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Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 15, 2015

Funassyi — Japan’s favorite shrieking pear

It's all going pear-shaped, and that's a good thing for Funabashi's popular mascot.
Japan Times
JAPAN / TELLING LIVES
May 13, 2015

Nagoya DJ brings Japanese history to life

Chris Glenn's participation in relief efforts in the disaster-hit Tohoku region made the news in 2011, when as a member of a group of pilots he flew a helicopter to deliver food, water and medicines for evacuees.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 12, 2015

Philippines watches from rundown outpost as China turns reef into island in disputed sea area

As the Philippine military C-130 transport plane made its approach to the country's most precious outpost in the disputed South China Sea on Monday, it flew past a reef that China is quickly turning into an island.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 9, 2015

Sound waves: the music of Okinawa

How is it possible that a people who have experienced poverty, famine and discrimination, outlasted efforts at cultural annihilation and suffered the indignities of occupation can manage to celebrate life in song and dance with a passion and joy that belies everyday reality?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 9, 2015

The golden arches lose their luster

The sharp downturn in business at McDonald's — which has thrived for most of the past 44 years in Japan — has got everybody talking. This past January alone, revenues at existing outlets, the company announced, had fallen year-on-year by a whopping 38.6 percent, with losses for the 2014 business...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 2, 2015

Giving parents credit where rent is due

We choose our friends but we don't choose our parents. Nor do they choose us. It's a pretty fraught relationship, sometimes, that between parent and child. Perhaps "love-hate" best describes it — hopefully with love dominant.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 30, 2015

Sixteen teams ready to battle for title in expanded playoffs

The playoff format was expanded to 16 teams for the bj-league's 10th season.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 29, 2015

Former Asahi Shimbun reporter says threats against him are getting worse

A former Asahi Shimbun reporter who has sustained a spate of personal attacks relating to his coverage of so-called "comfort women" years ago says the threats against him are growing worse.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2015

Mideast supply disruption threat sends oil trading to near four-month high

Oil traded near the highest price since December on concern that Middle East supplies may be disrupted as Saudi Arabia expanded its military campaign against Yemen.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 25, 2015

U.S. towns pulled into Japanese politics

A recurring news story over the past several years concerns claims of the harassment of Japanese nationals residing on the East and West coasts of the United States. Most appear to have originated from municipalities where South Korean immigrants and Korean-Americans have successfully campaigned to erect...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 24, 2015

From Vine to Billboard, Shawn Mendes lands chart-topping album

Teen singer Shawn Mendes, who grew a devoted fan base as a Vine star on social media, landed at No. 1 on the U.S. weekly Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, ousting the "Furious 7" soundtrack from the top spot.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE PERSISTENT VEGETARIAN
Apr 24, 2015

In search of Tokyo's vegetarian bentōs

In the TV industry, bentō (boxed lunches) come with the territory, and, in my years here, I've seen nearly every type of bentō you could imagine. They are, however, often ordered in bulk and usually contain some kind of meat or fish. Still, to refuse a bentō on set (in favor of eating your own packed...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 23, 2015

Race for playoffs going down to wire

If the past 10 games are a key measuring stick for playoff-bound teams' chances in the postseason — and those still in the hunt to secure the East's seventh and eighth spots (Shinshu and Fukushima are both 19-31 and Gunma is 18-32 entering the final weekend) — keep an eye on these five teams: Niigata,...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 18, 2015

Images show rapid Chinese progress on new South China Sea airstrip

Recent satellite images show China has made rapid progress in building an airstrip suitable for military use in contested territory in the South China Sea's Spratly Islands and may be planning another, moves that have been greeted with concern in the United States and Asia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 13, 2015

Abe camp's push for white-collar merit pay seen as no-overtime wages ploy

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration submitted a revised Labor Standards Law to the Diet earlier this month that would allow firms to exempt well-paid skilled workers from work-hour regulations — the so-called white-collar exemption system, which would effectively do away with overtime pay.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 6, 2015

Takaichi denies Shukan Post story alleging loan scandal

Internal affairs minister Sanae Takaichi flatly denied allegations Monday by a weekly magazine about her brother's involvement in a dubious loan scandal, accusing the publication of fabricating the story.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 6, 2015

Decommissioning aging reactors inevitable, costly

Last month, four utilities announced they would decommission five commercial nuclear reactors that were at least 40 years old, rather than apply for a restart that could extend their operating life another two decades.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2015

Lamar's 'Butterfly' keeps afloat at No. 1

Rapper Kendrick Lamar held onto the top spot of the weekly U.S. Billboard 200 album chart last Wednesday, in a week that saw little change among the top-selling records.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EMBASSY AVENUE
Apr 3, 2015

El Sistema's music activities inspire youth across borders

Suntory Hall was filled with the sounds of music as Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel conducted students from Japan and the U.S. during a concert on March 29.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2015

Call Cameron's 'gaffe' anything but guileless

There's been much debate over whether British Prime Minister David Cameron's shock announcement about his political future was just an unguarded slip — as he tried to look like a normal family man rather than a power-crazed politician on a soft-feature TV show — or a tactic.
BASKETBALL
Mar 27, 2015

Sendai prevails in 2OT against Tokyo, stretches win streak to nine

The Sendai 89ers outlasted the Tokyo Cinq Reves in double overtime on Friday night, winning 118-112.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 27, 2015

What can Modi learn from Lee Kuan Yew

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent political stumbles with regard to reform, including his failure to get a key land-acquisition bill through Parliament, are a reminder of the unruliness of India's democracy.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 26, 2015

Nash has Toyama eyeing Final Four again

Due to one of the quirks of the league schedule, the Toyama Grouses won't face the reigning champion Ryukyu Golden Kings during the regular season. But they've fared quite well against other elite clubs.

Longform

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