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April 25, 2024
 

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John Yoon
For John Yoon's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Jin-Oh Hyun searches for wild king cherry trees and their relatives on Geoje Island, off the coast of South Korea, on March 22.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 30, 2024
Wanted in South Korea: imperialism-free cherry blossoms
Activists want to replace a variety of cherry tree associated with the Japanese colonial era with one they say is Korean. The science is messy.
Doosan Bears fans during a game in Seoul in April 2022
SPORTS
Feb 21, 2024
Women outnumber men in South Korea’s sports stadiums
Women in South Korea make up 55% of fans at professional sporting events, including baseball, basketball, soccer and volleyball.
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung falls after being stabbed in the neck with a knife during his visit to Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 4, 2024
Knife attack on opposition leader raises alarms in polarized South Korea
Politics of hatred is said to have become a norm, and tensions are unlikely to ease anytime soon as rival parties gear up for parliamentary elections in April.
Police officers examine a scene where South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun was found dead at a park in Seoul on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 29, 2023
In South Korea, an unrelenting stance on drugs batters suspected users
Treatment experts say that authorities focus too much on punishment rather than rehabilitation.
A South Korean teacher reacts as others chant slogans during a protest to demand better protection of their rights and to mourn a young teacher found dead in July in an apparent suicide, in Seoul on Monday. The signs read "Vote for an agreement on the protection of teachers' rights."
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 6, 2023
South Korean teachers want an end to parents’ harassment
Teachers say they often face pressure from parents who make excessive or impossible demands of them, including favoritism for their children.
A couple enjoy the sunset in Seoul. The proportion of people getting married has declined worldwide, but it has plummeted especially far in South Korea.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 21, 2023
Seeking love, with help from the city government
Singles are signing up for city-hosted blind-dating events in South Korea, but some point to their inability to address real issues with family planning.
A policeman stands next to the crime scene where a mass stabbing occurred in Seongnam, South Korea, on Thursday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 6, 2023
Police arrest 7 over murder threats at Seoul subway stations
Online posts specifying times and locations for stabbing attacks in the South Korean capital were shared widely across social media.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 15, 2023
How South Korea puts its food scraps to good use
South Korea, which banned food scraps from its landfills almost 20 years ago, now turns the vast majority of it into animal feed, fertilizer and fuel for heating homes.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 24, 2023
South Korea inches toward same-sex equality, but broader bill is stalled
As long as the conservative People Power Party — and opposition from the country's Christian population —remains strong, the bill is unlikely to reach a vote.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 2, 2023
Asia is loosening rules on masks. Here’s why people still wear them.
Many other countries dropped pandemic mask requirements months ago. But in places like South Korea, which got rid of its rule this week, masks remain common.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 23, 2022
Beijing is fixing its foul air. Why can’t New Delhi?
The return of smog season in India's capital has again left residents asking why nothing has changed. The answer may be largely political.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 23, 2022
‘Not in this for the money’: Why some families sue North Korea
Their civil litigation — often over physical mistreatment and abductions at the hands of North Korean authorities — is part of a quiet, yearslong search for justice.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 26, 2022
A father’s worst fear: Losing one of his children
Alfred Garza III said he was on a lunch break when his daughter's mother told him she could not get her out of the school because it was on lockdown.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 16, 2022
Kim Jong Un gives North Korea’s most famous TV anchor a luxury home
Ri Chun Hee, who delivers the news with a soaring, bombastic tenor, received a two-story apartment in a riverside complex from the country's leader, apparently for her loyalty.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Feb 10, 2022
Speedskating's one constant: Friction between China and South Korea
The rivalry between the two countries took another turn when South Korea's Hwang Dae-heon won the men's 1,500-meter race after a Chinese rival was disqualified.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 6, 2022
Hong Kong tightens COVID rules, suspending inbound flights from eight countries
The flight bans will deepen the city's isolation from the outside world and mark a return to the tough restrictions imposed in the early days of the pandemic.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Over 40% of Japan's municipalities at risk of vanishing, study finds
Of 1,729 local municipalities nationwide, 744 have been identified as being at risk of disappearing.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
For amateur sumo, a fresh start offers hope against time-wasting and gamesmanship
Wrestlers prepare for the start of a bout at the 2023 Sumo World Championships in Tokyo. Starting this month, placing one hand on the clay first is no longer allowed.
LDP veteran Nikai's youngest son expected to succeed him in Wakayama
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.

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

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability
Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

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