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WORLD
Aug 2, 2015

Extraordinary measures used to fight militant Islam in 'stans'

Authorities in Central Asia's former Soviet "stans" are taking draconian measures to stamp out militant Islam, but their harsh methods and the absence of democratic politics risk provoking a backlash that could bring even greater instability.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2015

The midsize newspaper in America is toast

If endangered U.S. midsize papers collapse, who will do the local and regional news-gathering?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 31, 2015

Changing the culture of long working hours key to increasing Japan's female workforce

The plight of Japan's working women has improved dramatically over the past two decades. Maternity leave has become the norm, slots at nurseries have increased by more than 340,000 and the percentage of female executives or women serving as department chiefs at companies has tripled.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jul 27, 2015

Tokai broadcaster pushes ninja idol adventure overseas

Tokai Television Broadcasting Ltd. has started to air a new series called "Ninja Boimenkun" ("Ninja Boys and Men") earlier this month.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 25, 2015

Shizuka Kamei and Shintaro Ishihara have the security debate the Diet should have had

When Shintaro Ishihara retired from politics after failing to get re-elected last December, it seemed we wouldn't have the right-wing firebrand to kick around any more, but last week there he was in Shukan Asahi talking to former Liberal Democratic Party comrade Shizuka Kamei about various topics, including...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 25, 2015

Gunman in Louisiana theater rampage had history of mental illness

A 59-year-old man once hospitalized for psychiatric care was identified by authorities on Friday as the gunman who fatally shot two people in a rampage at a central Louisiana movie theater before killing himself as police closed in.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 24, 2015

Japan seen seeking U.K. help to best German bid for Aussie sub deal

A Japanese government team is in talks with at least two top British firms to help a Japanese consortium land one of the world's most lucrative defense contracts, sources in Tokyo said, a $50 billion project to build submarines for Australia.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 23, 2015

Hitachi dubs new data-mining software 'artificial intelligence'

Hitachi Ltd. says it has developed an "artificial intelligence" system that draws on a massive range of data sources, such as millions of news articles, and can provide a reasoned response to hot-button topics.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2015

20th women's conference looks to make history

Gender equality in the workforce is not a simple thing to achieve.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 21, 2015

Performing arts poised to bloom at ETAT 2015

The sixth Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale is set to start July 26 in Tokamachi City and Tsunan Town in Niigata Prefecture, north-central Honshu.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2015

U.S. nuclear sub's visit to Yokosuka is show of ties as Japan tackles defense reform

The USS Michigan is an 18,000-ton demonstration of deepening U.S.-Japan military ties against the backdrop of an increasingly muscular China.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jul 20, 2015

Centrair emerges as key freight hub for agricultural exporters

Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture has emerged as a key hub for agricultural exporters as they capitalize on local subsidies, a global washoku food boom and weakening yen.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Jul 19, 2015

Fukushima trials to explore viability of hydrogen fuel network

Fukushima and the Fukushima Renewable Energy Institute (FREA) are kicking off a renewable energy project with a view to making the prefecture a hydrogen supply center by as early as 2016.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 17, 2015

Jury finds Aurora cinema massacre gunman guilty of multiple counts of first-degree murder

Colorado movie massacre gunman James Holmes was found guilty on Thursday of multiple counts of first degree murder and attempted murder, a verdict that enables prosecutors to seek the death penalty for the former graduate student who killed a dozen people and wounded 70 at a midnight premiere of a Batman...
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 16, 2015

Planned Parenthood use of aborted fetus tissue targeted by Congress probe

Republican U.S. congressional leaders on Wednesday launched an investigation of Planned Parenthood after a video implying it sells the organs of aborted fetuses was released on the Internet. The reproductive health group said the video is false.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jul 13, 2015

Nagoya subway line's late-night service extension finds marginal success

In a widely publicized event last July, the Higashiyama subway line in Nagoya extended its operating hours to provide the "latest last train for subways in Japan."
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 10, 2015

New 1960s-style cop drama; veteran actors playing hard-boiled detectives; CM of the Week: Kewpie

The title of TV Asahi's new police drama, "Keiji Shichinin" ("Seven Detectives"; Thurs., 9 p.m.), is meant to strike a chord with older viewers who will remember "Shichinin no Keiji," one of the most popular series of the 1960s — a cop show that wasn't about action but real police work, and which tackled...
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 2, 2015

Chongryon adrift at sea as succession battle looms

A succession fight is brewing in Chongyron, but however it turns out, the organization's influence in Pyongyang is disappering.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jul 1, 2015

Ku Klux Klan gets OK to stage pro-Confederate flag rally at South Carolina Capitol

The Ku Klux Klan plans to hold a pro-Confederate flag rally at the South Carolina Capitol, where a man was arrested on Monday night in a confrontation with anti-flag protesters over a symbol associated with slavery.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jun 29, 2015

Good-looking gorilla has crowds going gaga at Higashiyama Zoo

A western lowland gorilla from Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Chikusa Ward, Nagoya, is becoming a celebrity, thanks to Twitter.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 27, 2015

Okinawa's lobbyist-in-chief scores a subtle win in Washington

Chie Mikami's new documentary, "Ikusabanu Todomi" (which loosely translates as "Bring the War to an End"), is about the protests against the new U.S. Marine Corps base in Henoko, Okinawa. Her previous film, "Hyoteki no Mura" ("The Targeted Village"), was about protests against the deployment of the controversial...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 27, 2015

Visualizing Japan's 'ugly' online desires with cultural critic Hiroki Azuma

In 2009, critic and philosopher Hiroki Azuma had a dream. It was a recurring dream (as befitting of someone well-versed in the psychoanalysis of Freud and Jacques Lacan), and riddled with complexities. In his own words, which open the introductory chapter of "General Will 2.0: Rousseau, Freud, Google,"...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 26, 2015

OMSB counts his blessings on 'Think Good'

Rapper and producer Brandon Katou (aka OMSB) is an artist that, while humble, exhibits a sense of pride in his work atypical of Japanese artists. In recent interviews he's done for his new album, he's compared himself to big-name acts like Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West, remarking that his work is up...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 24, 2015

Newspapers play a critical role in education

Attempting to shield students from the realities of life that newspapers cover on a daily basis is an exercise in futility.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jun 22, 2015

Tokoname pottery makers turn to Russia, see vast market opportunity

Dealers and producers of Tokoname pottery, one of the six oldest types of potteries in Japan, are turning to Russia to market their teapots. They recently held the first teapot exhibition in Moscow, and sold 30 pieces in two days.

Longform

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