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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
Jan 7, 2018

Scholar plumbs postwar polls to challenge Japanese Constitution 'myths'

Shiro Sakaiya is an associate professor of political science at Tokyo Metropolitan University. His study has recently drawn keen attention from scholars and media people, as the constitutional revision advocated by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is likely to dominate the Japanese political scene throughout...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jan 7, 2018

More readers' responses to Japan Times Community articles from 2017

A selection of unpublished letters about Community stories from the second half of last year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 31, 2017

New year, new opportunities: What to expect in the Year of the Dog

Faithful, intelligent, warm and full of energy, the dog has long held its place as man's best friend. That's good news as we approach 2018, the Year of the Dog, because, according to the Chinese calendar, the next 12 months will be largely shaped by canine traits.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 29, 2017

Oton Glass CEO looks to help those with reading disabilities and ease their lives

What would you do if you suddenly lost your ability to read, and the text you're reading now became an incomprehensible jumble of letters?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 28, 2017

NGO Very 50 offers MBA-style approach to help Japan's youth solve global social issues

In the summer of 2016, Seina Otsuki and Satoshi Miura traveled from their homes in Miyagi Prefecture to rural Mai Chau in northwestern Vietnam to help the local community develop handy and fashionable products for the Vietnamese market.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 24, 2017

Homeless in Tokyo: Fallen through society's cracks and frozen out

A night on homeless patrol in Tokyo highlights the range of factors that can lead to a life on the streets.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 20, 2017

Working in the film industry as a non-Japanese has its own challenges

Japan is home to one of the most lucrative movie industries in the world, and also one of the most prolific: 1,149 films received a theatrical release during 2016, over 600 of which were domestic productions. It can be hard to stand out in such a crowded marketplace and the challenges are often compounded...
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Dec 18, 2017

In case you missed them: a year of responses to Community stories, part 3

The last in a series of selections of unpublished letters about Community stories from the previous year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 16, 2017

Why do some old men age disgracefully?

It's a universal belief that life is unfair, though there are many ways in which people manifest this belief. Some withdraw from the world, while others engage with it in an attempt to correct imbalances. Sometimes this engagement takes the form of anger.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 13, 2017

Whether you're Japanese or not, results are what count in music

There are many factors to keep in mind when trying to break into the Japanese music industry as a non-Japanese person. One that might be easy to overlook but ultimately rings true: You're going to have to work hard.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Nov 29, 2017

Japanese firm uses VR simulations to offer a glimpse into the world of dementia

On a moderately crowded train, I've just woken up after dozing off, but I can't remember where I am or where I'm going. Apart from the noise of the moving train, it's quiet, and the other passengers are half asleep, fiddling with their phones or spacing out.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 25, 2017

Take hypertension news with a grain of salt

U.S. doctors may be changing how they define hypertension, but the need to exercise and eat less junk food remain the best ways to fight off high blood pressure.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 24, 2017

Japan's lowriders get a little higher

The scene at Makuhari Messe could be at the Louvre — if the Louvre were to pump hip-hop throughout its galleries and have half-naked women posing beside its exhibits.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 16, 2017

Shibuya expo showcases innovations toward creating an inclusive society

The social welfare system has long been viewed as a form of assistance for the needy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Nov 15, 2017

A son echoes his father's questions about identity in Japan

'Russo-Japanese' Chuk Besher spent years researching Japan's multicultural history. Much later, son Noah, 8, had a question: 'What does 'half' mean?'
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 7, 2017

Fake meat, free markets ease North Koreans' hunger woes

Take the dregs left from making soy bean oil, which usually go to feed the pigs. Press and roll them into a sandy-colored paste. Stuff with rice, and top with chili sauce. The dish's name, "injogogi," means "man-made meat."
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Oct 15, 2017

North Korea's Kim works to turn missile-testing outpost into tourism cash cow

In the seaside city of Wonsan, North Korean families cook up barbecues on the beach, go fishing, and eat royal jelly flavored ice cream in the summer breeze. For their leader Kim Jong Un, the resort is a summer retreat, a future temple to tourism, and a good place to test missiles.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 2, 2017

Japan has to spend a little less on its well-off elderly

Lowering pension and medical benefits to well-off elderly people looks like Japan's least-bad option to rein in its debt.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Sep 27, 2017

Role-playing video game helps fight against depression for counselor-shy Japanese

It's a role-playing video game that, like many of its kind, allows users to choose and customize their own avatars, including a hairstyle and clothing. Set in a medieval fantasy world, users build up power as their characters travel across "provinces," overcoming obstacles and challenges along the way....
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 23, 2017

A ruff guide to Seeing Eye dogs in Japan

Ariel is a devoted labrador. Named after the title character in Disney's "The Little Mermaid," Ariel can’t get enough of her user, 37-year-old Kanako Suzuki. Ariel rolls on her back, begging to be petted, and when Suzuki joins her on the floor, the animal jumps onto her lap — all 24 kilograms of...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Sep 17, 2017

Japanese professor studies U.S. 'birth of a nation' and finds common humanity

Understanding racial issues is key to knowing America's history and, through that, modern Japan's, says Keiko Shirakawa.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 14, 2017

Japan's high-tech lavatory drive picks up pace ahead of Olympics

Pop diva Madonna once said during her 2005 visit to Japan that she'd "missed the heated toilet seats."
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Aug 28, 2017

An unlikely hurricane hero takes over chaotic Texas storm shelter

When state emergency authorities pulled into the storm shelter in the small city of Rockport, Texas, on Saturday, they asked the obvious first question: Who's in charge here?
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 18, 2017

Islamic State takes credit as Spain searches for van driver who mowed down Barcelona crowd

A manhunt was underway for the driver of a van that mowed through crowds of tourists on Barcelona's most famous avenue on Thursday, killing at least 13 people in an attack that was claimed by Islamic State.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Aug 16, 2017

Japanese researchers tap AI to parse regional dialects, work toward early dementia diagnosis

People in Aomori Prefecture, especially in the western Tsugaru area, are known for their strong dialect, often leading outsiders to joke about needing a translator.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 12, 2017

Food for thought: Government agencies are joining private initiatives to tackle the growing problem of food waste in Japan

Consumers, retailers and businesses nationwide throw away millions of tons of food each year, with waste ultimately affecting profit levels and keeping officials up at night.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Aug 11, 2017

Japan's health care is far from free, and ballooning costs could mean higher premiums

Japan's health insurance system is considered "universal," since it covers everyone in the country, but it is hardly "free" in the sense of having the government pay for everything with tax revenue.

Longform

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?