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Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2013

Ex-con on mission to tame recidivism rate

Hiroshi Igarashi remembers feeling like a dinosaur when he was released from prison in 2011 after nine years behind bars. He had no idea how to use IC cards and phones as train tickets. Even the self-serve "drink bar" system in restaurants struck him as an utter enigma.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2013

Cyclists warned on new left side rule

Many cyclists may be unaware that a ban on riding against the flow of traffic will take effect by the end of the year to curb an increasing number of bicycle-related accidents, police warned Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Sep 27, 2013

Dutch banker turned writer finds a home and inspiration in Japan

The first taxi driver really didn't have a clue, going as far as to suggest that the address given him was a fabrication. The second driver, with the aid of a car navigation device, had more luck in finding the Fukuoka apartment of Dutch writer Hans Brinckmann.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 27, 2013

FYI: Agricultural World Heritage status

After our 3,776-meter-tall friend Fuji-san won the coveted UNESCO World Heritage status this year, many people are wondering what site will win the status next? Only one Japanese site per year can be nominated for the award, and recent reports have said the government is considering a steel works, a...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 26, 2013

'Heaven's Gate'

The 1970s are fondly remembered now as an insanely creative and risk-taking era for American cinema, and there's one infamous film that is generally blamed for bringing it all to a crashing halt: "Heaven's Gate." Director Michael Cimino had cleaned up at the Oscars with "The Deer Hunter," and seemed...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 26, 2013

Farinelli (Castrato)

Director: Gerard Corbiau
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Sep 25, 2013

Harvard grad Gordon hoping to make impact for Frontiers

Fujitsu Frontiers running back Gino Gordon earned a chance to play in Japan and really cherishes the opportunity.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 25, 2013

Kansetsu Hashimoto's Chinese rebellion

From the end of the Edo Period (1603-1867), Japanese art began to shift its fundamental cultural orientation from China to Europe. Kansetsu Hashimoto, however, (1883-1945) initially abjured, and this had much to do with his upbringing
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 25, 2013

Odds for Assad spike higher

It was already looking likely that President Bashar Assad's regime would survive. But the events of the past two weeks have made it virtually certain.
Reader Mail
Sep 25, 2013

Questionable link to innovation

Professor Takamitsu Sawa made some factual mistakes in his Sept. 17 article, "Lack of liberal arts education is sapping Japan's creativity." In Japanese universities, students of science, engineering and medicine take courses in social studies their first year. As an economics professor at Nagasaki University,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / TRAVEL INSIDER
Sep 25, 2013

Finnair's CEO on Japan

Finnair held a press conference at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo on Sept. 24 to introduce Pekka Vauramo, who became the company's new president and CEO in June.
EDITORIALS
Sep 24, 2013

'To infinity and beyond!'

Earlier this month, scientists confirmed that the Voyager 1 probe, launched nearly four decades ago, has left our Solar System and has reached interstellar space.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 24, 2013

The limits of multitasking

Studies of the effects of chronic multitasking suggest that the overwhelming risk of letting no task go untended is that you do nothing well.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 24, 2013

Medical heroes who labor in Syria

Good, moderate, responsible people on the ground in Syria should not be forgotten. These doctors and nurses embody an unyielding sense of hope and perseverance.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Sep 24, 2013

'Grandma export' exposes Germany's struggle with care

Sonja Miskulin has forgotten her beloved cat, Pooki. She can't remember whether she has grandchildren and has no memory of her nine-hour journey one recent Sunday to forever leave behind her home in Germany.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2013

Japan losing competitive edge due to poor practical training, expert warns

There may be many unemployed young people in Japan, but there are also a lot of companies that can't fill their vacancies due to a shortage of talented applicants, Darryl Green, president of major staffing and workforce solution service company ManpowerGroup, said in a recent interview.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 24, 2013

Americans, Briton 'among Nairobi mall attackers'

Kenya's foreign minister says 'two or three Americans' and 'one Brit' were among the al-Qaida-linked militants who took part in the deadly terrorist attack on an upscale Nairobi shopping mall.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 23, 2013

The PTA: a survival guide for foreign parents

PTA — the mere mention of the three initials is enough to elicit a scowl from many a Japanese mother. So how do foreign women cope in such an environment?
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 23, 2013

Giants win pennant before beating Carp

The Yomiuri Giants raced out of the dugout after the final out, as streamers and confetti rained down from the stands, and tossed their manager into the air eight times.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 23, 2013

Privacy analysts question iPhone fingerprint scanner

One of the highlights of the iPhone 5S, the fingerprint scanner, is facing two concerns that may take a little shine off Apple's cool new feature. Privacy advocates have raised concerns over how Apple plans to handle this highly sensitive data.
JAPAN / LIGHTING THE OLYMPIC FLAME
Sep 23, 2013

Games planners target airport access

Upgrading Tokyo's dense infrastructure for the 2020 Games may be tricky, but a new subway line and an expansion for Haneda airport are on the drawing board.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Sep 22, 2013

Home run king Balentien nearing another conquest

Wladimir Balentien has hit more home runs than any NPB player has ever hit in a single season and through Sunday had 13 games left to add to his record total which stood at 58.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 22, 2013

Vetting firms 'rush' through security clearances

When Ileana Privetera started working for the contractor USIS, the firm that vetted National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden and Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis, it sounded like the perfect job. A mother, she would have flexible hours for her family, and she would be helping the country...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 22, 2013

Rajan's war on inflation puts onus on Singh

Indian central bank chief Raghuram Rajan's surprise move to raise the policy interest rate adds pressure on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take politically challenging steps to boost economic growth as elections near.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Sep 21, 2013

Upgrading from four wheels to two or three

Careening through the winding streets of Chennai, India, in the back of black and yellow auto-rickshaws, I am always amazed by the drivers' audacity — or perhaps a better term would be "death wish." These are the subcontinent's equivalent of New York's exuberant cabbies, but these drivers are much...

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