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JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 1, 2020

Shinjiro Koizumi's paternity leave raises a few eyebrows

Shortly before Shinjiro Koizumi’s wife, Christel Takigawa, gave birth to a baby boy last month, the environment minister told reporters during a regular news conference he would be taking time off for paternity leave. It was a revelation that surprised some because after the pair had revealed she was...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 1, 2020

Dispatches from the front line of Japan's retail sector

Since October, business media have focused on two topics at the near-exclusion of numerous others: the economic repercussions of the consumption tax hike and how that increase has influenced, or accelerated, a shift from cash to electronic payments.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Food of my Former Homeland
Feb 1, 2020

Swe Myanmar: Sharing the flavors of home in Tokyo's 'Little Yangon'

The popular Swe Myanmar is one of many Myanmar restaurants in Tokyo's 'Little Yangon,' Takadanobaba. But one aspect makes it unique: Its owner, Than Swe, is a foreign national who was granted asylum in the 1990s.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Feb 1, 2020

Yumi Matsuo: It's a different picture in the United States

New York-based lifestyle photographer Yumi Matsuo wants to see personalities shine through her work.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Feb 1, 2020

Folk fun: Reverence for life-giving soil and agriculture

Reverence for the soil that nourishes life has always been deeply rooted in Japan, where agriculture was central to daily life, and many folk toys and bells were made of clay.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 1, 2020

Tsuta: The original Michelin-starred ramen shop returns, better

Yuki Onishi is clearly not a chef who is ready or able to rest on his laurels. His flagship ramen restaurant, Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta, is one of the best-known in the city, drawing legions of fans from near and far. He has won accolades, grabbed global media attention and opened several overseas...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 1, 2020

Japanese chefs reflect on the chaos of Gelinaz!

Three Japanese chefs reflect on their experiences participating in last December's The Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle: 2019 Stay In Tour event, a giant recipe swap spanning 38 countries and featuring 148 chefs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Feb 1, 2020

KitKat kicks it up a notch with its Valentine's-limited Cacao Fruit Dessert

Have you ever wanted to know how cacao fruit tasted? Now you can, with Nestle Japan's new cacao fruit-flavored KitKat. (Spoiler: It's zesty!)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 1, 2020

'The Magical Language of Others': A Korean-American memoir that will shatter stereotypes

With its evocative prose and personal and historical honesty, 'The Magical Language of Others' traces a Korean-American family's story of trauma and survival across several generations and continents.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Feb 1, 2020

'Untangling my Chopsticks': Searching for the origins of Japanese fine dining

Engagingly written and well-researched, Victoria Abbott Riccardi's culinary memoir, 'Untangling My Chopsticks,' traces her year immersed in Kyoto's kaiseki culture.
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Feb 1, 2020

Whet your appetite with 'A Complete Guide to Japanese Cuisine'

Food writer Akiko Katayama's bilingual washoku primer, 'A Complete Guide to Japanese Cuisine,' covers everything from regional dishes to dining customs and bento.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Feb 1, 2020

Japan Times 1970: NHK broadcasts first sex education show

The Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) was deluged with phone calls from mothers Monday morning after it presented a 45-minute television program on sex education, the first of its kind ever shown on the public broadcasting station's channel.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2020

No, we don't have a natural lifespan of 38

A cool new study on longevity got distorted by the popular press.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2020

Could robots whip up the perfect pizza?

The smartest people in the world are working hard to automate the much-loved meal.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 1, 2020

Japanese lawmaker held in casino bribery scandal allegedly demanded luxury goods from Chinese firm

Investigators are believed to be speeding up their probe ahead of the Monday deadline for the detention of Lower House member Tsukasa Akimoto.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Feb 1, 2020

China virus cases may be undercounted even as numbers skyrocket

The number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in China has skyrocketed to almost 12,000 as of Saturday, surpassing the official count during the SARS epidemic. But the true number of infections may be even higher, as health workers struggle to catch up with the disease.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Feb 1, 2020

Wuhan coronavirus' mild symptoms open a path for spread of infection

Ebola kills half of the people who get it. China's last worrying viral outbreak, SARS, killed 10 percent.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 1, 2020

Coronavirus garners headlines, but there's another virus stalking America

A second wave of seasonal influenza is taking hold in the U.S. and elsewhere, just as health officials are on high alert for new cases of the novel coronavirus. Many of the symptoms are the same, but when it comes to immediate risk, people should fear the flu more.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 1, 2020

Japanese firms preparing for prolonged economic hit from coronavirus outbreak

Japanese companies that do business in China are starting to consider measures to cope with the possibility of a prolonged coronavirus outbreak.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 1, 2020

For $193, a flight between Hong Kong and New York — with a six-hour stopover in virus-hit Wuhan

Bargain flights between Hong Kong and New York have emerged in the wake of the new coronavirus, as long as travelers are willing to stop in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, in just a few months.
LIFE / Travel
Feb 1, 2020

A month of ice and fire: Japan's best winter festivals

Winter this year may have been relatively warm, but February brings a host of festive events across the country for snow-lovers and heat-seekers alike.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 31, 2020

The Trump administration's 'realism' isn't the answer

If his Middle East peace proposal is any indication of how U.S. President Donald Trump will deal with other international issues, Japan should be worried.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 31, 2020

Virus poses stark challenges to Abe's tourism goals as Tokyo Olympics loom

The coronavirus outbreak is posing myriad challenges for the Japanese economy, including a key Abe administration policy initiative — the promotion of inbound tourism.
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Jan 31, 2020

Last dance for Sunwolves complicates matters in 2020 Super Rugby campaign

Lance Conrad wrote in "The Price of Nobility" that "only a fool would underestimate a man with nothing to lose."
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2020

Japan to step up coronavirus action as Abe takes flak for response

To halt the Wuhan epidemic, foreign travelers will be denied entry to Japan starting Saturday if they have been to Hubei province in the past 14 days.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 31, 2020

Democrats' bid for new Trump impeachment witnesses likely to fall short

Democrats appeared to have fallen short Thursday in their bid to secure the votes needed to call witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial, clearing the way for Trump's likely acquittal as early as this weekend.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Jan 31, 2020

Ep. 31 'Publicity Stunt'

After weeks of eavesdropping, listening to second-hand accounts of conversations and dropping very obvious signals, Hana and Vivi finally come face to face with some harsh truths about their respective crushes on Ryo. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there's going to be a happy ending for either one...

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past