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Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Sep 28, 2015

Aichi city backs regenerative medicine to revive local businesses

The Gamagori Municipal Government in Aichi Prefecture and local businesses have joined hands to promote regenerative medicine in the city, hoping to turn it into a center for the emerging medical genre.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Sep 21, 2015

Group compiles, posts song lyrics in Braille online to facilitate karaoke for the visually impaired

Nagoya Braille Network, a support group for people with visual impairments, has started posting lyrics written in Braille online for people who cannot read with their eyes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Sep 20, 2015

Radioactive rain releases can't be curbed due to lack of laws: NRA

Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s stricken Fukushima No. 1 power plant has released rainwater tainted with radioactive substances into the Pacific Ocean at least seven times since April.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Sep 14, 2015

Girl, 12, lands patent for can-separating recycling bin

Asuka Kamiya, 12, a sixth-grader from Jozan Elementary School in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, has been granted a patent for her can-recycling bin invention, which uses a magnet to automatically separate steel and aluminum containers.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 10, 2015

Ishiba's proposed anti-Abe LDP faction shapes up

Shigeru Ishiba met with several followers Thursday for preparatory talks on launching his own faction within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party by the end of this month.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Sep 7, 2015

Aichi family free of utility bills after turning to firewood, solar power

A family in the city of Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, is experimenting with self-sufficient living by using solar energy to generate their own electricity instead of purchasing it from a utility.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 5, 2015

TV sexism comes from a problematic place

At the World Assembly for Women held in Tokyo last week, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, lauded the social achievements of women worldwide but added that "we are not there yet." Sirleaf didn't say where exactly "there" is, but during the same week, two media-related...
WORLD / Society
Sep 2, 2015

All priests should forgive abortions during Holy Year, pope proclaims

Pope Francis will give all priests discretion during the Roman Catholic Church's Holy Year to formally forgive women who have had abortions — the Argentine pontiff's latest move toward a more open and inclusive church.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Aug 31, 2015

Tokai thrill-seekers find haunted houses a scream

Fairground-style haunted houses where actors leap out at visitors are increasingly popular in the Tokai region. Many such facilities were set up for a limited period this summer.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 31, 2015

Iowa poll puts Clinton support rate under 50% for first time; rival Sanders closing gap

U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders narrowed the gap with leading Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton in a recent opinion poll in the political bellwether state of Iowa as support for the front-runner fell below 50 percent for the first time this year.
CULTURE
Aug 29, 2015

Culture clash: Entertainers add weight to government protests

Judging from recent comments posted on Twitter and websites such as abe-no.net, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe doesn't appear to have endeared himself to a number of celebrities who hold plenty of sway over public opinion with regards to his moves to change the nation's Constitution.
BUSINESS
Aug 27, 2015

Kinokuniya to buy up first editions of new Murakami book

The major bookstore chain said there are two main motives behind the announcement: to get a competitive edge over online bookstores and to energize smaller book shops.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 25, 2015

New Ishinha performance taps timeless 'Twilight' zone

Tokyo may be Japan's performing-arts hub, but a growing number of artists are swapping the strictures of its cultural marketplace for the creative and lifestyle benefits of life outside the capital.
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Aug 24, 2015

Aichi meets challenge of surge in non-Japanese students

Schools in Japan are struggling to meet the needs of children with non-Japanese parents who come from a diverse range of countries.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2015

Training academy needed to boost ranks of Japanese at U.N., ex-official says

The government needs to establish a training facility to nurture the skills of Japanese who want to work for the United Nations, according to Hitoki Den, a former senior political affairs officer with the global body.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Aug 17, 2015

NPO backs global certification for Minamiaizu's sustainable forests

In the town of Minamiaizu in southwestern Fukushima Prefecture, local efforts are gathering steam to promote its rich forestry resources to the world by obtaining global certification for quality woodlands.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Aug 17, 2015

Perceived dangers posed by selfie sticks prompt bans at some tourist venues

As selfie sticks become popular among young people and foreign visitors, more tourist facilities in the Chubu region are banning them over the apparent dangers they can pose.
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Aug 15, 2015

'Folk Legends from Tono' brings new life to Kunio Yanagita's fantastic tales

"Folk Legends from Tono," takes the reader inside a land of superstition and pragmatism, farming and faith. The tales unravel in short vignettes, loosely grouped by myriad topics ranging from "Biology and Human Emotion" to "Survival on the Edge."
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 10, 2015

China's largest 'social video' websites carry out self-censorship, study finds

In China, even aspiring singers and would-be comedians bow to constant and automatic online surveillance.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 9, 2015

Desperately seeking visas: a mixed bag of queries

One of the perennial topics that crops up regularly in reader inquiries is visas. Here are some answers that cover fairly common situations.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 9, 2015

Republicans pile on Trump following controversial debate comments

Rival Republican presidential candidates piled on Donald Trump Saturday for his caustic remarks about a female debate moderator, and the billionaire celebrity candidate backpedaled in an effort to keep his campaign from unraveling.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Aug 6, 2015

China, Philippines vying to host 2019 FIBA World Cup

Before the start of the three-day FIBA Central Board meeting on Friday, the Japan Basketball Association hosted a welcome party for the sport's executives at a Tokyo hotel. The dignitaries included FIBA president Horacio Muratore and FIBA secretary general Patrick Baumann on Thursday night.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Aug 3, 2015

Deep-sea creepy crawlies turned into crackers in Japan

Here's a novel treat: a senbei rice cracker made of giant isopods, creepy crawlies from the ocean deeps. The snacks are now on sale at a range of outlets in Japan and are quickly gaining popularity.
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 / 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 / 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...

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Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.