Search - commentary…

 
 
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Jun 2, 1999

But are you experienced?

Remember how online art used to be one of ballyhooed features of our new and improved lives on the Internet? We talked of visiting faraway museums, browsing rarely seen masterpieces, hyper-annotated with curatorial notes and historical contexts. Similarly enticing was the promise of new media and art...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
May 23, 1999

Whoever knows

A few columns ago I wrote about pen pals. A Japanese woman who had spent many years in the United States found readjustment to Japan difficult. She discovered she had little in common with her former Japanese friends; to them, she was a foreigner. Her American friends wanted to communicate by e-mail...
EDITORIALS
Apr 6, 1999

Enact new child sex laws now

A rare example of political unity occurred in the Diet last week. Twelve lawmakers from seven political parties and groups put aside their usual differences and together submitted to the Upper House a long-anticipated bill to strengthen the legal protection of minors from sexual exploitation. In doing...
CULTURE / Art
Apr 3, 1999

Home sweet home discovered between public and private

Returning to Tokyo after living and working in Europe for some years, artist Tadashi Kawamata was struck by a unique characteristic of the megalopolitan Tokyo: It appears to be an unusually orderly and clean city, despite its population. Brightly lit vending machines line the streets at almost regular...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 13, 1999

To cure Asia's ills, get the diagnosis right

On a recent whirlwind tour of Asian capitals, peripatetic U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Larry Summers offered some advice on how to cure the region's economic ills. Despite his stature as an economist, he sounded more like a politician spouting protectionist platitudes. Implicit in his commentary was...
JAPAN
Nov 2, 1998

Yomiuri Shimbun on verge of absorbing Chuokoron

The long-established publishing firm Chuokoron-Sha Inc. has signed a tentative agreement with The Yomiuri Shimbun to be absorbed by the publisher of the mass-circulation daily newspaper.
JAPAN / History
Jul 23, 1997

Scholar’s New Testament intro opens eyes

Kenzo Tagawa, 61, a leading New Testament scholar, finds the sales of his latest book ‘‘encouraging’’ and ‘‘surprising.’’
JAPAN
Jul 9, 1997

Japan firms urged to take lead in environment

The World Wide Fund for Nature has called on Japanese businesses to establish a council to fight global climate change and take a leading role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions before a key conference in December in Kyoto.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 22, 2023

Biden’s ‘dictator’ comment undercuts painstaking China diplomacy

The remark was the sort of jibe that may sound like nothing more than a schoolyard taunt but suggests Chinese President Xi Jinping doesn’t have legitimacy or the support of his own people.
Japan Times
SOCCER / Women's World Cup
Jun 20, 2023

Nadeshiko coach says Women's World Cup TV blackout will harm game

FIFA had threatened a blackout in major European markets before reaching an agreement with broadcasters in Britain, Spain, France, Germany and Italy last week.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Jun 17, 2023

Japanese fashion can no longer afford to play hard to get

Is Japan’s air of aloof mystique still enough to convince foreign audiences to invest in Japanese fashion?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 12, 2023

Takashi Murakami loves and fears AI

Speaking at an exhibition opening in France, Japanese artist Takashi Murakami offered his thoughts on the positives and negatives of AI.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 6, 2023

Debt debacle confirms what many thought of the U.S.

China is the chief beneficiary of the U.S. debt ceiling nonsense. Doubts about U.S. trustworthiness spur governments to look elsewhere for leadership and stability.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 4, 2023

North Korea warns it may not give notice of satellite launches

North Korea says advance notice of its satellite launches is 'no longer necessary,” hitting out after international criticism of Pyongyang’s recent spy satellite launch.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 3, 2023

U.S. defense chief says China talks 'essential' to curbing chance of conflict

As dangerously close U.S.-China military encounters rise, the U.S. defense secretary slammed China's unwillingness to meet and discuss improving crisis management mechanisms.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 30, 2023

China rejects U.S. claims over ‘de-risking’ not ‘decoupling’

Chinese state media, officials and academics have all publicly rejected the distinction in recent weeks, in a seemingly concerted effort to undermine the rhetorical shift.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 21, 2023

No joke: China's backlash against stand-up stirs fear of comedy clampdown

A Beijing-based comedian said a number of their shows had been canceled in the wake of a joke about the military.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 20, 2023

‘Ripples’: A refreshing and hilarious skewering of Japanese society

Mariko Tsutsui masterfully juggles humor and drama in Naoko Ogigami’s dark comedy about the silent pressures women face in modern Japan.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 16, 2023

New threat to privacy? Scientists sound alarm about DNA tool

The tool could lead to a range of scientific advances but it also poses a vast range of concerns around consent, privacy and surveillance.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2023

Winners and losers in the artificial intelligence arms race

Technological change always creates winners and losers, but artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT has the potential to create more of the former than the latter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 7, 2023

'Hit Parade of Tears': Izumi Suzuki attacks genre and gender with twisted precision

The cult literary figure's new collection of 11 stories unveil the chaos, conflict and pain of women rebelling against the desires of men and seeking messy self-actualization.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
May 2, 2023

Snoop Dogg reportedly part of $1 billion bid to purchase Senators

Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds and the Remington group are also reportedly preparing an offer.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2023

French leader adds unneeded tension to the 'One China' policy

French President Emmanuel Macron weighed in on the issue of Taiwan-China relations, and much of the world did not like his comments.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 13, 2023

‘The Village’: Backwater hometown hero plot smells off

Michihito Fujii’s drama about a young man struggling in a village that is overshadowed by a large recycling plant is simplistic and contrived.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 11, 2023

A punch in the face for Xi caricature: Taiwan air force badge goes viral

Chinese censors have long targeted representations of Winnie the Pooh over internet memes that compare the fictional bear to China's president.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2023

Tesla workers shared sensitive images recorded by customer cars

Some of the recordings caught Tesla customers in embarrassing situations — one ex-employee described a video of a man approaching a vehicle completely naked.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 4, 2023

U.S., South Korea, Japan hold joint naval drills amid North Korean nuclear threat

The two-day anti-submarine and rescue exercises started Monday off South Korea’s Jeju Island and included vessels from the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier group.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2023

Manchester United looks immune to the banking crisis

The bidding war for Manchester United, a sporting institution, bears little connection to financial reality.

Longform

People in cities across Japan will pop into their local convenience store for any number of products they believe will help them with a night of drinking.
Hangover cures are everywhere in Japan — but do they work?