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April 18, 2024
 

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Hiroko Tabuchi
For Hiroko Tabuchi's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
What role should money from oil and gas — the very industry that’s the main contributor to global warming — have in funding the work of climate scientists?
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Mar 4, 2024
Two young climate scientists. Two visions of the solution.
The pair's biggest question: What role should money from oil and gas have in funding work like theirs?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 19, 2023
The secret behind Japan’s wintry strawberries
Strawberries are a major Christmas and winter staple in Japan, but their growth comes with an environmental toll.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 13, 2022
How fashion giants recast plastic as good for the planet
An explosion in the use of inexpensive, petroleum-based materials has transformed the fashion industry, aided by the successful rebranding of synthetic materials into hip alternatives.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2021
Six automakers and 31 countries say they’ll phase out gasoline car sales
Toyota, Volkswagen and the Nissan-Renault alliance did not join the pledge, and the governments of Japan, the United States and China — three of the largest car markets — also abstained.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 14, 2021
Exports of U.S. plastic garbage rise, despite ban
Environmental watchdog groups say exporters are ignoring the new rules that went into effect last year.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 13, 2020
How one firm drove influence campaigns for big oil across the U.S.
In early 2017 the Texans for Natural Gas website went live, urging voters to "thank a roughneck” and support fracking. Around the same time, the Arctic Energy Center ramped up its advocacy for drilling in Alaskan waters and in a vast Arctic wildlife refuge. The next year, the Main Street Investors Coalition warned that climate activism doesn’t help mom-and-pop investors in the stock market.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2008
Robots in all walks of life? Matter of time
At the Meiji University lab in a Tokyo suburb, engineering students are wiring a rubbery robot face to simulate six basic expressions: anger, fear, sadness, happiness, surprise and disgust.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2007
Innovations make navigating in Second Life more lifelike
You can always spot the novices in the virtual reality world of Second Life: Their online characters, or avatars, stumble around awkwardly and walk into objects as their real-world users fumble with the keyboard controls.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2007
PCs getting pushed aside by other, powerful gadgets
Masaya Igarashi wants ¥20,000 headphones for his new iPod Touch, and he's torn between Nintendo Co.'s Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3 game consoles. When he has saved up again, he plans to splurge on a digital camera or flat-screen TV.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2007
Scandals in food industry shatter safety myth
Ocean fresh sushi? Quality marbled beef? Exquisite confectionaries? Think again.
BUSINESS
Oct 6, 2007
Robot industry moves to aid seniors
If you grow old in Japan, expect to be served by a feeding robot, ride a voice-recognition wheelchair and hire a nurse in a robotic suit — all examples of cutting-edge technology to care for the country's rapidly graying population.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2007
Aso hip with comic book crowd
Former Foreign Minister Taro Aso is the clear underdog in the race to become the next prime minister. But among young fans of pop culture, Aso is king.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2007
Japan, China in a race to the moon with upcoming launches
Japan claims its project is the biggest since the Apollo missions put the first humans on the moon. China, hoping to pave the way for its own manned missions, says its probes will study the lunar surface to help plan a landing.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2007
Soldier confirms wartime sex slavery
South Korea lashed out Saturday at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for disavowing Japan's responsibility for using Asian women as sex slaves for its troops in World War II. Abe said Thursday there was no proof that "comfort women" were forced into sexual slavery during the war.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2007
SDF deploys perky mascot to boast cuddly image
Perky cartoon character Prince Pickles -- with saucer eyes, big dimples and tiny, booted feet -- poses in front of tanks, rappels from helicopters and shakes hands with smiling Iraqis.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2007
Pending retirees suddenly find, dote on wives
Mitsutoshi Fukatsu has been with his wife for three decades, but their lives have grown apart.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2006
Only best for graying population -- of pets
Andy has sprouted white whiskers, suffers from lower back pain and no longer bounds up the stairs like he used to.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2006
Temples grope for gimmicks to stay relevant, flush
The Kamiyacho Open Terrace cafe in central Tokyo has all the trappings of a trendy establishment -- good coffee, homemade desserts, an airy terrace.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2006
Filmmaker retraces footsteps of Palestinian thinker
"Fighting the jihad with the pen is the same as dying for the jihad," says Mahmoud, a young Lebanese man in a new documentary dedicated to Edward Said, the Palestinian-American intellectual and advocate for the Palestinian cause.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 11, 2006
Transsexuals gain freedoms but still face barriers
To most people, Takafumi Fujio -- with cropped hair, thick arms and deep voice -- is a typical, middle-aged salaryman. But until four years ago, when the food company worker started on a range of hormonal treatments, he was a woman, a housewife and mother of two.
No link to Nankai Trough quake seen after temblor in Shikoku
Satoshi Harada from the Meteorological Agency explains about the magnitude 6.6 earthquake during a news conference early Thursday.
Why hasn't Japan moved to prop up the weak yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Sex differences could be key to the successful treatment of long COVID
A new study has found that women with long COVID had significantly lower levels of testosterone compared to those who had recovered from their infection.
U.S. deploys midrange missile system in Indo-Pacific for first time
A U.S. Army Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Launcher arrives as part of the capability’s first deployment into theater on Northern Luzon, Philippines, April 8.
Inbound tourism numbers hit record high, with Japan set to achieve 2025 goal
Tourists in Kyoto on Saturday. Japan saw a record 3.08 million foreign visitors in March.
'House of the Owl' brings Hollywood values to Japanese TV
In the new Disney+ series “House of the Owl,” Min Tanaka (left) plays a powerful political fixer, or “kuromaku,” who has a troubled relationship with his adult children, particularly his idealistic son, played by Mackenyu.
Benefits and risks: AUKUS looks to take gamble on Japan
U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British leader Rishi Sunak deliver remarks on the AUKUS partnership, after a trilateral meeting, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego in March last year.
Kyoto’s demon night parade lives to haunt another day
In a Kyoto long past, the "hyakki yagyō" (100 demon night parade) haunted a sleepy corner of Kyoto. Now, one enterprising monster enthusiast has won a small batttle to keep the march alive.
U.S. deploys midrange missile system in Indo-Pacific for first time
A U.S. Army Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Launcher arrives as part of the capability’s first deployment into theater on Northern Luzon, Philippines, April 8.
Unpacking the chaotic by-election in a scandal-hit Tokyo district
People listen to a campaign speech in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Tuesday.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on
By Lance Henderstein

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A young restaurant leads the way in Karuizawa
A young restaurant leads the way in Karuizawa

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