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CULTURE / Stage
May 7, 2014

Surrender yourself to 'Fuerza Bruta' fun

Standing around with a drink in your hand as if you were on the dance floor of a club might not be a good idea at a Diqui James production.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 7, 2014

Bunraku legend gets set for his grand finale

On the occasion of his retirement after three decades as a bunraku narrator, the designated living national treasure Takemoto Sumitayu VII will present part of a program of traditional puppetry (ningyō jōruri) being staged by the National Theatre in Tokyo from May 10-26.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 7, 2014

Republicans dredge up Benghazi controversy in bid for election-year ammo

Benghazi is back.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 6, 2014

Genome scientist Craig Venter in deal to make humanized pig organs

Genome pioneer J. Craig Venter is teaming up with a unit of United Therapeutics Corp. to develop pig lungs that have been genetically altered to be compatible with humans — a feat that, if successful, could address the urgent need for transplant organs for people with end-stage lung disease.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
May 5, 2014

O'Malley all smiles about return to NPB with Tigers

A wry smile played across Tom O'Malley's lips as he nodded in the direction of a group of Hanshin Tigers players stretching on the ground outside of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows' indoor facility on Sunday as the Swallows wrapped up practice inside.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 5, 2014

U.S. teenager who survived flight in wheel well back in California

A 15-year-old Somali boy who survived a nearly six-hour flight stowed in the wheel well of a Hawaii-bound jet has been returned to California and placed in the custody of social services, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 5, 2014

Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams urges calm after release

Northern Ireland police released Gerry Adams from custody Sunday and the Sinn Fein leader sought to calm fears that his four-day detention could destabilize the British province by pledging his support to the peace process.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 4, 2014

'Kleptoparasite' birds steal food with clever ruse

If you believe honesty is the best policy, you would have a hard time convincing the fork-tailed drongo. This tricky African bird is the pathological liar of the animal kingdom.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
May 4, 2014

Kikokushijo: returnees to a country not yet ready for them

Though the number of returnee students has tripled since 1977, and despite the recent government push to develop 'global human resources,' the existence of this group of globally educated young people has been largely ignored by policymakers.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 4, 2014

A cut-out-and-keep guide to getting legal advice in Japan

With the new school and fiscal year bringing plenty of new arrivals to Japan, here are some basic tips on how to use various legal services in Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
May 3, 2014

Constitution Day feted, fought over

Japan's pacifist Constitution is at a crossroads as the 67th anniversary of its taking effect is celebrated around the nation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 3, 2014

Japan inked: Should the country reclaim its tattoo culture?

Tattooing is the most misunderstood form of art in contemporary Japan.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
May 3, 2014

Oysters offer pearls of wisdom within

Since the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, our C.W. Nicol Afan Woodland Trust, based in Kurohime, Nagano Prefecture, has been helping to relocate an elementary school in Miyagi Prefecture that was destroyed by the huge tsunami that followed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
May 3, 2014

Empress-Dowager Shoken laid to rest; crackdown in Shanghai's foreign quarters; Olympic preparations; Lebanese businessman Japan's top tax-payer

One of the notable landmarks in the modern history of Japan was the funeral ceremony held Saturday night for Her Majesty, the late Empress-Dowager (Shoken, empress consort of Emperor Meiji), who passed away on April 9.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 3, 2014

Quick Draw

There’s a certain amount of irony in choosing a desolate corner of Death Valley, California, to conduct a high-risk drug deal, but the female protagonist in Shu Ejima's award-winning debut work doesn't appear to have had much choice in the matter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 3, 2014

Japanese-Style Management

Shigeo Shimizu, former managing director of Toray Industries and a life-long veteran of Japan's management culture, was so troubled by the financial scandal that brought down Olympus Corp. in 2011, that he decided something needed to done to avoid such scandals being repeated.
EDITORIALS
May 3, 2014

Test problems here and abroad

Recent news that two of the most popular English-language proficiency tests in Japan, TOEIC and TOEFL, can no longer be accepted for obtaining visas to Britain may have come as a shock to students, parents and test administrators.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 3, 2014

German documentaries explore WWI history; Yukie Nakama stars in Mitsuko Mori biopic; CM of the week: Merry Maids

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, a conflagration whose causes most people probably don't understand. This week, NHK will present a series of German documentaries, "Doomsday World War I," on its BS1 channel that attempt to explain the so-called war to end all wars, with...
Japan Times
WORLD
May 2, 2014

Satan, Faust, Walpurga vie for human souls on German 'devil' peak

Pity St. Walpurga, an English nun from Devon. A night of "devil worship" atop a German mountain is not how she would have wanted to be remembered.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
May 2, 2014

Gerrard may end up tragic figure in Liverpool's title bid

One mistake during a 38-game season does not decide who wins the title, but Steven Gerrard will be haunted for the rest of his life if Liverpool does not win the Premier League.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
May 1, 2014

Austrian drag queen to contest Eurovision crown

Drag queen Conchita Wurst will take to the European stage as Austria's contender for Eurovision, the song contest that pits nation versus nation and launched the global careers of ABBA and Celine Dion — Wurst's idol.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 1, 2014

'Prisoners'

Cinematically speaking, Thanksgiving is beginning to have the same connotations as the white picket fences and manicured lawns of suburban America: symbols of disaster or tragedy. In "The Company Men" (2010), Ben Affleck feels his jobless life unravelling at the Thanksgiving table. In "Four Brothers"...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 1, 2014

'Withnail & I'

Kichijoji's storied Baus Theater will be closing its doors on June 10, but it is going out with a bang, reviving a bunch of its most popular hits from the past three decades, including "El Topo," "Sid & Nancy," "Picnic" and "Dark Star." The closing spot goes to "Withnail & I," the cult British comedy...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Apr 30, 2014

Tackling the 'empathy deficit' toward non-Japanese

Sympathy is not the same as empathy, and that is one reason why discrimination against foreigners and minorities is so hard to combat in Japan. Japanese society is good at sympathy, but empathy? Less so.
Reader Mail
Apr 30, 2014

Much ado about 'fluid prejudice'

Regarding the April 28 Reuters article "China releases trove of Japanese sex slave records": It's wonderful to learn that China has released a "trove" of confidential Japanese records on sex slaves, but why weren't these records released decades ago?
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 29, 2014

Cells cloned from diabetic make insulin

And now there are three: In the wake of announcements from laboratories in Oregon and California that they had created human embryos by cloning cells of living people, a lab in New York announced on Monday that it had done that and more.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NATURE'S PANTRY
Apr 29, 2014

A natural miso and soy factory that is always full of beans

Although rice is certainly the king of Japanese food, soybeans are the queen. Small makers of miso, soy sauce and tofu dot the landscape of Japan, but blink once and you will notice that the local shops are closing up as supermarket culture takes over daily life.

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