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EDITORIALS
Sep 30, 2014

The Mount Ontake eruption

The weekend eruption of Mount Ontake, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures, is a reminder of how violent Japan can be when it comes to volcanoes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 26, 2014

Kojima's terrifying world of the unknown

Hideo Kojima's "P.T." isn't even a full game, and it still might be the scariest video game experience of the year. It is atmospheric, unfailingly creepy, and in future years might be looked back on as the first step in the reimagining of the horror genre.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 24, 2014

New buildings can take the sunshine out of life

As residents of Japan, most of us probably expect that our right to sunlight is protected by law. However, as reader Y found, that isn't really the case.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 31, 2014

Experts question Fukushima thyroid screening

More than three years after the triple core meltdown in Fukushima Prefecture devastated the lives of thousands of residents, the effect that the radiation release is having on children's thyroid glands still weighs heavily on residents' minds.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 29, 2014

Jungle: 'When you write a song certain people want to hear ... that's when you start making crap music'

As Jungle, Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland — who go by 'J' and 'T' — produce classic soul and funk with an unmistakably modern feel to it. The duo has also been racking up fans and YouTube hits alike with a series of strikingly idiosyncratic, dance-oriented music videos. Jungle recently launched...
EDITORIALS
Jul 17, 2014

Supreme Court's dereliction of duty

By rejecting a citizens' request to have the government disclose secret documents that allegedly show Japan's financial obligations in the 1972 reversion of Okinawa from U.S. control, the Supreme Court has evaded its duty to protect people's right to know.
EDITORIALS
Jul 11, 2014

Pros and cons of genetic testing

More and more nonmedical companies are offering genetic testing services that inform people of their risks of developing cancer, diabetes and other diseases, but customers often don't understand the limits of such tests. Nor do they know what providers may do with such personal information.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 26, 2014

U.S. Supreme Court ruling protects cellphone privacy

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that police officers usually need a warrant before they can search the cellphone of an arrested suspect, a major decision in favor of privacy rights at a time of increasing concern over government encroachment in digital communications.
Reader Mail
Jun 25, 2014

Duty-free reform off the mark

Regarding the June 18 Kyodo article "Duty-free reform to boost tourism": I feel that this initiative will have little effect on tourist numbers. To Western visitors, Japan is very "foreign"; prospective tourists are nervous at the prospect of a visit. This duty-free initiative is wide of the mark.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 10, 2014

Obama administration waging war on media

Insiders say the pressure of America's powerful national security apparatus and the fear among White House aides of facing the wrath of the intelligence community has made the once-media-friendly President Barack Obama appear neo-Nixonian.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 23, 2014

eBay criticized for weak response to huge data loss

EBay Inc. came under pressure Thursday over a massive hacking of customer names, addresses and passwords as three U.S. states began investigating the e-commerce company's security practices.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 20, 2014

China slams U.S. charges over hacking, data theft

The United States on Monday charged five Chinese military officers and accused them of hacking into American nuclear, metal and solar companies to steal trade secrets, ratcheting up tensions between the two world powers over cyberespionage.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 9, 2014

Housing bank matches empty properties, renters

Since the city of Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, merged with six towns and villages 10 years ago, the population has grown by 3.4 percent to more than 421,000 people.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 7, 2014

U.S. to send team in response to Nigeria schoolgirls' mass kidnapping

The United States has offered to send an American team of experts to Nigeria to support the government's response to the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls by an Islamist militant group, President Barack Obama's administration said on Tuesday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 30, 2014

U.S. death penalty in spotlight after botched injection

Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett died during a botched execution Tuesday, minutes after a doctor had called a halt to the procedure, raising more questions about new death penalty cocktails used by the state and others.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2014

Hyogo blocks release of nuke crisis study data

Hyogo officials are blocking the release of data from a simulation run last year predicting what would happen to surrounding prefectures in the event of a meltdown crisis at one of Fukui Prefecture's four atomic plants.
Events / KANSAI: WHO & WHAT
Mar 21, 2014

Huge antique fair next weekend in Kyoto

The 58th Grand Antique Fair in Kyoto will run from March 28 to 30, with more than 350 shops from all over Japan displaying and selling their wares.
WORLD
Mar 16, 2014

What we know about MH370 — and what’s still speculation

Why did it take so long before anyone realized the plane was missing?
Events / KANSAI: WHO & WHAT
Mar 14, 2014

Kyoto temples plan services to mark nirvana

Some temples in Kyoto will hold an annual memorial service on March 15 to commemorate the Buddha's achievement of nirvana.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2014

Pope warns of hazards in browsing 'God's gift'

Pope Francis rightly warns that although the variety of opinions being aired over the Web can be seen as helpful, it also enables people to barricade themselves behind sources of information that only confirm their own ideas.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2014

Press freedom ranking falters due to secrecy law

Freedom of the press in Japan deteriorated further this year thanks to the enactment of the controversial state secrets bill, Reporters Without Borders says.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Feb 1, 2014

Tsuruga: truly a 'port of humanity'

The man in the black-and-white photograph wore a dark jacket with wide lapels. His hair was cut short and parted to one side. His eyes were directed toward the camera as if he were looking directly at me. I recognized him immediately: Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese vice-consul in Lithuania who helped...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 28, 2014

At last, Yale surrenders to technology

Yale University ran up the white flag last week in its battle to keep twin seniors Peter Xu and Harry Yu from creating an easier-to-use and more informative version of its online course catalog. As the school's real battle was against technological change, defeat was inevitable.
EDITORIALS
Jan 24, 2014

Limits of secrecy oversight panel

An expert council for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may be able to serve as a minor check against the arbitrary application of the new state secrets law, but the the defects of the law will remain.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake