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Japan Times
WORLD
May 14, 2014

Turkey coal mine explosion kills, traps hundreds of miners

An explosion and fire in a coal mine in western Turkey killed 157 miners and trapped hundreds more on Tuesday, a provincial mayor said, in what appeared to be the country's worst mining accident in years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 13, 2014

N.O.R.K. muddies the gap between indie and R&B on 'ADSR'

Japan's electronic-music scene has long seemed to suffer from a stylistic and unbridgeable gap between popular and independent music — one side characterized by overzealous polish, the other by lo-fi charm. In the case of N.O.R.K., the two sides have collided in spectacular fashion.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 13, 2014

Macmanaman step up to bat for the live show

"Instrumental post-rock" is probably the worst way to introduce a band, and by this point 90 percent of this article's readers will have probably fled to the sports section.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 13, 2014

Country boy Jonny Fritz set for a wander in the big city

Jonny Fritz is used to being out of his element. The Montana-born country music performer has spent a good chunk of the past decade touring, but his stops aren't the usual destinations for someone calling Nashville home. He has played every state in America, as well as shows across Europe, Argentina...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 12, 2014

China's elite 'princelings' quietly push for Nobel laureate's freedom

A group of "princelings," children of China's political elite, has quietly urged the Communist Party leadership to release jailed Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo on parole to improve the country's international image, two sources said.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 12, 2014

After ASIJ admission that teacher abused kids, ex-students demand inquiry

Alumni from the American School in Japan are demanding an independent inquiry into whether school officials covered up knowledge of sexual abuse committed by teacher Jack Moyer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 12, 2014

Are teens being enticed by sweetened cigars?

Flavored cigars that are popular with teens contain the same additives found in Jolly Rancher candies and Kool-Aid drink mixes, lending weight to the argument that tobacco companies take aim at youth, researchers said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
May 11, 2014

High-tech Japan jumps on wearable device bandwagon

Japanese firms are jumping into the race to manufacture a new generation of wearable devices that will link people more intimately with the Internet as they grow more dependent on gadgets to manage their lives.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
May 11, 2014

A dog named Shoronpo: The un-chihuahua

If you like the idea of a "pocket-size" dog — one that fits the size of a tiny apartment, a tight budget, or a dog that doesn't need lots of exercise — then the 5-year-old Shoronpo is the one for you. If you're saying, "Oh, anything but one of those skittish, yappy little Chihuahuas," then read on...
JAPAN / History
May 10, 2014

Going nuclear: How close has Japan come?

We examine the historical debate on the country's nuclear ambitions
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 10, 2014

Brush up on pop idol feuds before the exam

Last month, Meiji University's law department announced it would offer a social-psychology course on the boy band Arashi. The syllabus includes lectures about the group's individual members; its work in TV dramas and advertising; and the "culture of Johnny's Jimusho," Arashi's powerful production company....
CULTURE / Books
May 10, 2014

Bringing the wisdom of samurai into the modern world

The astrophysicist Carl Sagan famously called writing "perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs." "Books," he said, "break the shackles of time." In that sense, reading "Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai" lets the...
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
May 10, 2014

Industry 4.0: Germany rethinks manufacturing

Last month, the chief executive officer of one of the country's largest manufacturers spoke in a closed-door meeting to a group of Japanese executives on his company's global strategy. Remarkably, he spend 20 percent of his time praising German companies, from traditional heavyweights such as Siemens...
COMMENTARY / World
May 10, 2014

Frenchman stopped the trickle-down theory

A book by a Frenchman known for his now infamous chart of income inequality in the U.S. dominates the media like no other work of economics since the writings of Milton Friedman or even John Maynard Keynes.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 10, 2014

Osamu Hayashi teaches memory aids; painter Balthus's love life explored; CM of the week: Aflac

Osamu Hayashi is the most famous juku (cram school) teacher in Japan thanks to his frequent TV appearances and trademark phrase "Ima desho" ("Why not now?"). His main claim to fame as a teacher, however, is his ability to retain huge amounts of information.
Events / KANSAI: WHO & WHAT
May 9, 2014

Kyoto's famed Aoi Festival kicks off Thursday

The Aoi Festival, one of the three major annual festivals in Kyoto, will take place Thursday.
LIFE / Digital
May 9, 2014

The Twitter paradox: the pros and cons of being free

Life is so unfair. Consider the humble newt — which, in case you're wondering, is an aquatic amphibian of the family Salamandridae. He has had such a bad press over the years. When PG Wodehouse, for example, was looking for a way of signaling that Bertie Wooster's chum Gussie Fink-Nottle was a feeble...
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
May 9, 2014

Manga becomes a major draw at Toronto Comic Arts Festival

The 11th annual Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) kicks off May 10. As its title suggests, it's less a fan-focused pop convention than a platform for comics and graphic novels as art, and for the artists who create them. It has also emerged as a great friend to manga over the past few years.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 9, 2014

U.N. accuses both sides in South Sudan conflict of crimes against humanity

The United Nations on Thursday accused both government and rebel forces in South Sudan of committing crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and other sexual violence, during almost five months of fighting that has left thousands of people dead.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 9, 2014

Ukraine rebels ignore Putin call to delay self-rule vote

Pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine ignored a public call by Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone a referendum on self-rule, declaring they would go ahead on Sunday with a vote that could lead to war.
Japan Times
WORLD / EU SPECIAL 2014
May 9, 2014

Working to broaden EU-Japan cooperation in research

I was surprised Japanese children knew the European Union, said Maria Cristina Russo, director for international cooperation in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, who joined an event on robots held on April 13 in Tokyo during her recent visit to Japan.
WORLD / EU SPECIAL 2014
May 9, 2014

Horizon 2020 fosters knowledge

Horizon 2020 is the EU's biggest ever research and innovation framework program with a seven-year budget worth nearly €80 billion intended to help boost Europe's knowledge-driven economy and tackle issues that will make a difference in people's lives.
Japan Times
WORLD / EU SPECIAL 2014
May 9, 2014

Seeing the EU through film

The celebration of Europe Day on May 9 serves to kick off a major cultural event, the annual EU-Japan Friendship Week, which introduces Europe's diverse culture, languages and history to the people of Japan. Through July, various events and activities for all ages will take place in Tokyo and across...
JAPAN
May 8, 2014

Riken stands behind STAP paper probe

The Riken institute states that it will not reopen its probe into the so-called STAP cell papers, leaving biologist Haruko Obokata guilty of research misconduct.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 8, 2014

Toyota eclipses 2007 profit record

Toyota posts a record group operating profit of ¥2.29 trillion for 2013, breaking the previous record of ¥2.27 trillion set before the global financial crisis.
JAPAN
May 8, 2014

LGBT bullying rife in schools: survey

About 70 percent of sexual minorities have experienced bullying in school and 30 percent have thought about committing suicide, according to a survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 8, 2014

Nintendo to target emerging markets in '15

Nintendo, which has been struggling to win over consumers with its latest generation of game consoles, plans to expand in emerging markets with new devices starting next year.

Longform

Ayumi Matsuki, a priestess at Yoshiwara Shrine, shows off some "o-mamori" charms. She says visitors to the shrine have increased since the NHK drama “Unbound” began airing this month.
Tracing Tsutaya Juzaburo, Edo’s media maverick