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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
Apr 10, 2018
Internet piracy taking major bite out of Japan's famed manga culture
Japan's renowned manga culture is facing a crisis.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 3, 2018
New Toshiba CEO says chip unit sale will proceed despite eased delisting fears
New Toshiba Corp. Chairman and CEO Nobuaki Kurumatani emphasized Tuesday that the company does not intend to change plans to sell its lucrative memory chip unit even now that it has staved off financial woes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Mar 25, 2018
Hands-on leadership, empathy buoy chairman
Sachin N. Shah's love for Japan began with a Toyota Tercel, his first car after he moved from India to an American-Italian neighborhood in the United States in the 1970s.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2018
Tourism industry tailors more services to well-heeled visitors from overseas as it looks to boost numbers and revenue
In 2017 a record 28.7 million foreigners visited Japan, up 19.3 percent from the previous year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2018
Trump's 'joke' about Japanese car inspections dropping bowling balls leaves Tokyo perplexed
The jokey twist on an internationally accepted collision test aimed at protecting pedestrians rather than trade leaves Tokyo more puzzled than amused.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 3/11: Rebuilding Tohoku
Mar 9, 2018
Fukushima No. 1 cleanup continues but radioactive water, and rumors, also prove toxic
Seven years have passed since the core meltdowns occurred in March 2011 at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which shocked the world and fractured the local community.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2018
Majority of job-seeking university students put off by AI-powered candidate screening
As more companies turn to artificial intelligence to discover new talent, a recent survey has shown that a majority of job-seeking university students don't want their abilities judged by the technology.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 6, 2018
Kobe Steel CEO steps down over data fabrication scandal
The move comes as the firm seeks to take responsibility for the brouhaha that dented the nation's once vaunted reputation for excellence.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2018
Japan's top auto and energy firms tie up to promote development of hydrogen stations
The consortium of 11 companies plans to build 80 hydrogen stations nationwide as the government's initiative to create a hydrogen-based economy revs up.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 27, 2018
Email addresses of thousands of Porsche Japan customers compromised after cyberattacks
The company is still investigating whether other information leaked, and so far there have been no reports of suspicious emails sent to the stolen addresses.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2018
For young Japanese seeking romance, beauty is in the eye of the dating app
Japan's millennials are apathetic about romance, and everyone knows it.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 30, 2018
Mitsui Fudosan ready to open new Tokyo Midtown in Hibiya in March
Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, a 35-story office and shopping complex, will open in Chiyoda Ward in March, with its developer, Mitsui Fudosan Co., saying it hopes to evolve the Hibiya area into a crossing point for both businesses and culture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2018
University of Tokyo opens center to promote use of big data from Japan's public sector
The University of Tokyo has embarked on a quest to unearth Japan's latent assets that could be worth more than ¥700 billion — big data held by the public sector.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 23, 2018
Unstable work seen as a factor as Kyoto University admits iPS researcher falsified data in paper
Experts say unstable employment conditions faced by scientists are behind the string of research-related scandals in the nation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2018
Tokyo hit by heaviest snow since 2014
Tokyo saw its heaviest snow in four years on Monday, with authorities urging evening commuters to hurry home and prompting those behind the wheel to brace for traffic disruptions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Taking the Lead
Jan 14, 2018
Japan Post chief sees bright future beyond mail services
Even for Masatsugu Nagato, an experienced business executive who has worked in prominent companies, making Japan Post Holdings Co. stand on its own two feet as a private company comes as a daunting challenge.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2018
As deadline looms, Japanese team in lunar probe contest still determined to shoot for the moon
A Japanese team participating in an international lunar probe competition said Thursday it will not give up its plan to launch a rocket to send its rover to the moon, even as prospects for doing so by the deadline — the end of March — grow dim.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 4, 2018
Japan-only KitKat varieties a draw as tourists spend more
Japan's inbound tourism shows no sign of slowing down, and spending by foreign visitors is also on the rise. But what exactly are they splurging on?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 29, 2017
Oton Glass CEO looks to help those with reading disabilities and ease their lives
What would you do if you suddenly lost your ability to read, and the text you're reading now became an incomprehensible jumble of letters?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2017
Space World buys naming rights to star ahead of closing finale
Despite the fact that a space-themed amusement park in Fukuoka will close for good soon, it's still ready to brighten people's lives — as a small twinkling star in the night sky.

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