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COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2017

Trump's court pick conservative but not extremist

Democrats should think hard before trying to depict Neil Gorsuch as a radical conservative — a bruising confirmation fight could push him in the wrong direction.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 25, 2017

North Korean elite turning against leader Kim, high-level defector says

The North Korean elite are outwardly expressing their discontent toward young leader Kim Jong Un and his government as more outside information trickles into the isolated country, North Korea's former deputy ambassador to London said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 25, 2017

'Honnouji Hotel': Drama on the wrong side of history

Is Haruka Ayase the Japanese version of Anne Hathaway? In everything from their perky public personas and sterling work ethic to their toothy smiles and flawless complexions, the two stars symbolize a type of good-girl perfection. And yet they also rub some imperfect types the wrong way, though Hathaway...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 23, 2016

'Born to be Blue': Biopic goes free-form on Chet Baker's story

For casual fans or people who have yet to encounter Baker, 'Born To Be Blue' is a good place to start, perfectly encapsulating the fragility and self-destructive urges that underlined his uniquely beautiful and melancholic music.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 22, 2016

Overwork sanctioned by both firms and unions, with dim prospects for state intervention: expert

When the suicide of a female worker at ad giant Dentsu Inc. was recognized as karoshi, or death from overwork, many blamed a corporate culture that glorifies the "warrior" workers who sacrifice themselves for the good of the firm.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Nov 20, 2016

We Americans are 'baka' but we ain't that baka ... ?

After the euphoria of Barack Obama's tenure, it's back to politics as usual — but at least Donald Trump's open about his racism.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2016

Little blue dots in a big red sea

The Democrat foisted the tired Clinton dynasty on a struggling rust-belt nation and stumbled badly.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Oct 23, 2016

Time to consign 'death by overwork' to Japan's history

As 'karoshi' continues to steal young lives, workers must stand up for their own rights and watch out for their colleagues' wellbeing.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 22, 2016

Taiji's dolphin hunters have a new voice

It's not often a documentary is made in response to another documentary, but this year two movies have addressed the 2009 Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove," which was about the capture and killing of wild dolphins in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture. First-time filmmaker Keiko Yagi's "Behind the Cove" came...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2016

Why hasn't the CEO of Takata Corp. been fired?

The longer Shigehisa Takada keeps his job, the more investors will roll eyes at claims Japan is 'open for business.'
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 11, 2016

Once-powerful Philippine Catholic Church divided, subdued over drug killings

Philippine priests of the Roman Catholic Church, an institution that helped to oust two of the country's leaders in the past, say they are afraid and unsure how to speak out against the war on drugs unleashed by new President Rodrigo Duterte.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 2016

Thai monarchy could be heading for a crisis

The Thai monarchy is ill-prepared to cope with the uncertainties that will accompany the next king.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 18, 2016

Putin picks new wave of ideological cronies

Russia's president is doing his best to fill the ideological vacuum created by the fall of communism.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2016

Team Clinton attacking Trump's lies with ... lies

Why are Hillary Clinton's people resorting to the exact same style of lying that they claim to criticize about Donald Trump?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 20, 2016

'Ken and Kazu': The yakuza isn't all guns and glamour

Most films about the yakuza depict its members as fully formed and distinctly different from the general run of humanity, somewhat like action figures just out of the box. The reality, as Hiroshi Shoji's "Ken and Kazu" shows us with a gritty directness and power, is more quotidian. For Shoji's title...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 14, 2016

Teppei Koike and Haruma Miura strut proudly onto the stage in 'Kinky Boots'

For fans of musicals in Japan, the buzz surrounding Teppei Koike and Haruma Miura is reaching a peak thanks to the pair's newest production: the first-ever Japanese version of the award-winning hit "Kinky Boots."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 13, 2016

Korean films take on the thorny topic of Japan

Last year, one of the biggest films in South Korea was a swashbuckling tale of freedom fighters battling against a cruel oppressor: Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 13, 2016

'Sing Street': 'I'm in a band' — it works every time

Filmmaker and former frontman for the Irish band "The Frames" John Carney completes his ode-to-music trilogy with "Sing Street" — following the star-studded "Begin Again" in 2013 and the excellent but underrated "Once" in 2007.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 11, 2016

'Phoenix': Osamu Tezuka's epoch-spanning manga masterpiece

"Hi no Tori" ("Phoenix" ) is a 12-part masterpiece by manga legend Osamu Tezuka. Started in 1954, Tezuka worked on the manga until his death in 1989. Acclaimed for both its story and style, "Phoenix" rises above the greatness of Tezuka's "Astro Boy" or "Black Jack" — it was, in translator Frederik...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2016

A contrarian chess player's message lives on

To those who distrusted the Soviet system but lacked the courage or the wherewithal to leave or fight, Viktor Korchnoi was a symbol of freedom.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 4, 2016

Black Illumination: Haruo Sato's lush, gloomy landscapes

Most of us, when we feel sad, assume there is a cause for our sadness. Often there is, and the feeling can then be addressed, diagnosed, resolved. But what about sadness without a cause? This is the terrain of melancholy and, while melancholy has a rich and varied history in the West, it takes on unique...
CULTURE / Music
Jun 3, 2016

Past the scandals and into the songs of 2016 so far

So far this year, most of the media attention paid to the music industry has focused on scandal rather than songwriting.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 12, 2016

Soba noodle association develops fun test for allergies

One of the major attractions for foreign tourists in Japan is delicious washoku (traditional cuisine). But visitors may not know that one dish includes an ingredient that can cause life-threatening allergic reactions — soba.
COMMENTARY / World / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
May 4, 2016

The complexities of 'they' versus 'xe/him/xir'

The long search to find a way to refer to people in English without relying on gender won't be ending anytime soon.
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2016

The Filipino game-changer

Electing Rodrigo Duterte as president would return the Philippines to the 'bad old days.'
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2016

Being a Russian media mogul is dangerous

Putin now controls almost every wide-reaching news outlet in Russia. All he has to do is jerk the leash from time to time.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 23, 2016

In search of Japan's own Shakespeare

April 23 marked the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare (1564-1616), the greatest dramatist of the English speaking world. The anniversary has a particular resonance here: Few countries in the world have embraced Shakespeare with Japan's sustained passion.

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