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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices
Jul 14, 2014

Osaka: Do you approve of the recent reinterpretation of constitutional limits on military action?

On July 2, the Cabinet approved a new interpretation of the Constitution that effectively broadens the range of situations in which the Self-Defense Forces are permitted to act militarily. Danny Gong asked interviewees in Osaka what they thought about this change.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 3, 2014

What really happened at Tiananmen?

In recent years the Tiananmen Square 'massacre' story has taken something of a beating as people in the square that night, including a Spanish TV unit, have emerged to tell us that there was no massacre in the square.
JAPAN
May 13, 2014

Abe to get Article 9 proposals Thursday

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Article 9 panel will propose its conditions for using collective self-defense under a reinterpreted Constitution on Thursday.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Sep 9, 2004

Heartening news for some from an Ice Age gene mutation

In Terry Gilliam's 1985 film "Brazil," a tiny printing error in a bureaucratic document leads to the mistaken arrest and detention of an innocent man. A single letter is changed in a file and the set of instructions are automatically followed by the authorities.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 9, 2023

GPTZero app seeks to thwart AI plagiarism in schools and online media

An entrepreneur is pursuing technology to make it easier to distinguish between text written by people and that composed by a machine.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 2, 2023

What exactly are the dangers posed by AI?

A recent letter calling for a moratorium on AI development blends real threats with speculation. But concern is growing among experts.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 21, 2023

U.S. Supreme Court to hear case that targets a legal shield of tech giants

Critics of Section 230 say it lets tech companies avoid responsibility for harms on their watch, while supporters say that without the shield the firms will stifle free expression.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 15, 2013

Kochs use Web to slam critical reports

When environmental journalist David Sassoon began reporting about the billionaire Koch brothers' interests in the Canadian oil industry last year, he sought information from their privately held conglomerate, Koch Industries. The brothers, who have gained prominence in recent years as supporters of and...
EDITORIALS
Oct 5, 2007

Bizarre ruling against newspapers

The Tokyo District Court recently ruled that three newspapers libeled a doctor at Tokyo Women's Medical College Hospital by publishing a wire service report. But it acquitted the news agency that dispatched the article. This bizarre ruling carries the danger of greatly hampering newspaper reporting activities....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 15, 2007

Citizen-journalism Web sites struggle to attract reporters

Most people would probably consider park benches an unusual target for journalistic scrutiny, but Yumiko Hayakawa was determined to get to the bottom of the matter. She interviewed over 100 people, spoke to park officials, gave out a questionnaire and took photos in parks around Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 11, 2016

Abe says win gives him mandate to accelerate economic policies but remains mum on Constitution

Fresh from sweeping the polls in Sunday's Upper House election, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday called the outcome an endorsement of Abenomics and pledged to expand spending, particularly in rural areas, despite soaring public debt.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 3, 2018

In Trump-esque fashion, Abe on offensive against Japan's established media

Harsh media coverage has left a lasting impression on Abe. Perhaps so it doesn't happen again, his administration is now considering amending Japan's laws to fundamentally change the industry.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jul 15, 2013

Trolls or media watchdogs?: Japan's foreign-born defenders

Have the foreign media got it in for Japan? Do they unduly focus on, and sensationalize, Fukushima radiation leaks, alleged racial intolerance and the self-aggrandizing policy pronouncements of the reborn Liberal Democratic Party?
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Mar 28, 2010

Our man, Mr. Pound

On May 15, 1939, readers of The Japan Times were introduced to a new correspondent — although, in literary circles, at least, he needed no introduction. He was Ezra Pound, then a 53-year-old American Modernist poet who could boast accomplishments that included having launched the career of T.S. Eliot....
COMMUNITY
Jul 15, 2008

Lawmaker takes 9/11 doubts global: readers' responses

A number of readers wrote to the Community Page in response to John Spiri's June 17 Zeit Gist article on Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Yukihisa Fujita. Following is a selection of the responses.
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 7, 2023

Feeling anxious? Wastewater, heat and Japan’s year in climate

In a year that saw Japan release 24,000 tons of wastewater (so far) from Fukushima No. 1 as the planet smashed heat records, it’s no wonder climate anxiety is on the rise. Mara Budgen joins us to break down the year in environment news, where we could see hope, and what we should be worried about....
A woman stands on one side of the wall texting in front of a nightclub while, on the other side of the wall, a man works in an izakaya.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 24, 2023

One night out in Tokyo

As the last trains leave the central hubs of Shinjuku and Shibuya for the suburbs, much of the city heads home. However, Tokyo never sleeps.
Motoki Taniguchi (left) and one of his clients, Maurice Shelton, hope their lawsuit can change alleged police practices involving stop-and-search.
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 8, 2024

A lawsuit puts alleged racial profiling by police on trial in Japan

Three residents with foreign roots have filed a lawsuit claiming Japanese police target visible minorities. We discuss what they hope to achieve.
One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 22, 2024

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Homeless influencers, fantasy boyfriends and bubble-era bars — Kabukicho seems to have it all.
Naoko Motooka began hunting 10 years ago. Her hobby is one way Hokkaido hopes to curb a current boom in the deer population.
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 15, 2024

Hunting in Hokkaido; Taylor Swift comes to Tokyo

You probably don’t think of guns when you think of Japan, but Hokkaido’s hunters do.
With the recent focus on the yen and individual investing, the phrase "Mrs. Watanabe" — one of the most common pieces of jargon in Japanese financial circles — has seen a resurgence.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 29, 2024

My search for the original 'Mrs. Watanabe'

Yen retail traders are back in the spotlight. But where did the phrase for the archetypal Japanese housewife investor come from?
Black Myth: Wukong has sold over 10 million copies in less than a week — by far the best launch of a Chinese-developed single-player game in history.
LIFE / Digital
Aug 27, 2024

With Black Myth: Wukong, China is now a force to reckon with in AAA games

Can China’s first AAA gaming hit bear the weight of the cultural baggage it’s being burdened with?
The U.S. decision to suspend the use of a firing range in the Senkakus has had lasting consequences, undermining Japan's claims to the islets and sending mixed signals about U.S. support for Japanese sovereignty over the area.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 10, 2024

A restart of Senkaku firing ranges is long overdue

The suspension also had strategic consequences, depriving both U.S. and Japanese forces of vital military training ranges.
In Japan, terms like "progressive," "liberal," "conservative," and "nationalist" may sound familiar but do not align with their meanings in other democracies.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 25, 2024

How to understand labels in Japanese politics

The issues that define political labels are often unique to Japan. As a result, quite a few Western authors will pick them up and use them.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 25, 2024

Putin appears to hint that North Korean troops are in Russia

Putin's comments came as Ukraine’s intelligence agency said that North Korean soldiers had already arrived in Russia's Kursk region.
PRESS
Oct 23, 2023

The Japan Times wins two gold at WAN-IFRA Asia Media Awards 2023

The Japan Times, Ltd. (Chairperson, Publisher and President: Minako Suematsu) is a double Gold award winner (small-medium company category) in the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) Asia Media Awards 2023.
Samples of The Japan Times winning news coverage, recognized by the World Association of News Publishers Asian Media Awards.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Oct 23, 2023

The Japan Times wins two gold at WAN-IFRA Asia Media Awards 2023

The Japan Times, Ltd. (Chairperson, Publisher and President: Minako Suematsu) is a double Gold award winner (small-medium company category) in the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) Asia Media Awards 2023.
PRESS
Jul 26, 2024

The Japan Times receives Best Aviation AI submission at 2024 Aerospace Media Awards

An article on China’s use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) in military technology written by Gabriel Dominguez and published by The Japan Times, Ltd. (Chairperson, Publisher and President: Minako Suematsu) received an award for The Best Aviation Artificial Intelligence (AI) Submission...
A banner at the entrance to Shibuya’s Center Street makes it clear this is no place for a party.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 26, 2023

The specter of Itaewon has Shibuya spooked

One year on, Elizabeth Beattie joins us to discuss where Itaewon stands after its Halloween disaster, and what its legacy means for celebrations in Japan.
Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin,” once the victim of high waves that dragged it into the sea, sits at the end of a pier on the south side of Naoshima.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jun 6, 2024

The sweaty pleasure of Japan’s inconvenient art

This week, writer Thu-Huong Ha is our tour guide into the world of Japan’s inconvenient art movement.

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