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Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Apr 3, 2017

Let's discuss the cherry blossom season

Every spring, people across Japan are enraptured as the cherry trees explode into bloom, clothing the country in pink.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 25, 2017

How the word 'terrorism' can help pass a bill

During the recent Diet grilling over his alleged involvement in the Moritomo Gakuen land purchase scandal, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe accused his opposition party tormentors of resorting to inshō sōsa. The most accurate English translation is probably "image manipulation," which, in the age of fake...
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 18, 2017

False sense of security? Experts weigh the threat that terrorism poses Japan

Widely regarded as a safe place to live, Japan currently sits in ninth position on the Global Peace Index's list of the most peaceful nations on the planet. The East Asian nation is generally believed to be an orderly society that has incredibly low homicide and assault rates, and it certainly doesn't...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2017

Europe's state of uncertainty

Now is an uncomfortable time to be a European.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 14, 2017

Can Tillerson tackle a tense East Asia?

North Korea has ramped up regional anxieties ahead of the U.S. secretary of state's visit to the region.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 13, 2017

Let's discuss making home deliveries easier

Major courier firm Yamato Transport Co. hopes to implement measures to ease the burden on delivery drivers and improve their working conditions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 11, 2017

Measuring the economics behind a shift to streaming

An article in the Feb. 17 issue of the Asahi Shimbun describes a restaurant in Osaka where diners can watch J. League soccer games. The restaurant has three TV monitors hooked up to Sky PerfecTV, one of Japan's satellite broadcast services. At the end of January, however, the J. League shifted its exclusive...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 6, 2017

Let's discuss changes to education in Japan

The education ministry will lay out new school curriculum guidelines that urge elementary and junior high schools to teach students that the disputed Senkaku Islands and Takeshima islets are 'integral parts of Japanese territory.'
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 2, 2017

Kyoto's Kotzur deft with both hands

There's no rule, written or spoken, that requires basketball players to have the ability to shoot with both hands.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Feb 27, 2017

Let's discuss a new, cheaper breast cancer test

Researchers say they have developed a method to assess the risk of breast or ovarian cancer through genetic checking that is 10 times cheaper than the current way.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Feb 20, 2017

Let's discuss the flu season

The influenza season is in full force, with an estimated 2.01 million people across the nation seeking treatment during a single week recently.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2017

Trump will leave analysts guessing on U.S.-China ties

Analysts trying to parse U.S. policy in the Trump era regarding the South China Sea must be prepared for stark contradictions and intellectual whiplash.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Feb 13, 2017

Let's discuss bans on smoking

The health ministry is considering a legal revision banning smoking in public areas to help bring Japan's battle against secondhand smoke in line with the global standard ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Feb 6, 2017

Let's discuss Kisenosato, Japan's new yokozuna

Kisenosato is the only Japanese-born wrestler of the four current yokozuna — a designation that will carry enormous expectations.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Feb 5, 2017

No country for old emperors

Brushing over precedents and kicking looming threats down the line, a government-appointed panel has dutifully paved the way for a politically convenient one-off abdication.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 4, 2017

Mattis clarifies U.S. defense pledge, stays mum on host-nation support

Japan breathes a sigh of relief after visiting U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis reaffirms America's commitment to the bilateral security treaty and keeps quiet about host-nation support.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jan 30, 2017

Let's discuss the recent heavy snow

A wide swath of the Sea of Japan coast was hit by heavy snow recently as a strong wintry air mass gripped much of the Japanese archipelago.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jan 23, 2017

Let's discuss the Emperor's abdication plan

The government is considering giving Emperor Akihito the title of 'joko,' an abbreviation of 'daijo tenno,' meaning retired sovereign, should he abdicate.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jan 22, 2017

Reversing Japanese names for Western use?

When did the Japanese start reversing the family-personal name order for Western consumption?
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 21, 2017

Emperor's abdication highlights the inconvenience behind the country's Imperial naming system

For two weeks the media has been buzzing about the news that Emperor Akihito will abdicate before 2019.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jan 16, 2017

Let's discuss 119 emergency calls

Some callers just want a ride. Others are lonely and simply want to chat. The problem? They've called 119.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 12, 2017

After Trump remark, Suga calls Japanese firms in U.S. 'good corporate citizens'

Accumulated direct investment by Japanese firms has totaled $411 billion, and about 840,000 people have been employed, the top government spokesman said.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2017

Speaking truth to power

The resignation of Sir Ivan Rogers, the British ambassador to the European Union in Brussels, has raised serious issues not only about Britain's strategy for Brexit but also about relations between officials and politicians and their political advisers.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jan 9, 2017

Let's discuss the disappearance of traditional festivals

Sixty traditional festivals and dances in 20 prefectures designated by local governments as intangible folk culture assets have been ended or suspended due to declines in population and the aging of rural communities, a survey has found.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 7, 2017

Are female scholars taken seriously in Japan?

There is a small group of female TV personalities whose claim to fame is that they graduated from the University of Tokyo, the most prestigious institute of higher learning in Japan. Like most TV personalities, these women have no demonstrable talent, and in almost every case when they appear on variety...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 7, 2017

Can the financial roadblock to marriage ever be dismantled?

On Dec. 20, an advisory panel assembled by the Prime Minister's Office drafted a final proposal for a bill that has a long-term goal of increasing the country's sagging birthrate.

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