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May 05, 2024
 

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Shusuke Murai

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Shusuke Murai
Shusuke Murai was born in Japan and spent his teen years in central Ohio. He graduated from New York University with a M.A. in Communication. His interests include the activities of virtual communities, intercultural interactions in the information society and futuristic gadgets.
For Shusuke Murai's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 19, 2015
Bullying finds fertile ground in social media
Smartphones have become an essential tool for people of all ages, but they also pose serious challenges for parents and teachers trying to protect children from online abuse.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2015
Mystery deaths afflicting tuna at Tokyo aquarium
The Tokyo Sea Life Park, renowned for its breeding program, had 165 bluefin tuna, kawakawa and striped bonito on display. On Monday it had just 11.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2015
Japan’s Muslims dismayed by latest Charlie cover but united against violence
Japan's Muslim community speaks out on magazine Charlie Hebdo's defiant decision to place a Prophet Muhammad cartoon on the cover of its latest issue after last week's massacre.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 14, 2015
More Japanese children being prescribed psychotropic drugs
A growing number of Japanese children are being prescribed psychotropic drugs to treat depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) and schizophrenia, according to a study by government-funded medical institutes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 9, 2015
A shadow falls on the golden arches
In Japanese culture, making an apology is considered a significant social skill, but no matter how well-chosen the words are or how low the bow is, it might not be enough to survive the tough world of business.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2015
You want teeth with that? McDonald's Japan sold fries with surprise
A human tooth was served with french fries at a McDonald's in Osaka last summer, the latest revelation in a series of recent woes involving contaminated chicken nuggets and a french fry shortage.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2015
New nugget woes strain McDonald's already tarnished image
As McDonald's Japan struggles to repair its image, tarnished from last year's expired meat scandal, two new incidents related to its Chicken McNuggets surfaced in restaurants in Japan in the last week, a company spokeswoman admitted Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2014
Asahi plans system to review reports, limit editorial interference
The president of the Asahi Shimbun on Friday expressed regret for the way the newspaper handled the retraction of some of its reports on the thousands of mostly Korean women who were coerced into Japan's military brothels before and during the war, and said it would establish a system to review past reports.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2014
Now boastful Japan not really in tune with what visitors want, foreign expert warns
Japan's self-professed "omotenashi" (spirit of selfless hospitality) is often misinterpreted to force predetermined services on foreign visitors, says one longtime observer.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 22, 2014
Hit manga 'One Piece' to be adapted as kabuki
It's like putting old wine in new bottles.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 18, 2014
Gadget maker wants everyday items to have online access
A sleek, ¥10,246 leather-clad padlock being marketed by Tokyo-based startup DentsuBlue might look like another extravagant toy for the wealthy — but this one can be used in many different ways and even link itself to the Internet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / DECISION 2014
Dec 16, 2014
Novelty party in Hokkaido shows that 105,000 voters want 'none of the above'
While many voters struggled to find a party that matched their hopes for the nation's future, voters in Hokkaido had an easy way out: a box marked "No party to support" on the proportional representation section of the ballot.
Japan Times
JAPAN / DECISION 2014
Dec 14, 2014
LDP clinches hollow victory as opposition options elude
The Liberal Democratic Party handily wrapped up the Lower House election Sunday even as many voters said they were driven by lack of choice rather than enthusiasm for the conservative party headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2014
Ecology product confab at Big Sight kicks off with higher youth turnout
In the face of pressing environmental challenges, the nation's biggest event on eco-friendly products kicked off Thursday in Tokyo, giving everyone from elementary school kids to businesspeople an opportunity to think about what's good for future generations.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2014
Asylum seekers in Japan get a helping hand from nonprofit group
An increasing number of asylum seekers — including sexual minorities and fathers living apart from their families — are looking to Japan as a place to seek refugee status. But such individuals often find the national immigration system, and the local population, unwilling to embrace them.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2014
Laotians learn about land rights through theater
The Japan International Volunteer Center supports villagers in Laos by educating them about land rights, using theater as a way to help them understand the legal system and develop a better future for their nation independently.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2014
Drop the black suit, Akita International University tells job-seekers
Black unfashionable "recruit suits" have come to be regarded as a kind of uniform for job-hunting in Japan, where they are also symbols of a national culture that places emphasis on uniformity.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2014
After 30 years with UNICEF, actress Kuroyanagi says there's more work to do
Actress Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, 81, who has served as a goodwill ambassador for the UNICEF children's agency for the past 30 years, said Wednesday she dreams of a society where no child dies from starvation or poverty and will continue striving toward that goal.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 21, 2014
Tokyo voters scratch heads over poll call
Voters on the streets of Tokyo were baffled Friday after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dissolved the Lower House for a snap election that a recent poll said more than 60 percent of the nation does not support.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2014
Japanese artists and performers find that YouTube brings them pay and applause
Ken Sekine used to be a nameless stand-up comic. Then he turned to cyberspace and changed his stage name to Megwin and in the process became a premier entertainer in Japan, with more than 448,000 fans and counting.
Japan says Biden's description of nation as xenophobic is 'unfortunate'
The National Diet building in Tokyo
G7 eyes plan on U.S.-led $50 billion aid package for Ukraine
A local resident visits the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Thursday. The U.S. is in talks with close partners to lead a group of allies that would give as much as $50 billion in aid to Ukraine.
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
Japan drops to 70th in press freedom rankings
A businessman reads a newspaper outside a train station in Tokyo.
'Monster' Inoue ready to tear down Luis Nery in title defense at Tokyo Dome
Naoya Inoue (left) and Luis Nery following a pre-fight news conference in Yokohama on Saturday, two days ahead of their super bantamweight title fight.
Debate on constitutional revision at a standstill despite Kishida's pledges
With less than two months left before the conclusion of the current session of parliament, any possibility that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can deliver constitutional reform before the end of his term as Liberal Democratic Party president in late September, as he has promised, appears remote.
Sapporo court ruling on Ainu fishing rights presents tough questions
A traditional Ainu preserved food called <i>satchep</i> (dried fish) being made at the government-run National Ainu Museum and Park, nicknamed Upopoy, in the town of Shiraoi, Hokkaido, on Dec. 25. The Sapporo District Court ruled last month that the Raporo Ainu Nation's rights as an Indigenous people did not extend to having an inherent right to fish for commercial reasons.
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.

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

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
By Stephen Mansfield

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there
Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

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