with special needs to find a safe place in the event of an emergency.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Sep 20, 2019

Exhibition traces history of Okinawa tattoo tradition that became a mark of shame

Back when Okinawa was the Ryukyu Kingdom (1429-1879), tattooing the back of women's hands was a common practice, with the tattoos admired by men and women alike for their elaborate designs.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Sep 18, 2019

My first 'Hitler moment'

I'm fine with playing the German to humor my Japanese acquaintances — just not one German in particular.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 18, 2019

U.S. may call out China on rights at U.N. gathering of leaders

The United States is considering how it will confront China during next week's gathering of world leaders at the United Nations over its detention of 1 million Muslims in a remote region, at a time when some diplomats warn that U.S. leadership in global institutions is waning and China's influence is...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Sep 15, 2019

Fantastic beasts and where to learn about them

'Regnum Imaginarium: Realm of the Marvelous and Uncanny' at Osaka's National Museum of Ethnology delves into the worlds of mermaids, unicorns, werewolves and giants. What more could a kid enjoy?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Sep 14, 2019

Frustrated travelers at Narita Airport in wake of Typhoon Faxai spark joy on social media

Choirs full of Swedish children typically don’t break into song at Narita Airport. That’s precisely what happened last Monday night, however, when a youth group called Nova Cantica found itself stranded at the transport hub and decided to pass the time by singing in front of some empty check-in counters....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Sep 13, 2019

Plan to cut down ginkgo trees in Fukuoka to improve wheelchair access sparks backlash

An ongoing redevelopment project in the city of Fukuoka has sparked outrage among some local residents and calls for the authorities to reconsider their decision to cut down fully grown ginkgo trees along Fukudai-dori avenue, one of the city's main roads.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 13, 2019

Gifu washi apprentice publishes book of 'insanely difficult' origami animals

Yuga Arisawa, 21, who has loved making complex artworks using origami since he was a child, traveled throughout Japan as a high school student looking for the best paper — fine but able to endure nearly 100 folds.
Reader Mail
Sep 13, 2019

Beware of 1984 in the 21st century

I heartily congratulate Ted Rall for his honesty and courage in calling out the current climate for journalists whose views are deemed by corporate management to be outside the mainstream ("Real freedom of the press doesn't exist in the U.S." in the Aug. 27 edition).
BUSINESS / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Sep 13, 2019

Fukushima Prefecture sets sights on flying cars to boost recovery and local industry

The Fukushima Prefectural Government is leading a collaborative effort involving companies from different industries and a robotics testing field to invent a flying car.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 11, 2019

To create an immigrant-friendly Japan, start with education reform

The conformity that is encouraged in Japanese public schools shapes a social consciousness that is suspicious of outsiders.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 7, 2019

Uncovering Japan's involvement in the Korean War

Every August, NHK airs a lot of new documentaries to commemorate the end of World War II. The range of topics is not typically limited to events that happened in August 1945. This year's crop covered newspaper propaganda leading up to the war; the infamous attempted coup by idealistic young officers...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Sep 6, 2019

Rent hikes for surviving 3/11 residents cause mass exodus of young families in Sendai

Eight years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, some survivors of the disaster still live in uncertainty as they fall between the cracks of governmental policy that is meant to support them.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Aug 31, 2019

'Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go': Wisecracking wisdom worth rereading

In his classic treatise on go, the late Toshiro Kageyama elucidates the difference between amateurs, who merely 'play at the game,' and professionals, who 'labor at it.'

Longform

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