For Hiroko Tabuchi's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
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.
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.
Environmental watchdog groups say exporters are ignoring the new rules that went into effect last year.
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. ...
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. Hooked up to a database of words clustered by association, the robot Kansei (sensibility) responds to ...
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. Now, technology from Japan could help make navigating online virtual ...
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. There's one conspicuous omission from ...
Ocean fresh sushi? Quality marbled beef? Exquisite confectionaries? Think again. Japan has been hit by a slew of food safety and false labeling scandals that is threatening to wreck its image as a country of culinary wonders, squeaky-clean factories and impeccable sanitation. In the most recent ...
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. With nearly 22 percent of ...
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. An avowed booster of "manga" (comic books) and the animated films known as "anime," Aso has won ...
