search

 
 
WORLD / Politics
Apr 2, 2020

Finland is told its welfare state can’t cope with virus fallout

One of the world’s best-funded welfare states is starting to crack as the fallout of the coronavirus triggers mass unemployment.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Apr 2, 2020

Evessa player tests positive for COVID-19 in B. League first

A member of the Osaka Evessa has tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, while several other players, club and arena staff have complained of sickness, the team announced on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 2, 2020

Coronavirus casts shadow over Japan's timeline for casino resorts

With the Diet focused on responding to the worsening spread of COVID-19, the timeline for the central government to approve the nation’s first casino resorts has been thrown into doubt.
Reader Mail
Apr 2, 2020

Government must get serious about social distancing

For Japan to get serious about social distancing, the need for which is clear, its rulers must first get serious about the problems they face and create.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 2, 2020

Japan sees record 4,300 cannabis offenders in 2019

A record 4,321 individuals were involved in cannabis cases in Japan last year, up 743 from the previous year for the sixth consecutive year of increases, with abuse of the drug by young people showing a marked rise, police said Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 2, 2020

Demand for health gadgets soars amid lockdowns

Fitness-tracking gadgets are selling out, home exercise classes have never been more popular and robotics crews are pivoting to making sanitation robots. The Covid-19 pandemic has triggered a seismic wave of health awareness and anxiety, which is energizing a new category of virus-fighting tech.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 2, 2020

SoftBank abandons $3 billion WeWork share purchase deal

SoftBank Group Corp. is scrapping an agreement to spend $3 billion (¥322 billion) to buy WeWork stock from former CEO Adam Neumann and other shareholders, despite threats of legal action from some members of the company’s board.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2020

All bets are off: Casino capitals Macao and Las Vegas slammed by virus

The vast, glitzy gaming halls of Macao are open, but thousands of baccarat tables are empty. The world's biggest gambling hub has barred entry to most travelers and hotels are being used to isolate new arrivals in case they have been infected by coronavirus.
Reader Mail
Apr 2, 2020

A desperate plea from London to lock down Japan

As a Japanese medical student studying in the U.K., I had watched with pride and comfort that Japan seemed to be limiting its COVID-19 case numbers despite being so close to the source. A country of efficiency, sanitation and respect. I was reassured that if any country could contain the disease, it...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 2, 2020

The unstoppable rise of Regal Lily

Regal Lily is supposed to be on tour at the moment. But instead of enjoying what the band’s members like about touring — eating hotel breakfasts, trying local dishes or simply exploring new towns — they’re staying put. There will be no early April show at Mynavi Blitz Akasaka, Tokyo, wrapping...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 2, 2020

'Step': Parenthood drama that tugs at the heartstrings

By now there are many films about single fathers, but for me the eye-opener was 1979’s “Kramer vs. Kramer.” In it, Dustin Hoffman plays a workaholic adman who struggles to raise his young son after being abandoned by his wife (Meryl Streep), but resists giving up the boy when she returns to claim...
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 1, 2020

Over half of Americans are postponing their weddings as industry reels

One of the last weddings performed in public in Las Vegas was on St. Patrick’s Day. The groom wore a dark suit. The bride wore a rockabilly-style black halter dress. The minister was Slash from Guns N’ Roses — or, rather, a licensed officiant performing as the shaggy-maned, top-hatted guitarist....
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 1, 2020

NSC change prepares Japan for new global realities

Japan is moving toward a wiser decision-making process when it comes to key security questions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 1, 2020

The Battle of Okinawa: Could more civilians have been saved?

The true lesson of the Battle of Okinawa may be that civilian deaths in war can and should be kept to the absolute minimum.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 1, 2020

Better ties with China: Japan’s coronavirus silver lining?

COVID-19 has caused surprisingly little damage to Japan-China relations. In fact, ties may emerge stronger in unexpected ways.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2020

Wannabe autocrats love the COVID-19 pandemic

In Hungary and Poland — as in Israel and elsewhere — liberty suddenly seems cheap. Even in a pandemic, it shouldn't be.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 1, 2020

Amid shutdowns elsewhere, government plans to continue Diet business as usual

While Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike has urged residents in the capital to work from home, and the nation appears to be inching toward declaring a state of emergency over rapid spread of COVID-19, the government seems set to maintain business as usual — at least for now.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2020

Four priorities for a global pandemic strategy

The world initially met the COVID-19 crisis in an uncoordinated fashion, with too many countries ignoring the warning signs and going it alone. It is now clear that the only way out of it is together.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2020

China’s global influence operation goes way beyond the WHO

The U.S. hoped bringing Beijing into international organizations would change it for the better, but the opposite is happening.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 1, 2020

Stranded tourists flock to Tokyo immigration bureau already overwhelmed by seasonal rush

Scores of foreign nationals queued up at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau on Wednesday, as tourists unable to return home — after international flights from Japan were suspended due to COVID-19 — added to the typical numbers attending the bureau.

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?