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COMMENTARY / World
Jul 3, 2013

Preparing for cyberwarfare

Washington expects cyberspace missions to become a dominant factor in military operations. But what will the rules of engagement be in the lawless, digital frontier
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jul 3, 2013

Bubbles, music and paint as babies learn to create

For a moment, I wonder if I've accidentally strayed onto the set of a children's TV programme. Center stage are three grown men in matching T-shirts singing at the top of their voices in a Technicolor-bright toy-filled room more dazzling than Joseph's dreamcoat.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 3, 2013

Photos of opponents found stabbed in Aum facility

Photographs of the director general and other officials of the Public Security Intelligence Agency were found stabbed through with a knife during an on-site inspection of a facility connected to Aum Shinrikyo, according to the agency.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2013

MUFG seeks Ayudhya deal in July

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. is seeking to strike a deal for control of Thailand's Bank of Ayudhya Pcl as soon as this month, two sources said.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 3, 2013

U.S. power defined by 'rise of the rest'

The question of American power in the 21st century is not one of a poorly specified 'decline' or of being eclipsed by China but, rather, the 'rise of the rest.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 1, 2013

Japan envoys among U.S. 'spy targets'

Tokyo will 'strongly demand' an explanation from Washington about reports that Japanese diplomats in the U.S. were 'targets' of American spying, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 1, 2013

Voting for idols is bigger than politics

Elsewhere in the world, the kind of sōsenkyo (総選挙, general election) that fires up public interest and garners media attention is one where political parties compete for national office. In Japan, however, the sōsenkyo of aidoru gurūpu (アイドルグループ, idol group) AKB48 tends to grab...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2013

Opposition slams ruling bloc on jobs deregulation

Major party leaders held their first online debate Friday ahead of the July 21 Upper House election, with opposition chiefs voicing concern that ruling bloc-proposed employment deregulation may further worsen the working conditions of younger generations.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 29, 2013

Multimedia artist finds community in Odawara nurtures her creativity

Sunlight streams in through large windows that look out on a sweeping Pacific Ocean vista. Artworks stand waiting in various stages of creation, while mobiles twist and dance in the sea breeze. This space, known as Atelier Hayakawa, is where Canadian multimedia artist Kirsten Woest comes to dream, to...
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2013

Sony: Sanctioned Iran firms got gear it sold via Dubai

Sony Corp. said it sold almost $13 million (¥1.3 billion) in video and medical equipment to dealers in Dubai who resold it in Iran, including to groups under official U.S. sanctions.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 29, 2013

So you think you've got a nose for good wine? Think again

Every year Robert Hodgson selects the finest wines from his small California winery and puts them into competitions around the state.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 29, 2013

Exploring Japan's ancient past through pilgrimage

I've been running pilgrimages in Japan since 1997. So far, I've run the Shikoku 88-Temple Pilgrimage, the Mount Hiei Kaihogyo route in Kyoto (of the Tendai-shu monks), and tens of other smaller pilgrimages in Japan. If you are a runner in Japan, you should be running pilgrimages. If you're a hiker, you...
WORLD
Jun 29, 2013

School achievement gap shrinks for U.S. minorities

America's 9-year-olds and 13-year-olds are posting better scores in math and reading tests than their counterparts did 40 years ago, and the achievement gap between white students and those of color is narrowing, according to federal government data released Thursday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 29, 2013

Voyager 1 finds solar system's final frontier is fuzzier than once thought

The edge of the solar system has no edge, it turns out. It has a fuzzy transitional area that is not quite part of our solar system and not quite interstellar space.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2013

Deepening, revising ties with Southeast Asia

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Japan mark the 40th anniversary of their cooperative relations this year. ASEAN and Japan's partnership, which began with the establishment of the ASEAN-Japan forum on synthetic rubber, has evolved over the 40 years. The two parties have formed close cooperation...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 28, 2013

Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki adventure still inspires

In 1947, Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl was a 33-year-old anthropologist and marine biologist who had recently finished a stint fighting in World War II (he served in the Free Norwegian Forces).
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jun 28, 2013

Festival flea markets are a treat

The Japanese have a knack for putting hard-to-describe feelings into words. A good example is the word "mottainai," used when expressing regret over wasting a resource or opportunity. It's an expression that's getting good use recently, as society makes a push to be more eco-conscious.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 28, 2013

Reptiles take center stage at scaly sale

Going to the zoo is a great way to spend time with the family, but in this season the idea of trudging through the heat to stare at exhausted animals may be taxing. The annual Reptiles Fever, however, will be like going to a zoo indoors — and you could bring home one of the animals.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 28, 2013

Fire and Violence Festival to kick off series to be held on Noto Peninsula

The kiriko of Noto Peninsula will swing again in the sky of Ushitsu, Ishikawa Prefecture. These few meter-tall, box-shaped Shinto lanterns are paraded around the town every year to the sounds of vigorous chanting and the pulsating rhythm of taiko drums.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 27, 2013

Sincerity is the new ecstasy in Funkot's 'Summer of Love'

At the end of the 1980s, British DJs imported a potent new style of house music from the Spanish party island Ibiza in what came to be known as the ecstasy-fueled "Second Summer of Love." Inspired by this trade route two decades later, Katsumi Takano, aka Mandokoro or DJ Jet Baron, hopes to launch a...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 27, 2013

Everyday goods: the Japanese art of convenience

"Mingei" translates as "folk art" and is connected to objects that are made or used by ordinary people on an everyday basis. Usually this evokes hand-crafted objects, such as ceramics, baskets, items of woodwork, etc. As such, the term is evocative of the era before mass global trade. In modern Japan,...
Reader Mail
Jun 27, 2013

NSA operations in the U.K.

Reports such as the June 23 AP article "U.K. surveillance operation 'bigger than' U.S. effort" demonstrate a lack of knowledge about the agreements that underpin the U.S. National Security Agency's worldwide eavesdropping system and its practicalities.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 26, 2013

Hands on with the 'maker movement'

The so-called maker movement of do-it-yourselfers is set to continue its momentum at a global level, and as such the world will see an explosion of innovative creation from individuals, according to Mark Frauenfelder, editor-in-chief of the U.S.-based Make magazine.

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