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LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 8, 2014

Going backward to get ahead with studying Japanese

In his book "Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don't Tell You," translator and Japanese literature scholar Jay Rubin notes that the Japanese language "works backward."
WORLD
Dec 8, 2014

Guantanamo prisoners freed in Uruguay

Six men held for more than a decade at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were flown to Uruguay for resettlement on Sunday, the latest step in a slow-moving push by President Barack Obama's administration to close the facility.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2014

Hotline advising foreigners on problems from visas to discrimination

A Tokyo-based nonprofit organization opened a temporary telephone hotline Monday to answer questions from foreign residents on anything from visa problems and racial discrimination to finding a doctor.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 8, 2014

As opposition dithers, voters mull four more years of Abe

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's chances for becoming the nation's longest-serving leader in more than four decades are increasing as the opposition finds itself hobbled by factionalism, shifting policies and funding shortages.
BASKETBALL
Dec 7, 2014

Shinshu's Sanders provides big spark in triumph over Toyama

Shinshu Brave Warriors forward Patrick Sanders was an offensive force in Sunday's series finale against the Toyama Grouses.
Japan Times
Figure Skating
Dec 7, 2014

Win a copy of 'Team Brian'

The Japan Times is offering several readers the chance to win a copy of the recently released Japanese book "Team Brian" about figure skating coach Brian Orser's experiences teaching Olympic and world champions Yuzuru Hanyu and Yuna Kim.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 7, 2014

Remembrance that stifles

Victim and revisionist nationalisms about the past in East Asia block the way to greater regional integration.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 7, 2014

Evidence suggests Keynesianism boosts GDP in recessions, but good luck explaining why

Casual evidence indicates that government spending during recessions (a pillar of Keynesianism) boosts GDP. But we don't have a satisfying macroeconomic model that explains why.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Dec 7, 2014

Synthetic fluorite puts lens biz in focus

Iwatani Corp. brightened the outlook for camera fans in October by announcing it had developed the world's first viable technology for synthesizing high-purity fluorite — an element critical to making the world's best lenses.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 7, 2014

Original Batmobile built in 1963 sells for $137,000

Holy Bargain, Batman! The original Batmobile fetched $137,000 at auction on Saturday, a small fraction of the $4.2 million that a buyer paid last year for another version built for the television show that aired during the 1960s.
BASKETBALL
Dec 6, 2014

Davis notches double-double in victorious debut for Sendai

Jeral Davis enjoyed a successful debut with the Sendai 89ers on Saturday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 6, 2014

Code + culture: new media art from Japan

Domestic media artists have been using programming code in recent years to create some astonishing works of art. We look back at how this scene developed over the years and examine four contemporary artists who have defined the way the genre has evolved.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Dec 6, 2014

Oh deer, what a waste of food and fashion

In summer this year, my photographer chum Conan Morimoto brought a fashion-designer friend of his by the name of Teruki Uchise to talk to me and visit our Afan Trust woods outside Kurohime in the Nagano Prefecture foothills of the Northern Alps.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 6, 2014

What's beneath all that latex, fabric and plastic?

In 1910, a man named Otto James was arrested for parading down a busy street in Tacoma, Washington, wearing fancy dress. The charge of "public masquerading" — so quaint to modern ears — was itself nothing new, but the choice of costume was notable: James had gone for a stroll dressed as the main...
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Dec 6, 2014

Best of both worlds

Dad is best, dad is best ...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 6, 2014

Animals at extinction risk from climate change

Animals are dying off in the wild at a pace as great as the extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago because of human activity and climate change.
Japan Times
Places
Dec 6, 2014

Day trips from Tokyo

Tokyo has plenty to offer to visitors and residents, but for those times when you need something different, something slower, something roomier, here are few select days trips out of Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 5, 2014

Japan's media needs to act as a watchdog, not a lapdog

Cozy relationships between Japan's mainstream media and politicians have helped to enable much of the cronyism, irresponsible behavior and policy drift that the prime minister is supposedly trying to eradicate.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2014

Islamic State's siren call for Western Muslims

It is through increased confidence and conviction, rather than bland tolerance, that democratic societies can counter the appeal of fanatical causes like Islamic State and their charismatic leaders.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 5, 2014

Scientists find why male smokers may run even higher health risks

Male smokers are three times more likely than non-smoking men to lose their Y chromosomes, according to research that may explain why men develop and die from many cancers at disproportionate rates compared to women.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 4, 2014

Isn't it time to take art out of storage?

Tokyo's art scene has always comprised many hubs, and it's about to get a new one — one that promises to be among the most exciting.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 4, 2014

SoftBank invests $250 million in GrabTaxi as it fends off Uber

SoftBank Corp. has invested $250 million in GrabTaxi Holdings Pte. as the cab-booking service fends off competition from Uber Technologies Inc. in Southeast Asia.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 4, 2014

U.N. sets modest hopes for climate pledges at 2015 Paris summit

Government pledges due in 2015 to cut rising world greenhouse gases will be too weak to avert the worst of global warming will and merely be part of a process toward agreeing on far tougher curbs, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 4, 2014

Takata investigated defective air bag inflator as early as 2003

As early as 2003, Takata Corp ran an investigation into an air bag inflator that ruptured in a BMW vehicle, but concluded the problem was an anomaly, the company said on Tuesday, ahead of a second U.S. congressional hearing on dangerous air bags it supplied.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2014

Japanese Catholic priest helps hundreds of Cambodians get an education

Increasing numbers of Cambodian children are getting an education thanks to the efforts of a Japanese Catholic priest.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo