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Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Jul 2, 2013

Wood, paper, leather and a brolly that branches out into a leafy bough

Hang on to a brolly this summer
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 27, 2013

Five myths about the National Security Agency

One common denominator of NSA whistleblowers is that they feel ignored when attempting to bring illegal or unethical operations to the attention of higher-ups.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2013

U.S. spying aimed at citizens

The U.S. government's efforts to monitor digital communications are more dangerous to civil liberties than they are to al-Qaida and other organizations like it.
EDITORIALS
Jun 25, 2013

Safety of online drug sales

It is rather bizarre that Japan's government would treat nonprescription drug sales over the Internet as a component of its economic growth strategy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jun 25, 2013

Tokyo: Do you think conscription — in Japan or elsewhere — is a good thing or a bad idea?

I think conscription is a bad idea because we always say people are equal and can do what they want, and I myself am all for liberty and freedom of choice. To that end, people, whoever they are, must be able to do what they want, and if they don't want to [join the military], that is quite alright.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 21, 2013

U.S. government wraps up Apple e-book antitrust trial

The Justice Department on Thursday concluded its antitrust trial against Apple over alleged price-fixing of digital books, with a federal prosecutor saying the creator of the iPhone and iPad engaged in an "old-fashioned, straightforward" conspiracy and Apple's lead attorney warning that a ruling against...
LIFE / Digital
Jun 19, 2013

The NSA has us all trapped

Watching British Foreign Secretary William Hague doing his avuncular routine in the Commons on June 10, I was reminded of the way establishment figures in the 1950s used to reassure hoi polloi that they had nothing to worry about. Everything was in order. The Right Chaps were in charge. Citizens who...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jun 18, 2013

Quickies on bringing in psychotropics and bags, calling Japan, buying shoes

A variety of queries from readers have arrived at Lifelines over the last few weeks, so we'll address some of them in this column.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 17, 2013

After Newtown shooting, mourning parents enter into the lonely quiet

They had promised to try everything, so Mark Barden went down into the basement to begin another project in memory of Daniel. The families of Sandy Hook Elementary were collaborating on a Mother's Day card, which would be produced by a marketing firm and mailed to hundreds of politicians across the country....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 15, 2013

A feline confessional — for those who can't resist abusive pets

You often hear about animals being rescued from abusive owners, but I wonder, is there any help for pet owners who have been abused by their pets?
LIFE / Digital
Jun 12, 2013

You're not a customer, you're just a user

A reader writes: "Dear John Naughton, As you write about the Internet, I wondered if you knew how long it takes Yahoo to get back to people. I have an iPad, but went to the library to print a document (attached to an email). Yahoo knew I wasn't on my iPad and asked me to name my favorite uncle. I replied,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2013

Sony-Microsoft console war faces tablet reality at E3

Gun-toting fighters take a back seat to Microsoft Corp. and Sony Corp. this week as the console makers battle to show they've got the best plan for selling pricey machines in the age of cheap play on phones and tablets.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2013

Five myths about the legalization of marijuana

With 16 U.S. states having decriminalized or legalized cannabis for non-medical use and eight more heading toward some kind of legalization, federal prohibition's days seem numbered.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 8, 2013

Esther Williams, champion swimmer and film star, dies at 91

Esther Williams, a championship swimmer and lustrous beauty who became one of the world's most popular movie stars in the 1940s and '50s by appearing in aquatic musicals featuring daredevil plunges from pedestals, trapezes and even a helicopter, died Thursday at her home in Beverly Hills, California....
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 7, 2013

Russia's homophobic curse

With the general mood in Russia's populace favoring a ban on gay culture, homophobic mobsters of all colors feel cozy under an official umbrella.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / SWEET INSPIRATIONS
Jun 7, 2013

Japanese desserts with an alcohol kick

"There are two types of people," my dear old landlady used to say, handing me a bowl of frothing matcha tea: "Those who like alcohol, and those who like sweets."
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jun 3, 2013

Join Wall Street, save the world: The rise of the benevolent class

Jason Trigg went into finance because he is after money — as much as he can earn. The 25-year-old certainly had other career options. An MIT computer science graduate, he could write software for the next tech giant. Or he might have gone into academia in computing or applied math or biology. He could...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Jun 2, 2013

Language no barrier to multimedia Jon Kabira

With a long rousing cry of “Goooooooood Mooooorning Tooookyoooooooooooo!” Jon Kabira launches into his weekly radio show “JK Radio — Tokyo United” every Friday at 6 a.m. on J-Wave.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2013

Obama no friend of free press

Barack Obama's tendency to bypass the press for social media and friendly bloggers amounts to the White House reporting on itself, thus avoiding tough questions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 31, 2013

Harder battle over Benghazi

Many conservatives suspect that the U.S. State Department, with the White House in a supporting role, deceived the public about the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. This conspiratorial narrative is, in all probability, false.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 29, 2013

Four core 2008 Clinton staffers would pass on a 2016 bid

Howard Wolfson, the 2008 communications director for Hillary Rodham Clinton, has said he will not return for a 2016 presidential campaign. Neither, for that matter, will Neera Tanden, the campaign's policy director. Ditto for Mark Penn, the chief strategist, and Patti Solis Doyle, the embattled campaign...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
May 28, 2013

Osaka: What do you make of Mayor Toru Hashimoto’s comments about “comfort women” and his suggestion that U.S. forces in Okinawa use local brothels?

He's a perfect example of why 'diapers and politicians should be changed often, and for the same reason'! He's too incompetent for Osaka, and should be 'promoted' to national government. I've lived here for 30 years; I miss the old days when mayors and governors concentrated on administering Osaka and stayed out of the limelight. Hashimoto should take his showboating to Tokyo and leave Osaka under the radar.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 27, 2013

Delta ups ante in battle for New York fliers with $1.4 billion terminal

Delta Air Lines Inc. sharpened the jockeying for the highest-paying passengers in New York, the biggest U.S. aviation market, as it opened a $1.4 billion terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 23, 2013

Guitarist Dustin Wong brings singer Takako Minekawa out on a 'Toropical' journey

Guitarist Dustin Wong hesitates for a split second. It's a pause that would go unnoticed during most other sets, but Wong has spent the last 40 minutes seemingly in a trance while playing guitar and looping the notes via an array of pedals in front of him. The flurry of interlocking sounds he's produced...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
May 21, 2013

Yokohama: What do you think of the prime minister's 'Abenomic' strategy so far?

Businesses are getting better, and at least finance types are strong. But in my business salaries are not going up.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
May 14, 2013

Tokyo: What do you make of Gov. Naoki Inose's comments about Muslims and Istanbul's Olympic bid?

I think many people in Japan see all foreigners as fighting with each other, not just Muslims. But, focusing on the positives [and ignoring Inose's negative comments], I see Istanbul as the better option [to be 2020 host].
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 10, 2013

Hawke film exploits the gruesome myth of snuff

In "Sinister," the new horror movie starring Ethan Hawke, a man explores the attic of his new home and finds a box of old Super 8 film reels. After his family goes to bed, he pours himself a whiskey and watches them: At first it's normal home-video sort of stuff, a family goofing around in their backyard...
WORLD / Science & Health
May 6, 2013

Experts question value of DNA tests

What does your DNA really reveal about your health?
BUSINESS
May 4, 2013

China struggles to unlock its huge shale gas potential

In a remote corner of southwestern Sichuan Province, in an area of lush, terraced hillsides, oil exploration teams have been scaling cliffs to lay seismic charges and struggling to move heavy equipment along winding mountain roads.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 2, 2013

Back to school for two Tokyo DJs

Whether it's an annual soapbox derby or sending a man to the edge of space just because they can, energy-drink manufacturers Red Bull have never been afraid to throw their cash at projects that range from the sublime to the ridiculous. Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) — the brand's foray into the world...

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat