Search - topics

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Oct 13, 2018

Kizuna AI's NHK appearance sparks debate on social media

Do virtual YouTubers dream of online controversy? Maybe not but they sure are good at courting it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Oct 12, 2018

Public and private sectors push to revive Okinawa's struggling awamori industry

With young people apparently finding Okinawa's awamori liquor less appealing, the industry has been hit with a decline in shipments for 13 consecutive years.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 6, 2018

Shincho 45's fumbles over LGBT issues hastened its demise

Some magazines meet their end with a whimper. Last month, however, a monthly called Shincho 45 went out with a bang.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 6, 2018

Kavanaugh on U.S. Supreme Court: Sparks or harmony?

When Clarence Thomas took a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1991, he had only barely survived a series of bitter Senate hearings on allegations of sexual harassment that divided the country.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Oct 1, 2018

Load lifted from students' shoulders as ministry recommends letting them leave textbooks at school

In early September, the education ministry issued a notice to boards of education nationwide asking schools to let students leave their textbooks and other study materials at school — the practice known as okiben in Japanese — to reduce the weight of their school bags.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Sep 29, 2018

TV shows look to piggyback on the success of social media

A growing number of people in Japan are turning to the internet as their main destination for entertainment. Younger folk in particular opt for YouTube and Instagram as a first choice over TV. So how is traditional media adjusting to this new reality?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 24, 2018

Aichi couple sets up phone booth for people seeking to connect with loved ones they have lost

A red, wooden telephone booth stands on a hill in Tahara, Aichi Prefecture, overlooking Mikawa Bay. Inside sits a disconnected black telephone.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 22, 2018

U.S. may have twice as many undocumented immigrants as commonly estimated: MIT-Yale study

The U.S. may have twice as many undocumented immigrants as commonly estimated, according to a study that could further fuel the debate over one of the nation's most politically charged topics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 20, 2018

Golden oldies: A Saitama theater festival for elderly actors welcomes seniors from around the world

Renowned theater director Yukio Ninagawa broke new ground when he launched Saitama Gold Theater in 2006. Instead of seasoned actors, he filled his troupe with amateurs who were all older than 55.
SUMO
Sep 19, 2018

Sumo 101: Sumo school

Sumo is a Darwinian world, but even in this harsh unforgiving environment, new recruits aren't given a "Battle Royale"-style "here's your mawashi — try to survive" induction.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 19, 2018

In defense of difference: Hikaru Toda's 'Of Love & Law' showcases the efforts of two lawyers fighting discrimination in Japan

For all its many attractions as a place to live, Japan can be unforgiving for anyone who's perceived as different.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 17, 2018

Drawing on her own experience, Nagoya doctor offers transgender counseling

A transgender doctor has opened a clinic in Nagoya specializing in counseling and hormone therapy for transgender people.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: TECH
Sep 16, 2018

Dealing with disaster in Japan

It's been a tough month for Japan. First the biggest typhoon in 25 years blew through the western region, then a major earthquake in Hokkaido swiftly followed. Both wreaked havoc and recovery is still in process. On Tech takes a look at apps offering disaster prevention information and other services for those looking to stay alert and prepared.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Sep 16, 2018

Foggy Fukushima river tour draws influx of visitors

A river tour conducted by rowboat in the town of Kaneyama, Fukushima Prefecture, is becoming popular with tourists for its scenic views of the thick fog covering the quiet waterway.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 15, 2018

'Yakuza Tattoo': Inside the secretive world of the yakuza's tattoos

Andreas Johansson spent almost three weeks immersed in the world of the yakuza, photographing and talking to around 30 gang members for his book, 'Yakuza Tattoo.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition
Sep 14, 2018

Global Water Award shows water-sensitive urban design

Tony Wong, chief executive of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities, Australia, is the winner of the 2018 IWA Global Water Award. The award is to be presented on Sept. 16 at the IWA Water Congress & Exhibition in Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition
Sep 14, 2018

Leading voices and thought leaders shaping the future of water at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2018

Agenda-setting thought leadership from the most prominent figures within the water sector and beyond. The following keynote speakers are top specialists in their fields and will provide the overarching narrative for the congress. Keynotes and supporting panels will frame the discussions and topics that...
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Sep 13, 2018

Belongings of student who perished in A-bomb attack, donated to Hiroshima museum

Yoko Moriwaki, who was 13 at the time of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, is known for the diary she kept until the day before the bombing. The diary is now a symbol of the weapon's cruelty.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 12, 2018

Namie Amuro: Celebrating J-pop's first queen

For millions of Japanese music fans in the 1990s, Namie Amuro wasn't just the Heisei Era's defining pop star, she was someone they grew up with.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 10, 2018

How much damage was done?

The real question for Tokyo now is where the Trump administration will go from here.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE HIGH GROUNDS
Sep 8, 2018

At Glitch Coffee, a shared roast is a good roast

At Glitch Coffee & Roasters, founder Kiyokazu Suzuki imparts the art of roasting coffee beans to local shops through his share roasting program.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 8, 2018

200-year-old Mie puppet's neck on the line as whaling ban makes crucial part scarce

Onyudo is a giant kimono-clad, long-necked puppet that has been preserved by residents of the Nakanaya area of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, for more than 200 years.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 3, 2018

As state subsidies decline, Nagoya University turns to crowdfunding to support student activities

Amid cuts in government subsidies for national universities, Nagoya University has turned to crowdfunding to support student activities and educational projects.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Sep 2, 2018

Cultural inspiration furthers hobbies outside the office

The Embassy of Mexico occupies a spacious compound in an elegant, tree-lined corner of Chiyoda Ward. The location is somewhat unusual for a foreign embassy in Tokyo, in that it shares a neighborhood with the residences of some of Japan's top officials, including the prime minister and the leaders of both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Sep 1, 2018

Japan Times 1993: Fatherhood courses to meet children's needs

The Education Ministry appropriated funds to send lecturers to work on fatherhood because men had become too busy with their jobs to maintain adequate contact with their children.

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.