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Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 6, 2015

Laos' Thongsing meets with Abe, vows to deepen ties with Japan

The visiting prime minister of Laos pledged on Friday to further develop bilateral ties with Japan amid increasing interest from Japanese companies.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Mar 6, 2015

Cheap rural homes come at a price

Though the hollowing-out of population in regional areas in Japan has become a major issue for the central government, it's been a problem for regional governments for more than three decades. Twenty years ago there was a popular promotional method called "I-turn," devised as a supplement to the "U-turn"...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Mar 4, 2015

Stance on 'comfort women' undermines fight to end wartime sexual violence

The prime minister's declarations on preventing sexual violence in wartime fly in the face of his government's refusal to recognize Japan's responsibilities toward the 'comfort women.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 20, 2015

A stitch in time does much more than save nine

One of Tokyo Dome's most attended annual attractions might come as a surprise to some. Aside from being home to baseball games and big-name concerts, the huge stadium also hosts a number of fairs, including the Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival — which is the largest of its kind.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 20, 2015

Temporary housing; famous siblings; CM of the week: Meiji

The temporary housing built for the survivors of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami is usually depicted as being dark and cold, inhabited by sad people. But according to the NHK regional documentary, "Egao no Kasetsu Jutaku" ("Temporary Housing of Smiling Faces"; NHK-G, Mon., 12:40 a.m.), at least one community...
WORLD
Feb 17, 2015

Copenhagen gunman's neighborhood no stranger to strife

Every Dane knows of Norrebro, the Copenhagen neighborhood where police shot dead the gunman suspected of carrying out shocking attacks on a synagogue and a cultural center hosting a free speech event.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / TYSON-DOUGLAS SHOCKER REVISITED
Feb 10, 2015

Douglas reflects on Tyson fight 25 years later

The youngest heavyweight champion in history, making his 10th title defense, entered the fight with a 37-0 record and had never been knocked down during his pro career; Douglas was the 42-1 underdog. Tyson's reign ended 28 minutes, 22 seconds into the fight, at precisely 1:22 into the 10th round.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 3, 2015

Bullet train black gold awaits Ethiopian roasters

On a typically sunny January day in southwestern Ethiopia, smallholder coffee farmers gather beneath red, blue and orange canvases, propped up by wooden stakes, to watch and participate in a coffee-tasting competition with demanding Japanese standards.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 30, 2015

Fanatics, charlatans and economics

National chauvinism and religious fundamentalism are here to stay, and with them the terrorism that extremists of all stripes embrace, because both phenomena are ideally suited to the age of the individual, providing imaginary answers to personal angst.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 21, 2015

Islamic State likely gave hostage ultimatum knowing difficulty of meeting it

The militant group, which aims to establish an Islamic caliphate, is likely using the hostage situation to generate renewed international attention, according to leading analysts.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jan 19, 2015

Writer's critical take on Jolie's 'Unbroken' raises readers' hackles

Some emails and online comments in response to Nicolas Gattig's recent Foreign Agenda column, 'Japan may shun 'Unbroken' because it's old hat.'
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jan 18, 2015

A top 10 for non-Japanese parents considering local schools

Whether your children are already in the local system or you are weighing up your future schooling options, here are 10 issues for parents to keep in mind.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society / FOCUS
Jan 18, 2015

Paris killings leave France troubled by 30 years of failure with immigrants

Latifa Ibn Ziaten knows a thing or two about terrorism.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2015

Disaster experts warn of need for 'risk-informed' development policies

Disaster plans that combine risk reduction with the need to quickly erect new buildings and infrastructure are becoming crucial to rebuilding from natural disasters.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jan 14, 2015

Worst-case scenarios make good sense but can lead to silliness

Worst-case scenarios make good sense to too many people in Japan, and in turn influence decisions in ways that can only be described as . . . silly.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jan 11, 2015

We need to talk about Japan — in English

What commentators who write about Japan in English are doing is not necessarily criticism and could instead be a genuine attempt to understand.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 29, 2014

Sharia law forces gays into hiding in Indonesia's Aceh

Overwhelmed by fear, members of the main gay rights group in the Indonesian town of Banda Aceh started burning piles of documents outside their headquarters in late October, worried that the Sharia police would raid them at any moment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Dec 25, 2014

Japan Times Advisory Board serves up brickbats, praise for newspaper's coverage

Ichiro Fujisaki, who formerly served as Japan's ambassador to the United States, praised the paper for its "readability." He said he senses that the editors try to choose phrases and words that are easy for Japanese readers to understand.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Dec 21, 2014

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble: a gaijin's lot in Japan?

A selection of readers' responses to Debito Arudou's last column, 'Time to burst your bubble and face reality.'
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 18, 2014

Health teams scour Sierra Leone capital in Ebola drive

Health workers in Sierra Leone began combing the streets of Freetown for Ebola patients on Wednesday, moving house-to-house as the government launched a major operation to contain infections in West Africa's worst-hit country.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 16, 2014

'Lone wolf' Australian hostage-taker had violent, unsettled past

The self-styled sheik behind a siege at a Sydney cafe had been charged as an accessory to murder and with multiple sexual offenses. He also harbored deep grievances against the Australian government and had found little kinship in the city's large Muslim community, where he was seen as deeply troubled....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Dec 10, 2014

Electoral dysfunction leaves Japan's voters feeling impotent

This Sunday's poll could well prove a high-water mark of pointlessness even for Japan: an election campaign waged against the unelected.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 6, 2014

Code + culture: new media art from Japan

Domestic media artists have been using programming code in recent years to create some astonishing works of art. We look back at how this scene developed over the years and examine four contemporary artists who have defined the way the genre has evolved.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Nov 10, 2014

Foreign wives of Japan offer NHK and 'Massan' criticism and kudos

Ellie's successors question the character's swift mastery of Japanese and penchant for hugs but welcome the issues she raises.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 5, 2014

Wales minister says nuclear power remains a good investment

While the nation debates the wisdom of restarting its nuclear power plants, the energy source remains central to some nations' investments for tomorrow. The process to construct a new two-reactor facility in Wales has been going as planned, the British province's economy minister said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 31, 2014

National Guard heads to Hawaii town threatened by river of lava

A contingent of National Guard troops was dispatched to a Hawaii town on Thursday to provide security to the Big Island community threatened by a river of molten lava that is slowly creeping toward the town's main road, an emergency official said.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2014

Which way is the enemy?

As the West seems to be picking fights with several enemies simultaneously, there is the risk of the war on terror mutating into a self-perpetuating permanent war against a continually expanding list of enemies.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Sep 21, 2014

The town that's battling the demographic tide

On Oki Islands off Shimane Prefecture, a bold wave of reform seems to be having a positive effect.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Sep 14, 2014

All-Japanese families take a chance on international schools

In a notoriously homogeneous society where parents can face criticism for going against the grain, what drives these parents to shun local schools and instead seek out what the education ministry calls 'foreigner schools'?

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?