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Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
May 14, 2017

Fukushima firm's 'fairy feather' silk gets Hermes' attention

The world's thinnest yarn-dyed silk fabric will soon find its way into Hermes' globally renowned scarves.
Japan Times
JAPAN / OKINAWA BEAT
May 11, 2017

Okinawa grapples with mounting garbage, water supply dilemma amid record tourist numbers

As Okinawa continues to mark record high numbers of tourists in recent years, the prefecture is struggling to dispose of snowballing garbage and supplying sufficient amounts of water.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 8, 2017

Shabani the gorilla credited with keeping Nagoya zoo visitor numbers up despite bird flu outbreak

The total number of visitors to Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya reached 2,408,400 in fiscal 2016, the second-highest level in the last 20 years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 6, 2017

'Press Freedom in Contemporary Japan': Persuasive and important but incomplete

May 3 marks the United Nations' World Press Freedom Day, an annual reminder of the necessity of unfettered media in the maintenance of healthy societies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 5, 2017

Professor examines Lolita complex by first looking at his own experience

Lolita complex, the sexual attraction to young, pubescent girls, is woven into the fabric of everyday life in Japan. Turn on the TV and you'll see group after group of scantily-clad teenage and preteen girls singing or dancing to music. Peek in any bookstore and you'll find a section of photo books featuring...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 2, 2017

Software tycoon Ahn invokes France's Macron in bid for South Korean presidency

South Korean software tycoon Ahn Cheol-soo, who once led opinion polls in the presidential race, is finding his centrist approach and platform of championing markets drowned out by public demands for a clampdown on the country's scandal-hit elite.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 1, 2017

Mie 'mikan' growers use rare varieties to fend off foreign imports

Rare mikan (mandarin oranges or tangerines) that were on the brink of extinction are once again showing up in markets in the Higashi Kishu region in Mie Prefecture, a major citrus growing area.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 29, 2017

Donald Trump's 'first 100 days' is down for the count

In American newspapers, wire services, cable TV and blogs, U.S. President Donald Trump is beset by a host of recurring brickbats, from complaints over his refusal to make public his income tax returns and alleged Russian connections, to his reputation as a male chauvinist and propensity to cite conspiracy...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 29, 2017

Civil society across Asia is flowering but fragile

The proliferation of civil society organizations throughout Asia is having a significant impact on relations between the state and citizens, on the institutions of the state and on prevailing norms and values.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2017

Chaos and confusion, but some foreign policy wins for Trump

The Trump White House has done better than expected in handling some crises, but it has developed the alarming habit of turning to military force as a first resort.
EDITORIALS
Apr 27, 2017

Reconstruction minister axed

The resignation of the minister in charge of reconstruction from the March 2011 disasters over inappropriate remarks appears to be yet another sign of the loosening discipline among members of the Abe Cabinet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 24, 2017

Nagoya group looks to spread jump rope 'culture' to the world

In Aichi Prefecture, the nation's top producing region of jump ropes, efforts are being made to promote the sport at home and abroad.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2017

Tokyo prefers to meet Pence, keep trade hardliner Ross at arm's length in economic talks: official

Japan wants to keep Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross out of an economic dialogue with the U.S. as it seeks to avoid disputes with the Trump administration over a weaker yen and trade imbalance, according to a Japanese official who asked not to be identified.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 17, 2017

Shizuoka firm promises good luck in every cup of its green tea

A tea wholesale store based in the city of Makinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture, has developed a technology to ensure a tea stem floats vertically — an omen of good fortune widely believed by Japanese.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Apr 16, 2017

Fukushima firm plants seeds of revitalization in bid to rebuild Lake Fujinuma area

Aiming to return the area around Lake Fujinuma in Sukagawa, Fukushima Prefecture, to its former glory in the aftermath of the March 2011 disasters, a group of local citizens has launched a company to try to turn the area into a top spot for hydrangea hunters.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 12, 2017

United won't use police to remove overbooked passengers, CEO says

United Airlines will no longer use law enforcement officers to remove passengers from overbooked flights after global outrage erupted over a video showing a passenger dragged from one of its planes in Chicago.
Japan Times
JAPAN / OKINAWA BEAT
Apr 12, 2017

Naha firm to open miniature model theme park in Okinawa featuring tourist sites around the world

A company based in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, is aiming to open a theme park in the prefecture around 2022 featuring exhibitions of famous cities around the world using miniature models.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 10, 2017

Chubu-based firms set up Silicon Valley hubs to tap local tech expertise

Okaya & Co. Ltd., a Nagoya-based trading company for iron and steel, is set to open an office in Silicon Valley in California in the hope of teaming up with tech-savvy ventures there.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2017

Japan's latest English-proficiency scores disappoint

Japan's plan to improve English proficiency scores with mandatory classes flops as the latest round of testing shows that students are either regressing or making minor progress.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GASTECH JAPAN 2017
Apr 4, 2017

Unlocking LNG's potential

A global network of professional firms offering audit, tax and advisory services, KPMG member companies have successfully supported clients in handling business issues and major risks in the oil and gas sectors. The following is an excerpt of discussions on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and its future...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 3, 2017

Treatment for mentally ill elusive at Japan's medical prisons

When a 21-year-old woman was sentenced to life in prison on March 24 for killing an elderly woman, the Nagoya District Court acknowledged that the defendant's mental illness — a developmental and bipolar disorder — was part of the reason for the heinous crime and that she should be treated in a medical...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2017

We once listened to the Beatles; now we eat beetles

Since the 1960s and '70s, food has replaced music's centrality to American culture.
WORLD
Apr 1, 2017

Congressional rollback of internet privacy rules will be template for undoing net neutrality

Tuesday's decision by the U.S. Congress to invalidate internet privacy rules from the Obama administration has set off a bit of a firestorm. The change, which will allow service providers like AT&T and Verizon to collect and sell customers' information without their permission, prompted ad campaigns...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2017

Participation in discussions on global issues essential

The Japan Times had the privilege of welcoming William Hiroyuki Saito, a special advisor to the Cabinet Office on cybersecurity to a lecture held at The Japan Times' Nifco Hall on March 13.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Mar 27, 2017

Japan's schools working to upgrade, Westernize lavatories

Dirty, smelly, dark, scary and broken are the five adjectives most commonly used to describe toilets in Japan's public schools.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Mar 20, 2017

Nagoya dye house looks abroad to keep traditional black in fashion

A dye house in Nagoya that specializes in kuro montsukizome, the dyeing of black-crested formal kimono that has been practiced since the Edo Period (1603 to 1868), is working on selling stoles and T-shirts that make use of the same technology.

Longform

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