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JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Sep 3, 2016

One year on, gang splinter is tough to explain

More than a year has passed since the country's largest crime syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi, split into two. More than a dozen gangs defected from the Yamaguchi-gumi on Aug. 27, 2015, to form the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, headed by Kunio Inoue, as a rival syndicate and, even now, the reasons for the breakup...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2016

The siren song of 'strongmania'

The embrace of political strongmen reflects widespread ignorance of the nature and consequences of populist rule.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 13, 2016

In 'Hibana' TV series, sparks fly when the art of comedy collides with ambition

Television as the career apex for Japanese comedians is the kernel of the plot for the 10-part Netflix series 'Hibana,' based on the Akutagawa Prize-winning novel by Naoki Matayoshi.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 6, 2016

Climate change threatens nation's agriculture

Dark clouds cast gloom over future domestic food production as global temperatures rise
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Jun 16, 2016

Iconic Ichiro earned new place in history

During a May segment on the ESPN program 'Pardon the Interruption,' hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, former Washington Post sportswriters, were asked to choose if Jackie Bradley Jr.'s 27-game hitting streak or the suddenly blazing form of 42-year-old Ichiro Suzuki, who at the time had reeled...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2016

A contrarian chess player's message lives on

To those who distrusted the Soviet system but lacked the courage or the wherewithal to leave or fight, Viktor Korchnoi was a symbol of freedom.
JAPAN
May 18, 2016

Tokyo reveals rare outbreak of tuberculosis, plays down ongoing risk

Nine people have contracted tuberculosis while 34 others have developed asymptomatic forms of the disease after coming into contact last year with an Asian student living in Tokyo, the metropolitan government has revealed.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2016

Xi Jinping — a son of the Cultural Revolution

Power is Xi Jinping's lodestar, and he appears willing to go to any length to secure it. In this effort, he has one key advantage: Mao Zedong's legacy.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
May 8, 2016

Does the Japanese Constitution mean anything?

If the Liberal Democratic Party gets its way, the current charter, full of rights that are barely known, would be replaced with a constitution that's more about duties.
Japan Times
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Apr 28, 2016

May tournament has history of delivering memorable results

There is something uplifting, even magical at times about the Natsu Basho each May.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 19, 2016

Time to burn ¥10,000 bills?

Japan has a technology problem: it's called paper money. Can a digital currency cure the economy's woes?
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2016

For orcas, menopause is just the beginning

Killer whales and humans are among the only animals known to experience menopause, and scientists are learning how this phenomenon benefits orcas.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 2, 2016

The scourge of binge drinking on youth

As the new academic year begins, Masami Ito looks at efforts that are being made to prevent young people from drinking heavily in group settings.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 27, 2016

Tackling the jihadi menace

By wielding only carrots and no stick, the West allows the double-talking Saudi royals to run with the foxes and hunt with the hounds — at grave cost to the security of many countries.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 23, 2016

Sincerely, Little Nigeria: A reporter signs off

After five years of covering Japan's African community, a writer reflects on progress since 3/11 and speculates about the future.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 4, 2016

The Trump effect on China

If the Chinese believe that they are being thwarted from getting their due place in the global sun, their anger could fuel the rise of a populist leader.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Feb 27, 2016

Sewing stitches of creativity in the streets of Kuramae

I'm knocking about Taito Ward's Kuramae area one chilly February morning, visiting an artisan friend, when he mentions a brand new chocolate shop has opened nearby. My ears perk up. Any good? "People are lining up," he says. I dash off to check it out, because it sounds like news. Never mind that I'm...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 16, 2016

Toward a Japan-Singapore-India maritime partnership

Maritime cooperation among Japan, India and ASEAN nations is becoming increasingly important as regional tensions rise.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 8, 2016

Words about sentences: the Japanese vocab of crime and punishment

Navigating the terms and kanji involved in the penal process in Japan can be a trial in itself.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 4, 2016

China's new role as a Middle East peacemaker

Can China's impact on the Middle East be more constructive than that of the United States?
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 24, 2016

Why are America's allies so persistently pathetic?

Washington's allies, despite benefiting from capable populations and enjoying advanced economies, can't be bothered to invest heavily in their own defense.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 1, 2016

New Year's holidays are a time to revisit traditions, customs

O-shogatsu, or New Year's holidays, is a special time for Japanese people, who typically go back to the basics of their long-standing traditions. It's a time when those who left their hometowns for the big cities for work or school go back to visit their families, invite relatives and friends to their...
COMMENTARY / Japan / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Dec 28, 2015

'Allegiance' and what it meant

The road to immigration and assimilation in America has been at times tortuous, as shown by the U.S.' treatment of Japanese nationals and Japanese-Americans during World War II.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 11, 2015

Secrets law, one year later

The controversial state secret law that took effect last year has already had a chilling effect on the media: no one is even talking about it anymore.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 6, 2015

Ishin no To re-elects Matsuno as head, sets stage for DPJ tie-up talks

Japan's third-largest opposition party re-elects its leader as momentum grows for a tie-up with the Democratic Party of Japan.

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.