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JAPAN / Explainer
Jan 6, 2021

Legal revisions would add weight to Japan's COVID-19 response

Levying fines on businesses if they don't shut down or reduce their hours of operation runs the risk of a political backlash against the government.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 26, 2020

20 Questions: The best answers of 2020

The 20 Questions format aims to get people in Japan to tell us about their thoughts and beliefs in their words. Here are some of the most interesting answers from 2020.
EDITORIALS
Dec 24, 2020

Ezra Vogel always believed in Japan’s potential

Vogel's passing leaves a great void and his death — like his life — should occasion reflection and action in Japan to honor and continue his efforts.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Dec 18, 2020

Hokkaido fishing villages face tough decision over nuclear disposal sites

While a traditional industry is slowly dying out, some see a nuclear site as bringing valuable income, while others feel very differently.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 5, 2020

Japan's portrait studios are adjusting services to cater to COVID-19 landscape

Revenue this year is expected to plunge by as much as 20% from 2019.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 2, 2020

Is China laying claim to kimchi, too? Some South Koreans think so.

A spat is raging this week over a Chinese state tabloid's claim that China had 'led” the development of an international standard for paocai, or pickled vegetables.
CULTURE
Dec 1, 2020

Amabie: Folklore apparition generated a big buzz in 2020

The long-haired, beak-faced amabie, which forecasts bountiful harvests and killer epidemics, has found itself in Japan's spotlight in recent months.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Dec 1, 2020

Democracy darkens: Hong Kong activists reel from Chinese moves

A year after young activists, veteran democrats and others formed the boldest revolt against Beijing in decades, Hong Kong is rapidly being 'mainlandized,' democracy advocates say.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 21, 2020

Japanese media weigh in on the U.S. election

'Biden may have been elected, but it won't be easy to repair the rifts that have widened over the past four years.'
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Nov 15, 2020

Macron doesn’t need to insult Islam to defend free speech

It is one thing to defend freedom of expression — an obligation of all democratic leaders. It is quite another to deploy a whole nation behind a particular expression of that freedom.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 14, 2020

Art or vandalism? Japan tries to find the right balance with street graffiti.

Tokyo looks to find the right balance between encouraging creative expression and protecting buildings from vandalism.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 13, 2020

Taiwan Defense Ministry, Pentagon deny U.S. Marines' presence for training

Taiwan's Defense Ministry and U.S. Defense Department have denied reports of U.S. Marines visiting the island to train Taiwanese forces.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 7, 2020

Does protecting food products protect Japan’s farmers?

The government wants to revise a law to protect new plant varieties, but domestic farmers could be prohibited from making their own seeds from registered crops.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 2, 2020

Johnny Depp loses 'wife beater' libel case against The Sun

Hollywood star Johnny Depp on Monday lost his libel battle with a British tabloid that labelled him a “wife beater,” after a London High Court judge ruled he had repeatedly assaulted his former partner and put her in fear for her life.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 28, 2020

Once unimaginable, some now debating return of U.S. forces to Taiwan

A recent essay in a U.S. Army journal contends that a military presence is necessary to deter an increasingly capable Chinese military from an attack on the island.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 25, 2020

Is Japan ready to embrace CBD?

Japan's CBD market is on the cusp of taking off, and the economic potential is huge. But it has stiff legal and social barriers to overcome first.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 24, 2020

Hokkaido municipalities gamble on a nuclear future, but at what cost?

Nuclear waste site survey applications reflect muddled official policy about what to do with the country's spent nuclear fuel
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Oct 17, 2020

The individual makes a comeback in Japan amid COVID-19

Companies are successfully offering goods and services that target individuals in the “solo” market. But there's a catch u2026
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 10, 2020

Courts struggling to define what constitutes defamation in social media

Journalist Shiori Ito files rare libel lawsuit over use of the 'like' button on Twitter.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Oct 9, 2020

Universities in Chubu returning to face-to-face classes

According to an education ministry survey, a majority of institutions said they plan to have more than half of courses be in-person.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Sep 30, 2020

Seeking entry to Japan? Here’s what you need to know

Visa applicants will be required to meet strict conditions to receive permission to enter the country.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 18, 2020

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's best director win at Venice is a career changer

The reaction to Kiyoshi Kurosawa winning the Silver Lion for best direction has been overwhelmingly positive, but 'Wife of a Spy' isn't entirely free of controversy.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 15, 2020

Jack ‘Murph the Surf’ Murphy, heist mastermind, dies at 83

He called himself "Murph the Surf,” a tanned, roguish, party-loving beach boy from Miami, and he transfixed the nation in 1964 by pulling off the biggest jewel heist in New York City history — the celebrated snatching of the Star of India, a sapphire larger than a golf ball, and a haul of other gems...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Sep 12, 2020

Can micro-tourism save Japan's ailing travel industry?

Excursions to local destinations that are no more than an hour's drive from home lessen the anxiety of taking a short break.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 8, 2020

Straight talk about Taiwan and ‘strategic ambiguity’

A lack of clarity dissuades China from seeking reunification through force by leaving open the possibility of a U.S. response and dissuades Taiwan from reckless actions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 3, 2020

The 1995 Okinawa rape that shook U.S.-Japan ties

Twenty-five years ago, on Sept. 4, 1995, a 12-year-old girl was abducted, beaten and raped in the village of Kin, Okinawa Prefecture, by three U.S. servicemen — two marines and a naval medic.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Sep 1, 2020

Let's discuss a case of possible defamation

A story compiled from Jiji and Kyodo reports looks at the latest efforts by Shiori Ito to protect her reputation, and takes a look at the English behind the piece.

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go