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Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 3, 2018

NHK tries to clear up LGBT misconceptions

Last month, publisher Iwanami Shoten was criticized for its definition of “LGBT” in the newest edition of Kojien, which is considered to be the most authoritative dictionary of the Japanese language. The complaint was specifically about the meaning of the acronym’s “T” portion, which stands...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 30, 2018

China denies report it hacked African Union headquarters

China and the African Union dismissed on Monday a report in French newspaper Le Monde that Beijing had bugged the regional bloc's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 26, 2018

Proposed Kibo no To policy criticizes Abe-backed security laws, but conservative members may balk

The leadership of Kibo no To (Party of Hope) on Friday proposed to rank-and-file members that the opposition party strongly criticize the controversial 2015 security laws pushed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a senior member and media reports said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jan 22, 2018

Let's discuss the Harenohi Coming-of-Age Day kimono disaster

Police received at least 160 complaints after a kimono rental firm halted operations just before Coming-of-Age Day ceremonies, leaving young women without formal attire for the once-in-a-lifetime event.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2018

Abe pledges more robust defense strategy for Japan in annual policy speech to lawmakers

Abe talked tough on defense while easing off from his usual praise for South Korea following the recent flap over the 2015 “comfort women” agreement.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 20, 2018

Debate grows over paying compensation to Olympic 'volunteers'

A  constant concern about the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics is its cost. Projected operating expenses for the games as of the end of last year was ¥1.35 trillion based on calculations made last May. Although the figure is smaller than it once was, the International Olympic Committee says it is still...
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 19, 2018

Famed producer Tetsuya Komuro quits music industry over alleged affair

Music producer Tetsuya Komuro said Friday he will retire from the industry following a recent magazine report about his alleged extramarital affair with a nurse.
EDITORIALS
Jan 18, 2018

Different surnames as a choice for spouses

The government and the Diet should remember that it is their task to make necessary adjustments to laws as society and people's values change.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 15, 2018

AI-based story-summarizing system to debut at Japanese newspaper

Fujitsu Ltd. will provide the Shinano Mainichi Shimbun with a system that automatically summarizes articles using artificial intelligence.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 15, 2018

Mystery Twitter user 'Okasanman' has vast, and growing, following of Japan traders

On a day when billions in profits and losses would be determined by split-second trades, the salaried professionals of Japan's financial markets were glued to their news terminals. Another group was staring at the feed of an anonymous Twitter account.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jan 14, 2018

Japan still has much to learn from Martin Luther King's nonviolent struggle

Could Dr. King's nonviolent methods work in Japan, a country with a completely different relationship between government and citizen than in America?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jan 8, 2018

Let's discuss facial recognition technology

Facial technology will be used at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 1, 2018

2018 seen as make-or-break year for Abe's constitutional revision quest

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces what is perhaps the biggest dilemma of his political career: whether to call the nation's first-ever referendum on revising the postwar Constitution.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Dec 31, 2017

Lessons about Japan's school catchment areas

A neighbor recently asked us to sign a petition requesting that the local education committee keep a certain elementary school open. Due to falling enrollment, students who attended the school would be transferred to a different one in the near future.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2017

Now, a different and darker clash of civilizations

Far right, anti-immigrant parties have a new ideology that poses grave dangers to liberal democracy.
PRESS / Corporate Trends
Dec 12, 2017

“The most memorable Japan news events of 2017” as chosen by English-language instructors from AEON Ltd. “Overworked Japan slowly adopting fixed rest hours” wins first prize

English conversation school AEON Ltd., (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. Representative: Yoshikazu Miyake) conducted a survey of 511 of its English-language instructors on “the most memorable Japan news events of 2017.”
Dec 12, 2017

“The most memorable Japan news events of 2017” as chosen by English-language instructors from AEON Ltd.
“Overworked Japan slowly adopting fixed rest hours” wins first prize

English conversation school AEON Ltd., (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. Representative: Yoshikazu Miyake) conducted a survey of 511 of its English-language instructors on “the most memorable Japan news events of 2017.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Dec 9, 2017

Open waters: Opening of ports 150 years ago remains a watershed moment in the nation's history

The year 2018 marks the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration, which ended about 250 years of self-imposed isolation and marked the beginning of Japan's efforts to become a major international power.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 6, 2017

Chinese near North Korean border told how to survive a nuclear attack

The official state-run newspaper in northeastern China's city of Jilin, near the border with North Korea, on Wednesday published a page of "common-sense" advice on how readers can protect themselves from a nuclear attack or explosion.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Dec 4, 2017

Survey: Reading comprehension of secondary students insufficient

A professor is concerned that 'insufficient reading comprehension skills will largely affect social lives.'
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Dec 3, 2017

Can a death kill property value?

The apartment in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, where police found the remains of nine bodies in late October is one of 12 units in a two-story wooden apartment building located 10 minutes from Sobudai Station on the Odakyu Odawara line. Each unit consists of one room and a kitchen and, according to various...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Dec 3, 2017

Different constitutions, similar defect?

The Meiji Constitution rise and fall of the affects contemporary constitutional attitudes.
EDITORIALS
Dec 2, 2017

Fill the family registry void

The government needs to pull out all the stops in making sure every Japanese is listed in the family registry system.
Reader Mail
Dec 1, 2017

Effort in the U.S. started long ago

This article ("#MeToo movement confuses media in Japan" in the Nov. 26 edition) made me realize that Japanese people's impression of the U.S. is often different from reality.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 25, 2017

#MeToo movement confuses media in Japan

During a recent discussion on Bunka Hoso's radio talk show, "Golden Radio," about sexual misconduct in the U.S., the participants wondered if the #MeToo social media movement would catch on in Japan. "Me Too" as a movement was started more than a decade ago by American social activist Tarana Burke to...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 25, 2017

The popularity of the psychopath is a mind puzzle

Psychopaths, says neuroscientist Nobuko Nakano in her 2016 bestseller "Saikopasu" ("Psychopaths"), tend to share two personality traits. Freedom from fear and anxiety is one. Indifference to other people's feelings is another.
JAPAN
Nov 24, 2017

Newsweek causes stir by reporting 'Japan wants war' with North Korea

Misreporting an opinion poll, a Newsweek story claims 'Japan wants war with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, not dialogue.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Nov 20, 2017

Let's discuss school rules

A Japanese public high school has come under fire for its strict policy regarding the color of its students' hair.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 18, 2017

Zama murders prompt awareness of youth issues

Readers who may be contemplating homicide should be aware that concealing evidence of your crime — referred to in the language of jurisprudence as corpus delicti — is next to impossible.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2017

In key policy speech, Abe sounds alarm over Japan's 'most severe security environment ever'

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warns in a policy speech that Japan is facing its most severe postwar security environment ever, condemning nuclear-armed North Korea.

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building