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COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 19, 2013

Immigration reform: Could this be Abe's new growth strategy?

The politics of immigration in Japan involve anxieties about national identity and worries about crime. Looking at other countries with large numbers of immigrants, the Japanese government has said "no thanks." There are, however, strong economic reasons for Japan to let down the drawbridges.
JAPAN
May 19, 2013

Suga clams up as source spins Iijima trip to North

During his surprise visit to Pyongyang, Isao Iijima, a special advisor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, explained to officials there that Tokyo continues to seek "comprehensive solutions" to the North's abductions of Japanese and to its nuclear arms and missile threats, a source said Saturday.
Reader Mail
May 19, 2013

Floatable cars for tsunami

Regarding the March 6 Kyodo brief "Tsunami 'Noah's Ark": It would be a great idea for the infrastructure ministry to make special lifeboats for evacuation during tsunami. But we could save many more lives if car companies would make a new car or adapt an existing model to float for many hours or even...
JAPAN
May 19, 2013

Michelin stars fly in Hiroshima guide

Michelin awarded three stars to the Nakashima restaurant in Hiroshima in its inaugural guide to the city and neighboring parts of western Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EMBASSY AVENUE
May 18, 2013

An evening of Cambodian dance in Tokyo

On the evening of May 16, various kinds of traditional Cambodian dance were performed at the open-air Citizens' Plaza of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings in Shinjuku Ward.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 18, 2013

Psychiatrists under fire in mental health battle

It has the distinctly un-catchy, abbreviated title "DSM-5," and is known to no one outside the world of mental health.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 17, 2013

KAT-TUN star's knack for reinvention aids film role

Director Satoshi Miki's new comedy "Ore Ore (It's Me, it's Me)" is more on the cultish than the commercial end of the scale, with its head-scratcher of a story about a first-time scammer who starts encountering various versions of himself in a bizarre new world: karmic payback for impersonating a stranger...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 17, 2013

Flamenco queen shares 'Utopia'

Sitting in an interview room at the Bunkamura cultural complex in Tokyo's Shibuya district, Maru00eda Pagu00e9s leans forward, smiles and tells me: 'Flamenco is my language.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / A TASTE OF HOME
May 17, 2013

Where to find brunch in Tokyo, and just the way you like it

It's terrace season, and the thought of a drawn-out weekend brunch — sunglasses on, cocktail in hand — is likely to make any American go weak in the knees with homesickness. Fortunately for those in Tokyo there are several places that do a classic brunch, including both old staples and a few newcomers....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 17, 2013

'Ore Ore (It's Me, it's Me)'

Satoshi Miki is best known as a director of comedy, including episodes of the 2006-07 cult hit "Jiko Keisatsu (Time Limit Investigator)" series for TV Asahi and seven feature films. But when I programmed a special Miki section for the Udine Far East Film Festival in 2008, I realized anew how, film by...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 17, 2013

'Gambit'

When is a Coen Bros. film not a Coen Bros. film? I can imagine The Dude poring over this koan for hours, but the answer's quite simple: when it's "Gambit," the neo-screwball comedy directed by Michael Hoffman, working off a script by Joel and Ethan Coen.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 17, 2013

Walkathon will feature more than fitness

Here's your chance to make a difference while staying fit and having fun.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 16, 2013

Line app lined up for DoCoMo smartphones

NTT DoCoMo said Wednesday it will team up with the popular social network provider Line to offer a special app for DoCoMo users, aiming to deepen its relationship with the operator of the growing communication tool.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 16, 2013

Thaemlitz's mix tackles antidancing law

It's fitting that I should be meeting Terre Thaemlitz on May 1, International Workers' Day — she wryly refers to herself as a "feminist Marxist" before we begin our interview in proper.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 16, 2013

Iijima's North trip ups hope for progress on abductions

Tokyo authorized and is in charge of the surprise trip to Pyongyang by special adviser Isao Iijima, a senior government official indicated Wednesday, while Cabinet members all remained tight-lipped in public amid speculation the government hopes to resume direct talks with North Korea to resolve the...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 15, 2013

Omotesando cafe's stationery theme worth taking note of

Quirky, theme-based cafes have in recent years been part of the Tokyo landscape, including those featuring cats, young girls sporting sexy fantasy "maid" garb, and even "rakugo" comic storytelling.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 14, 2013

Turks in Kansai fear Inose gaffe indicative of wider ignorance about culture

'Stupid', 'shockingly provincial' and 'a sign of how little Japanese people really understand that part of the world' were among the reactions of Turkish residents in Kansai to Tokyo Gov. Naoki Inose's comments about Turkey and the wider Muslim world.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
May 14, 2013

On uneven ground: landfill property pitfalls

After the real estate agent unlocked the front door, the musty smell told us that the house had not been aired for some time. He laid out slippers for us and proceeded to raise the shutters and open the windows. Then, upon entering the kitchen he exclaimed, "Katamuite iru" ("It's uneven").
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 13, 2013

Before the Cleveland nightmare, hints of darkness

Shorty needed a ride home. She got confused sometimes, the result of some undefined mental condition, and wasn't always sure where she'd wandered. Her family knew this about Michelle "Shorty" Knight, all 139 cm of her, and that's why they worried.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 13, 2013

Japan's 'chosen one' has big dreams

He grabs rebounds and blocks shots inside, he sprints as fast as anyone else and he hits jumpers with a silky shooting touch.

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