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Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 4, 2014

Forebears of mammals were nocturnal party animals

A nocturnal existence is a way of life for numerous mammals, from bats that swoop through dark skies to skunks that emit their noxious spray under moonlight and majestic lions, tigers and leopards that prowl the night.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Sep 4, 2014

Comedian Joan Rivers moved to private room from intensive care, daughter says

Comedian Joan Rivers, who suffered cardiac arrest last week, has been moved out of an intensive care unit in a New York hospital and into a private room, her daughter said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 4, 2014

'Daddy's girl' Obuchi to oversee nuclear industry

Yuko Obuchi, the 40-year-old daughter of the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, was Wednesday appointed as the first female trade and industry minister, one of five women Prime Minister Shinzo Abe named to his new Cabinet.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 3, 2014

A quarter century of Japanese films in review

In 25 years of reviewing Japanese films and interviewing Japanese filmmakers for this newspaper, I've written 1 million words, give or take a few. This is clearly something no normal person would do, but for me it beats working.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 3, 2014

I, Frankenstein

Compared with vampires, who always seem to be sleek and sexy, Frankenstein's monster has had it rough. Those head bolts are one thing, and then there are the leathery scars all over his face and his massive, clunky awkwardness. To make matters worse, while vampires are never deprived of dating and relationships...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 3, 2014

No

In 1988, Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, who came to power in a bloody coup in 1973, decided to hold a national referendum — a simple yes or no vote — on whether he should extend his rule by eight years. It was supposed to be an exercise in sham democracy to stem international criticism and legitimize...
Reader Mail
Sep 3, 2014

Cram schools have their place

The Aug. 31 editorial "Is it twilight for cram schools?"made me think of young people's education and the future of Japan. The editorial points out that at cram schools "students learned how to compete with people rather than cooperate."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Sep 3, 2014

Giving up your seat on a train is a public affair

A recent article in the media in Japan about the attitudes and behavior of able-bodied passengers toward reserved seating on trains reminded me of one of the few negative experiences I have endured as a disabled foreigner in Japan, and it pertains to the tricky art of acquiring use of the "priority seats."...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / ADOPT ME!
Sep 3, 2014

The more the merrier

When the Tamura family of Shizuoka adopted not only Hara (left, now named Ribbon) but Shiitake (right) as well, ARK workers cried tears of joy. And from the sound of it, the two dogs have indeed found joy in their new home. In search of "another pet to love" after the death of their dog, the Tamuras...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 2, 2014

Startline hopes to tap into Japan's punk love

In the 2000s, Gumx was one of South Korea's top-tier punk acts. With that band on indefinite hiatus, though, Gumx drummer Gun Choi is now looking to achieve similar success with Startline, a punk trio he formed in March of last year.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Sep 2, 2014

The hammer and scalpel are what's needed to subvert idol-pop culture

One new act who has been creating a buzz in music-industry circles this year is quirky singer-songwriter Seiko Oomori.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 2, 2014

Review: Lisa Loeb at Billboard Live

Everyone has probably heard at least one Lisa Loeb song, and most likely it was her debut single "Stay (I Missed You)" — a worldwide hit exactly 20 years ago. Loeb remains thrilled with the song's continued success.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 2, 2014

Australia leaning toward buying Japan subs to upgrade fleet

Japan and Australia are leaning toward a multibillion-dollar sale by Tokyo of a fleet of stealth submarines to Canberra's military, in a move that could rile an increasingly assertive China, people familiar with the talks said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 2, 2014

Brazil's Silva looks presidential, but not a shoo-in

Popular environmentalist Marina Silva looks capable of winning Brazil's presidential election in October but a major campaign gaffe and mounting attacks from other candidates and the media suggest the race is still wide open.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 2, 2014

Parents of seriously ill British boy resist extradition from Spain to U.K.

The British parents who sparked a major manhunt by taking their seriously ill son out of a hospital last week have asked a Spanish court not to extradite them to the United Kingdom, a judicial source said on Monday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 1, 2014

St. Mary's International School in Tokyo rocked by sexual abuse claims

After Catholic boys school responds to account from 1960s, other former pupils allege systematic abuse by another teacher during the 1970s
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 1, 2014

China, U.S. moving closer to viewing war as inevitable

The 'tipping point' in China-U.S. relations has been defined as where the two conclude that conflict is unavoidable and begin preparing for it in earnest while trying to hide their true intentions. Has that point been reached?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 1, 2014

Farewell to the sun-scorched suffering of another summer

Back in the day, the customary question among Japanese gakusei around this time of year was 'Natsu yasumi du014d datta?' (How was summer vacation?). But that was in the days of no smartphones or Skype, when there was a lot less of this hankering for tsunagari (connectedness).
JAPAN / INTERPRETATION & TRANSLATION
Aug 31, 2014

Connecting two cities beyond interpretation

Interpreters and translators facilitate communication and understanding between people who speak different languages, which sometimes is instrumental in bridging two distant cities.
EDITORIALS
Aug 31, 2014

Child poverty in Japan

The government's first-ever policy outline to address the growing problem of child poverty in Japan lacks specific targets or financial measures to correct the situation.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Aug 31, 2014

Abe faces roadblock this fall

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears to be approaching a roadblock this fall in the form of defeat in the Okinawa gubernatorial election, possible chaos over the relocation of Futenma air station and mounting sentiment throughout Japan against U.S. military bases.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Aug 31, 2014

Rebel entrepreneur turns job market on its head

Yujun Wakashin seeks to present an alternative lifestyle that he hopes will serve as a wake-up call for dropouts, shut-ins and underutilized hopefuls such as high school girls.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 30, 2014

'I blacked out from drinking. ... I wasn't a good parent'

Yumiko Miyata started drinking when she was 15. She was an inherently shy girl and found that alcohol helped her make friends. When people discovered she could hold her liquor, she then became the center of attention. At first she thought it was harmless fun. Eventually, however, her life started spinning...
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Aug 29, 2014

Gifu mover gives forgotten temples new life in new places

Due to the decline in Buddhist worshippers and the population in general, the number of empty or abandoned temples has been growing in recent years.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 29, 2014

Man stabs, wounds taxi driver in Yokohama, flees with ¥4,000

A taxi driver was stabbed with a knife and robbed of some ¥4,000 late Thursday night in Yokohama. The suspect is still at large, NHK reported.

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers