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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 18, 2020

'Pure Invention': How Japan's pop culture became the 'lingua franca' of the internet

From toy jeeps and karaoke machines to the Game Boy and Tamagotchi, “Pure Invention” explores how Japan's cultural influence has spread across the globe.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Jul 1, 2020

With Merkel at the helm, Europe faces a crisis with many fronts

For a leader who has steered Europe through two economic meltdowns, a migration crisis and a simmering showdown with Russia, Angela Merkel’s final act as German chancellor may be her biggest performance yet.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 26, 2020

Comic Saku Yanagawa was on his way to cracking the U.S. — then COVID-19 happened

Comic Saku Yanagawa is making a name for himself in the U.S., but with racist hecklers and awkward Zoom gigs, he's facing his toughest crowds yet.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 12, 2020

Zoom says China asked it to censor pro-democracy activists

Zoom Video Communications Inc. said it deactivated accounts of pro-democracy Chinese activists based in the U.S. at the request of China’s government, renewing concerns about the software-maker’s ties to the communist country.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jun 12, 2020

Video gamers have pandemic entertainment figured out

Video games Final Fantasy VII Remake and Animal Crossing: New Horizons have engaging storylines, graphics that are worthy of Hollywood and now — a captive audience
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
May 28, 2020

Episode 51: Japan's foreign residents are trapped

Entry restrictions on border traffic have sparked a strong reaction in Japan, as it is the only G7 member denying entry to long-term and permanent residents.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2020

Lockdowns haven’t proved they’re worth the havoc

The U.S. survived the 1968 pandemic without shutting down society, and there isn't much evidence that shutdowns are truly effective this time.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
May 21, 2020

Episode 50: How the 'murder hornet' got its name

The Asian giant hornet is common to Japan and regularly terrorizes the country's residents during the summer months. So how did end up being known as the 'murder hornet'?
PODCAST / deep dive
May 14, 2020

Episode 49: Hospitalized, discharged and out the other side?

As the coronavirus shows some signs of slowing in Japan — for now at least — Japan Times staff writer Ryusei Takahashi talks with people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Japan.
Japan Times
TENNIS
May 7, 2020

U.S. Open winner Bianca Andreescu remains focused on becoming world No. 1

U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu has discovered a powerful tool to compensate for limited training opportunities amid the COVID-19 lockdown as the Canadian teenager remains focused on her goal to climb to the top of the women's rankings.
Japan Times
Rugby
Apr 28, 2020

England's Ellis Genge wants new players' union after COVID-19 pay cuts

England prop Ellis Genge has called for a new, more independent players' union amid dissatisfaction among fellow professionals about how pay cuts as a result of the new coronavirus pandemic have been handled by clubs and rugby authorities.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 20, 2020

Houseparty vies with Zoom to be homebound chatters’ app of choice

Sima Sistani has been getting through the coronavirus outbreak’s shelter-in-place order the past month in many of the same ways others have: home-schooling her 7-year-old, trading off parenting shifts with her husband, and jumping from room to room to find a quiet space for phone calls.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Apr 15, 2020

Rui Hachimura urges Japanese fans to 'stay positive' during crisis

The Washington Wizards rookie answered questions from fans in English and Japanese during a 30-minute video chat hosted on the team's official Twitter account.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Apr 9, 2020

'The swab goes really deep into your head': What it's like to take the test for coronavirus in Japan

Have you wondered what it's like to get tested for COVID-19 in Japan? With little Japanese, Joe Oliver learned the hard way after being sent by his doctor to head straight to the hospital.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Apr 4, 2020

Navigating the murky waters of social media in a pandemic

The frequent occurrence of disasters in Japan has ensured that netizens are constantly on the lookout for online hoaxes. Following any large earthquake or typhoon, social media is typically flooded with all kinds of misleading posts and doctored images. Some are posted in a deliberate attempt to stoke...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2020

Pro tips on teleworking during a virus outbreak

When the novel coronavirus started spreading across Asia in January, forcing the world’s largest work-from-home experiment, not many knew what to expect, least of all Bloomberg’s 400-plus journalists in the region. Six weeks later (and counting), only now are some starting to return to the office....
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 11, 2020

Episode 42: Will the coronavirus cancel the Tokyo Olympics?

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are set to start on July 24, bringing millions of fans and tens of thousands of athletes and support staff from around the world to Japan. Or that’s how the story is supposed to go. Now with the global coronavirus outbreak, there are serious concerns that the games will...
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 3, 2020

Episode 41: How can Japan's coronavirus response improve?

As Japan struggles to contain the outbreak of coronavirus, Brad Glosserman assesses the response so far and talks about where the country could and should be doing better. Hosted by Oscar Boyd.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 26, 2020

Episode 40: An 11-year-long fight for asylum in Japan

We speak with Hilmneh Tegegn Tesfaw, who for the last 11 years has battled Japan's immigration system as he's tried to claim asylum and earn refugee status.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 19, 2020

Episode 39: What makes the J. League such a thrill to watch?

As the J. League season kicks off, Japan Times soccer (*cough* football) correspondent Dan Orlowitz tells us what makes the Japanese game so exciting to watch and what we can expect from the upcoming season.
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Feb 1, 2020

Whet your appetite with 'A Complete Guide to Japanese Cuisine'

Food writer Akiko Katayama's bilingual washoku primer, 'A Complete Guide to Japanese Cuisine,' covers everything from regional dishes to dining customs and bento.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jan 29, 2020

Episode 36: Has Fukushima found a future in renewables?

Fukushima Prefecture has announced plans to go 100 percent renewable by 2040, making it the most ambitious prefecture in Japan when it comes to the adoption of green technologies.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jan 16, 2020

Episode 35: Japan's first climate emergency

On Sept. 25, 2019, Iki Island in Nagasaki Prefecture became the first place in Japan to declare a climate emergency. Jesse Chase-Lubitz and Oscar Boyd head to the island to find out why.
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 24, 2019

Episode 33: Have yourself a merry little podcast!

Japan Times contributor Julia Berginu00a0and editor Shaun McKenna join Oscar Boyd for a holiday special full of KFC, mulled wine and Christmas cheer.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 12, 2019

Episode 32: What's the secret to Prime Minister Abe's longevity?

What has allowed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to stay in office for such a long time?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 2, 2019

China seeks to root out fake news and deepfakes with new online content rules

Chinese regulators have announced new rules governing video and audio content online, including a ban on the publishing and distribution of "fake news" created with technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Nov 21, 2019

Wizards' Rui Hachimura off to successful start to NBA career

Centuries before basketball was invented, William Shakespeare reflected on the subject of greatness. The Great Bard once summed it up this way: "Be not afraid of greatness: some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them."

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell