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Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 13, 2019

Sort out your digital diet and keep your sanity in 2019

Judging by the New Year's resolutions I'm hearing so far this year, the internet was a real source of frustration for a lot of people in 2018.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jan 12, 2019

Aiko Tanaka: A bundle of laughs in America

From dancing in clubs to stand-up comedy, Aiko Tanaka's experience in the U.S. has helped realize her dream of making it in the entertainment industry.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 7, 2019

Philippine court orders arrest of Japanese casino mogul Kazuo Okada on fraud charges

A Philippine court has ordered the arrest of Japanese casino mogul Kazuo Okada, about a month after the country's Department of Justice (DOJ) recommended filing charges against him on three counts of fraud.
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 3, 2019

Comedian Akira Ohashi 100% reveals his naked ambition

His naked tray act may not be to everyone's liking, but Akira Ohashi is too focused on the positives to worry about that. The Saitama-born, 44-year-old comedian, who is better known by his stage name Akira 100%, clearly loves being in the public eye, and after more than two decades struggling to make...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / New Year Special 2019
Jan 1, 2019

Traditional activities to ring in the new year

Shogatsu, or New Year's holidays, are a special time for Japanese, who typically revisit and take part in long-standing traditions. It's a time when those who left their hometowns go back to visit their families, invite relatives and friends to their homes and wear kimono. It's also a time for foreigners...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Dec 30, 2018

Hard work, nonstop play in the world of Japanese TV

It is hard to imagine Dave Spector doing anything else. Although tempting to call the fun- and pun-loving force of energy that is Spector a workaholic, he enjoys what he does so much that his palpable passion makes 'playholic' more accurate.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 29, 2018

Floyd Mayweather says fight against Tenshin Nasukawa is nothing to worry about

People have been a little skeptical that he would really fight against Tenshin Nasukawa on New Year's Eve.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 22, 2018

Rationale for extending Japan's copyright protections unclear

Several weeks ago, I was surprised to read that a revision to the copyright law would go into effect on Dec. 30, extending the current protection period from 50 years after an author's death to 70 years. When the extension was first discussed as part of the original 12-member Trans-Pacific Partnership...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 21, 2018

New York justice lets movie maker Harvey Weinstein's criminal charges stand

A New York state judge on Thursday denied Harvey Weinstein's motion to dismiss criminal charges that he sexually assaulted two women, rejecting the movie producer's argument that the case was tainted by police and prosecutorial misconduct.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2018

NPO Fukuribi's wigs offer Japan's chemo patients new weapon in their fight against cancer

When TV celebrity Miki Yakata was told she would need chemotherapy after undergoing a mastectomy in April, she realized she would have to buy a wig.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Dec 19, 2018

TV in 2018: Progressive voices and the enduring charm of ‘Terrace House’

In the English-speaking world, Japanese TV in 2018 was celebrated for how boring it could get. But it was anything but domestically, where viewers questioned norms and helped nudge forward programs with progressive politics.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 19, 2018

'Very pregnant' U.K. duchess Meghan Markle makes Christmas trip to care home

Meghan Markle, Britain's Duchess of Sussex, joked she was feeling "very pregnant" as she carried out a solo official engagement on Tuesday, a day after her father had made headlines by pleading with her to get in touch with him.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 18, 2018

Music in 2018: Saying goodbye to Heisei with 'U.S.A.'

The final full year of the Heisei Era was one of the most discombobulating for Japanese music this decade. Nostalgia for the soon-to-end era clashed with efforts to figure out where J-pop goes moving forward. Tunes covered in cobwebs suddenly became the soundtrack for viral dances on trendy video apps....
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2018

Urban-rural chasm defines new Western political divide

Left-right populism is fueling the Western political divide.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Dec 16, 2018

Programming: A code for fun and games

The world of programming not only has countless educational benefits for kids, but it can also be an impressive creative outlet.
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2018

After quake, Hokkaido tourist sites promote safety of winter events

Tourist sites in Hokkaido are coming up with creative solutions to bring foreign visitors back to their events this winter — the busiest season of the year — while also promoting safety.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Dec 11, 2018

Aging Japan: Neighboring suburbs face divergent futures as one grays, another grows

Katsuya Kodama's wife died two years ago, and the 77-year-old keeps her ashes on a Buddhist altar in their suburban home outside Tokyo.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2018

Australian competition watchdog calls for a new regulatory body to tackle dominance of Google and Facebook

Australia's competition watchdog Monday recommended tougher scrutiny and a new regulatory body to check the dominance of tech giants Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google in the country's online advertising and news markets.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Dec 8, 2018

A leg to stand on

'Where are you right now? Let's meet for a drink at Flamingos!'
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 7, 2018

Enter the Bull: Fighters mix kung fu with bullfighting in China

Several times a week, kung fu teacher Ren Ruzhi enters a ring to spar with a bovine opponent around five times his weight and capable of killing him.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Dec 6, 2018

Bridges built by the power of K-pop and J-pop

This year hasn't been a particularly warm one for the relationship between Japan and South Korea. Ongoing tension stemming from Japan's colonization of its neighbor up to the end of World War II — and efforts to complicate what happened during this period — have bubbled up once again, affecting everything...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 4, 2018

On the road to new experiences, post-SMAP, with Tsuyoshi Kusanagi

It has been almost two years since pop group SMAP split up, but its demise after over two decades at the forefront of entertainment in Japan is still fresh in everyone's memory.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 4, 2018

U.S. radio station freezes out holiday song 'Baby It's Cold Outside' over lyrics deemed inappropriate to women

A U.S. radio station is giving the cold shoulder to the classic "Baby It's Cold Outside," removing the song from its lineup of holiday music because its lyrics are inappropriate toward women, staff members say.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 1, 2018

Netflix hopes to attract new anime fans with old favorites

After launching in Japan in September 2015, Netflix has aggressively gone after the nation’s streaming market with an array of content. Original programming such as “Aggretsuko,” “Terrace House” and a reboot of “Ainori” have helped capture the attention of many cordcutters who want the...

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami