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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 12, 2019

Time to make diversity and inclusion a reality

Recent changes in Japan's labor market, as well as changes in people's mindsets, point to a move toward greater diversity and inclusion.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 12, 2019

G20 farm ministers urge high-tech push, cross-sector cooperation to feed world's hungry

The Group of Twenty Agriculture Ministers Meeting concluded Sunday with calls to feed a growing global population and promote sustainable agriculture through new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robotics and drones, and to increase cooperation among farmers, nonfarm businesses and academia....
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
May 11, 2019

Reading the air: Tokyo still has work to do on air pollution

There are days when Makiko Ishikawa can barely breathe. Indeed, the 62-year-old Tokyoite has been short of breath for decades. In the early 1970s, she began feeling the effects of the miasma of vehicle exhaust along Shin-Ome Road, which ran by her home in the city of Musashimurayama in western Tokyo....
Japan Times
JAPAN / AMBASSADOR VISIT
May 10, 2019

Sporting events and Brexit offer Dublin the chance to grow ties with Tokyo, Irish ambassador says

While Japan and Ireland may view each other as fierce rivals at the Rugby World Cup when they face off in Shizuoka Prefecture in September, Ireland sees the sporting event and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as opportunities to expand contacts — a prelude to further efforts to strengthen bilateral ties that...
Japan Times
Special Supplements / EU Special
May 9, 2019

Steadfast support for global unity

It is with great pleasure that I address the readers of The Japan Times on Europe Day. The day marks the presentation on May 9, 1950, of the Schuman Declaration, which proposed the creation of a European coal and steel community that would evolve into the European Union. Five years after the end of World...
Japan Times
Special Supplements / EU Special
May 9, 2019

Trade pact lauded as 'victory'

The economic partnership agreement (EPA) between the European Union and Japan, which entered into force on Feb. 1, created a marketplace with 635 million people that comprises almost one-third of global gross domestic product. It is the biggest trade deal negotiated by the EU and will help bring the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
May 8, 2019

Photographing Tokyo's human side: Isaac Aquino finds an 'interloper' in us all

Isaac Aquino has just quit his job as a reporter, and he seems quite pleased with himself. The soft-spoken Filipino recently decided to go all in on Tokyo Interlopers, an Instagram account he launched three years ago, by focusing on a business MBA.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 8, 2019

Support act: Behind every Japanese prime minister is a fascinating first lady

When Chizuko Obuchi's husband, Keizo, became prime minister of Japan in July 1998 and the couple moved into the official residence, she was taken aback by what she found.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 7, 2019

K-Pop stardom lures young Japanese hopefuls to South Korea despite diplomatic chill

Yuuka Hasumi put high school on hold and flew to South Korea in February to try her chances at becoming a K-pop star, even if it means long hours of vocal and dance training, no privacy, no boyfriend and even no phone.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
May 5, 2019

Reputation and success developed via resilience

LIFE.14 works with a diverse clientele, providing photography and video services for embassies, chambers of commerce, major corporations and nonpolitical organizations, and President Antony Tran's background is equally eclectic.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 2, 2019

End of Heisei Era and lifetime employment

Lifetime employment in Japan companies is fading in the face of slow growth and intensifying competitive pressures.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 1, 2019

Eiichi Shibusawa was a man of his time and ours

Eiichi Shibusawa's message from over 100 years ago is sustainability — indeed, a very important message for the new Reiwa Era.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 28, 2019

Meeting the Reiwa Era's challenges

As we brace for the Reiwa Era, we must be ready to take on structural reform of the economy as well as administrative and fiscal reforms of a much larger and broader scale than took place in Heisei.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / Heisei Icons,HEISEI ICONS
Apr 28, 2019

Mao Asada: Magnetism and artistry on ice defined an era

Three-time figure skating world champion Mao Asada became one of Japan's most prominent individuals on the international scene during her storied career, while also taking the sport to new heights.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 26, 2019

Foreign-born candidates discuss challenges and prejudice on the Tokyo campaign trail

In a nation where there are few foreign-born politicians in local assemblies or in the Diet, the sight of a candidate openly touting his or her foreign background through loudspeakers on the campaign trail can come as a surprise.
Japan Times
Vietnam report 2019
Apr 26, 2019

Vietnam Consulting Group: Cultivating exciting new partnerships

As one of the first management consulting groups established in Vietnam, Vietnam Consulting Group (VCG) celebrates twenty years next year.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 19, 2019

An Okinawa conference, 50 years later

Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki's effort to seize the initiative by calling for a new Okinawa conference should be embraced, or at least tried.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Heisei Icons,Heisei Icons
Apr 19, 2019

Hayao Miyazaki: Universally acclaimed weaver of unforgettable anime worlds

Animators and live-action filmmakers around the world acknowledge his influence. His talents have even been described by fans as “godlike.”
Japan Times
Special Supplements
Apr 19, 2019

Culture, industry before a backdrop of scenic rice field

On Jan. 1, Niigata Port celebrated its 150th anniversary since opening. One of the first five ports in Japan open to foreign trade, business was active and Niigata's Kitamaebune ships transported a variety of both international and domestic goods and supplies to and from the area to be distributed throughout...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 17, 2019

South Korean court wades into historical issue

Is there a way out of the Tokyo-Seoul spat?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 15, 2019

Bear essentials: A forthcoming animated series celebrates Rilakkuma's lackadaisical ethos in all its glory

Few fictional characters in Japan are as laid-back in their overall approach to life as Rilakkuma, which has attracted a loyal following over the years, rising through the ranks to sit alongside such established characters as Hello Kitty and Doraemon.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 12, 2019

Foreign student numbers don't tell whole tale

The government's goal of strategically attracting outstanding students from abroad under its plan to accept 300,000 foreign students is far from accomplished.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / A Weekend In
Apr 12, 2019

A weekend in Shizuoka: More than the sum of its tea fields

Little-known outside Japan, Shizuoka Prefecture hugs the coast to the south of Mount Fuji. Home to the Tokyo getaway of Izu, the prefecture is known as the starting point for three of the main hiking trails up Fuji, which forms the greater part of Shizuoka's northeastern boundary line, and for the volume...
Japan Times
Rugby
Apr 11, 2019

Wallabies icon George Gregan preaches value of preparation in quest for RWC title

George Gregan has experienced the full gamut of Rugby World Cup emotions, but the Australian legend knows what he is looking forward to most when Japan hosts the tournament later this year.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 10, 2019

U.S.-China 'Cold War' narrative is misleading

Misreading Chinese public opinion and U.S. intentions is one of the most classic mistakes that Japan tends to make.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 9, 2019

Gatekeepers, listeners, tax money: How Akita, once the prefecture with highest rate, halved suicides

Taeko Watanabe awoke one cold March night and found a trail of blood in the hallway, a bloody cleaver on her son Yuki's bed and no trace of him in the house. Then police discovered a suicide note in his bedroom.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat