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Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 30, 2018

Explosions in the sky: Fireworks lie at the heart of summer in Japan

Is Japan "the best" at fireworks?
Japan Times
Jun 28, 2018

TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING celebrates its centennial by publishing Archipelago Travelogue

Illuminating the charm and value of Setouchi culture through stunning visuals and profound observations of intellectuals
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 25, 2018

World Cup's 'Battle of the Cleaners' ends in draw

It was perhaps fitting that the World Cup match between Senegal and Japan — whose fans have received international acclaim for their cleanliness in the stadium — ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw Sunday in Ekaterinburg.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Jun 17, 2018

Turning Japanese: Newly naturalized African ex-American has skin in the game

What motivated Henry Moreland Seals to decide that he'd sooner salute the Hinomaru than the Stars and Stripes?
Japan Times
SPORTS
Jun 7, 2018

Three-time Olympian Dai Tamesue provides detailed critique of sports in Japan

Dai Tamesue, a former track star who made Japan's Olympic team for the 2000 Sydney Games, the 2004 Athens Games and the 2008 Beijing Games, has experienced the highest levels of competition in Japan, the United States and elsewhere.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jun 1, 2018

Pope promises 'never again' to sex abuse in Chile, reopens investigation

Pope Francis on Thursday promised Chilean Catholics scarred by a culture of clergy sexual abuse that "never again" would the Church ignore them or the coverup of abuse in their country, where a widespread scandal has devastated its credibility.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 8, 2018

The politics of machine-learning algorithms

If we do not take the reins of the new technologies that are starting to dominate decision-making in business, politics and society, they could lead us toward a political system we did not choose.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 28, 2018

Confronting the definition of a 'moral education'

How can people be taught to be good? What does "good" mean? "Moral education," the education ministry explains on its website, "aims to develop a Japanese citizen who will never lose the consistent spirit of respect for his fellow man; who will realize this spirit at home, at school and in other actual...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 24, 2018

Ready Player Win: Morisaki represents Japan in his first Hollywood gig

As far as Hollywood debuts go, it doesn't get much bigger than stepping into a Steven Spielberg blockbuster. For Win Morisaki, it's a giant leap toward his goal of becoming an international actor.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 21, 2018

Still eating, still writing: Robbie Swinnerton reflects on 20 years of Tokyo Food File

At 1,000 restaurants in, what keeps this insatiable food writer hungry?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 21, 2018

Ian Buruma's 'A Tokyo Romance' captures the beating heart of avant-garde Japan

Landing in the Japanese capital in 1975 was a bit of a shock. 'The crowds, the noise, the visual excess' — everything seemed over-the-top.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 20, 2018

Big expectations for the Tokyo megalopolis

Currently ranked as the world's No. 3 city, Tokyo could top the list if it improves in three key areas.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Deep Dive
Apr 19, 2018

Dual citizenship in Japan: A 'don’t ask, don’t tell' policy leaves many in the dark

Do you have to renounce citizenship? Do you switch passports at the airport? Has anyone ever been punished? Dual nationals tell their stories.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 12, 2018

Layers of artistic heritage in Aomori Prefecture

The weather is crisp when I arrive at Shin-Aomori Station via the Tohoku Shinkansen. I'm not surprised, though, the northernmost prefecture on the island of Honshu is known as a cold and isolated place.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 11, 2018

Pitcher Nick Martinez finding Japan to his taste after joining Nippon Ham from Rangers

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pitcher Nick Martinez is still making a lot of adjustments to his new baseball life in Japan. He's had to acclimate himself to a new style of baseball, a new culture, the travel and learn how to pack for NPB road trips.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 2, 2018

Kim Jong Un and wife attend groundbreaking K-pop concert in Pyongyang

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, were among the hundreds in Pyongyang on Sunday watching South Korean K-pop singers perform in the North for the first time in more than a decade as tensions between the two countries thaw.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2018

Elon Musk is today's Henry Ford — and that's bad

As Tesla pursues lower retail prices and higher volumes, its ambivalent attitude toward the principles of mass production of modern cars seems increasingly likely to sabotage its powerful brand.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Mar 24, 2018

Eiichi Sato: Fate written in the star rubies

Eiichi Sato peers through a gemologist's loupe and shines a lamp down onto the small pink-red stone that glistens against the black felt cloth below. "Take a look," he urges. "It's pretty cool."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Mar 7, 2018

White supremacists and Japan: A love story

Far-right fanboys see in Japan an ethnostate that gets a free pass on the world stage, but it's a reputation that Japan needs to shake for its own good.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 23, 2018

How an Indian bank's $1.8 billion fraud went unnoticed

The Punjab National Bank branch in south Mumbai sits just down the road from both the Bombay Stock Exchange and the Reserve Bank of India, at a physical center of one of the world's fastest-growing major economies.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Feb 19, 2018

Let's discuss 'obligatory chocolates'

A recent Godiva ad challenged the culture of 'obligatory' Valentine's chocolates.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 6, 2018

Kazufusa Hosho: 'Noh is necessary in times of social unrest'

The challenge facing Kazufusa Hosho is one that many guardians of traditional Japanese art forms know well: ensuring the survival of a centuries-old culture by attracting new and younger audiences.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 13, 2018

Shōtengai: Examining the evolution of Tokyo's venerable shopping districts

Jesse McFaddin strolls around Togoshi Ginza shōtengai (shopping district) on a recent chilly December afternoon.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 12, 2018

Japan's quiet #MeToo movement says everything

As the #MeToo movement spans the globe, Japan is conspicuous for a relative silence, particularly where it matters most.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Jan 10, 2018

Time for Japan to scrub off that blackface — for good

Oops, they did it again: offensive makeup for laughs on TV. But some Japanese viewers are far from amused.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jan 8, 2018

Iran bans English in primary schools after leaders' warning of 'cultural invasion'

Iran has banned the teaching of English in primary schools, a senior education official said, after Islamic leaders warned that early learning of the language opened the way to a Western "cultural invasion."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jan 6, 2018

Tattoo artist Gakkin leaves his mark in Amsterdam

Gakkin, a native of Wakayama and now a resident of Amsterdam, draws freehand, forgoing modern stencil machines to work directly on the body.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 9, 2017

With its tachinomiya tradition, is Tokyo ripe for a pintxos revolution?

Enjoy these treats the Basque way — with a drink or two, a chat with strangers, and then move on to the next bar.

Longform

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