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COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2013

India again shows signs of irrational sanguinity

India shows no signs of facing its underlying problem of poor governance or overcoming its sense of political drift. What, then, accounts for its relentless sanguinity?
Japan Times
JAPAN / AT A GLANCE
Dec 1, 2013

In touristy Tokyo, Harajuku still stands out from the crowd

Harajuku, one of the most popular tourist spots for foreign visitors to Tokyo, is best known for Takeshita-dori, the narrow lane crammed with shops that runs for about 350 meters from JR Harajuku Station toward Meiji-dori.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2013

English part of equation for science students

Even as Japan was praised for its English presentations during the bidding process to host the 2020 Olympic Games in September, it is no secret that Japanese are still said to be poor at communicating in English.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 29, 2013

What are the next steps in the Iran nuclear deal?

The interim agreement with Iran recognizes that Tehran's nuclear program is not going away, and that neither tougher sanctions nor the threat of military strikes can change that.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / OUR MAN IN TOKYO
Nov 29, 2013

Prolific Swedish ambassador indulges passion for haiku

Over the years, Swedish Ambassador Lars Vargo has published 15 books related to Japan, but for the past decade, his love affair with the country has largely been told in one literary form: haiku.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 29, 2013

Karzai says U.S. drone strike killed 2-year-old

Afghan President Hamid Karzai accused the United States of launching a drone strike that killed a 2-year-old child Thursday and vowed to not sign a long-term security agreement if similar attacks continue.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 28, 2013

Paul Greengrass brings real-life action to the screen with 'Captain Phillips'

Paul Greengrass once seemed like the least likely candidate to be a director of Hollywood blockbusters: the Cambridge graduate started his career by putting in 10 years as a documentary filmmaker/journalist for the hard-hitting British current affairs program "World In Action." When he moved into feature...
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Nov 28, 2013

Roppongi Hills shows that 'tis the season

In Medieval times, farmers and tradesmen in Christian European countries would celebrate Advent — the anticipation of the "arrival of the Christ" — by meeting in the streets around churches with food, gifts, homemade crafts and singing. According to written records, the first gathering like this...
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Nov 28, 2013

The boys are back in town to sing for Japan

When the boys' choir Boni Pueri last toured in Japan in late 2010, the group made a stop at Tagajo in Miyagi Prefecture, merely months before the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami destroyed a large part of the city. Upon hearing the news at their home in the Czech Republic, the group quickly organized...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Nov 28, 2013

A festival that'll literally send you running

Learn from the experts how to properly exercise by joining two former Olympic athletes at the Jogging Matsuri 2013 on Nov. 30 in Yokohama's Minato Mirai Sports Park.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Nov 28, 2013

Ethiopia's traditional rhythms are about to dance across the nation

The Ethiopian National Cultural Troupe is in Japan from Nov. 30 to hold performances, workshops, and dance nights at eight different venues across the country. Offering a variety of dance performances from different ethnic groups of the east African country, this is a great opportunity for anyone wanting...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 27, 2013

Takarazuka dances to a different tune

What happens when Takarazuka, Japan's longest-running all-female theater troupe, takes on Masayuki Suo's hit movie "Shall We Dance?," which won 14 Japanese Academy Awards in 1996 and aired internationally in 16 countries?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 27, 2013

Back to Back Theatre reveals the elephant in the room

Festival/Tokyo 13, this year's edition of the annual stage-arts festival, started Nov. 9. A unique feature of the festival's program is its many presentations that encourage audience participation, be it leading them around the streets following a certain theme, or guiding them via social networking...
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 27, 2013

Suspicious of NSA spying, Microsoft eyes encryption

Microsoft is moving toward a major new effort to encrypt its Internet traffic amid fears that the National Security Agency may have broken into its global communications links, people familiar with the emerging plans said.
EDITORIALS
Nov 26, 2013

Resort to diplomacy, not threats

China should realize that it will lose the international community's trust if it continues to pursue the path of using threats to resolve diplomatic issues.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 26, 2013

Daito Manabe set to work his visual magic at Electraglide

In late 2008, a YouTube video began to circulate online of a bespectacled man with electrodes attached to his face, short bursts of electricity making his muscles twitch in time to a soundtrack of glitchy electronica. Titled "electric stimulus to face -test3", the clip would eventually rack up more than...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 26, 2013

American Robert Levinson, still a hostage in Iran

On Nov. 26, Robert Levinson became the longest-held hostage in U.S. history. He was last seen in Iran.
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2013

Tokyo cries foul over China's declaration of air defense zone

Beijing's setting up an air defense identification zone over a section of the East China Sea violates a basic rule under international law and is a 'very dangerous' move that could lead to 'an unexpected event,' a high-ranking Japanese official warns.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Nov 25, 2013

WWII tunnels beneath Keio campus under threat

The Imperial Japanese Navy commanded some of the war's most destructive battles from tunnels under Keio University's Hiyoshi campus. After a section was destroyed in spring, concerned citizens worry that the tunnel network's days are numbered.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2013

Space industry faces choice for next direction

The air is so clear the mountains in the distance look almost fake, as if added digitally. The desert floor is runway-flat, with a few Joshua trees popping up randomly, like lost cowboys. The dominant feature is the sky, preposterously vast, beckoning test pilots, rocketeers and would-be space travelers....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Nov 24, 2013

Is the JLPT really worth it?

The final countdown to this Sunday's Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) has begun, but professionals say piling pressure on examinees might do more harm than good at this point.

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