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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2019

Shareholder activism rises in Japan as firms go hostile and investors speak out

Record shareholder activism is combining with rare hostile takeover bids in Japan, in a trend that's seen as good news for investors in the country's ¥675 trillion stock market.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Dec 13, 2019

Aichi city hires non-Japanese assistants to support foreign children at elementary schools

During a recent math class at an elementary school in Aichi Prefecture, Kamila Tamy Tida Miyamoto, 31, a Brazilian school assistant, pointed to the textbooks of Aika and Ayumi, second-grade Brazilian students who enrolled this year, as she explained concepts to them in Portuguese.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Dec 13, 2019

U.S. digital publisher boosts reach of Japanese 'light novels' in English-speaking world

"Isekai Rebuilding Project," a fantasy novel by a Hokkaido-based writer who publishes under the pseudonym Yukika Minamino, has become available to English-reading audiences through a website run by an American digital publisher of Japanese novels aimed at teenagers and young adults.
Japan Times
Rugby
Dec 13, 2019

Rising wheelchair rugby star Katsuya Hashimoto looks to show the world what he's made of

At 17 years old, Katsuya Hashimoto is the youngest wheelchair rugby player on the Japanese national team. With less than 300 days until the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, he often pictures himself on the court at the 2020 venue, ready for his first competition as a Paralympian.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Dec 13, 2019

Hiroshima's middle school students wear bike helmets, so why not high schoolers?

A 33-year-old housewife in the city of Kure phoned the Chugoku Shimbun one day to convey her concern about her sixth-grade son. He will be attending a junior high school starting next spring and will be traveling there by bicycle, but he does not want to wear a helmet because he does not like its design....
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 12, 2019

Japan submits bid for 2023 Women's World Cup to FIFA

Japan is considered a frontrunner in a field that may include a joint Australia-New Zealand bid, a rumored unified Korean bid, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 12, 2019

'Tora-san, Wish You Were Here': A film favorite lovingly remembered

With 48 feature installments from 1969 to 1995, the "Tora-san" series not only set a Guinness World Record, but kept its Shochiku production studio afloat for decades.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 10, 2019

A long-term outlook for decisions here and now

Short-term thinking is detrimental to sound decision-making.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 10, 2019

Idemitsu to unify gas station branding with Showa Shell to take on JXTG

Idemitsu Kosan Co. aims to unify its gas station branding with that of Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. after the business integration of the two major oil wholesalers in April, according to Idemitsu Kosan President Shunichi Kito.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Dec 7, 2019

A last triumph of autumn in rain-soaked Kokubunji

A dreary drizzle of rain falls on the November day I've set aside for walking out along the Kokubunji gaisen (cliff line) in western Tokyo. Despite the weather, my hope is to catch some late autumn colors, so I yank on my trusty rubber birdwatching boots and head out west on the Chuo Line.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2019

Toyota struggles to match demand for hybrid models

Toyota Motor Corp. has a problem with selling its hybrids — its customers can't get enough of them.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 6, 2019

How the artwork from anime classic 'Akira' was given a permanent home in the U.S.

More than 30 years after the anime world was set alight by 'Akira,' the original artwork from the film has found a permanent home in the United States.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 5, 2019

A TikTok craze is minting celebrities and ruining lives in India

Arpita Chaudhary, a newly recruited police constable in India's western Gujarat state, became an overnight celebrity after posting a clip of a 15-second gambol — clad in her civvies — on the hit social video app TikTok.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Dec 2, 2019

Releases to keep the fans happy

The crowdfunded Shenmue III is finally out; Pokemon Sword and Shield top the charts; and Capcom brings its best merch to Shibuya's Parco
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Nov 30, 2019

'My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life': Well-intentioned diversity misses the mark

Props to Rachel Cohn for attempting to add some much-needed diversity into Japanese literature with 'My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life.' Unfortunately, it falls flat.
EDITORIALS
Nov 30, 2019

Banning (some) free plastic bags

Japan's effort to reduce plastic waste by forcing retailers to charge for shopping bags has too many exemptions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 30, 2019

Why dogs and people rule the world

Evolution has favored the friendliest canine and human species over more aggressive competition.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 29, 2019

What Japan's next stimulus package should aim for

The government's challenge will be to put together a spending package that shores up consumer spending and increases the economy's growth potential.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional voices: Chubu
Nov 29, 2019

Toyota group member Aisin Seiki cuts low-priority meetings, reducing work hours as a result

Aisin Seiki Co., a Toyota group auto parts maker based in Kariya, Aichi Prefecture, has set about conducting work-style reform, including abolishing dress codes and low-priority meetings to give its workers breathing room to come up with new ideas.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Nov 29, 2019

Sendai launches new waterway project to prevent city flooding

Deadly Typhoon Hagibis caused riverbanks to burst across Japan in October, and also led to sewer flooding around Sendai Station, known as the gateway to the Tohoku region, leaving roads and underground passages in the heart of the city underwater.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2019

Japanese health ministry draws outrage for 'inconsiderate' poster on terminal care

The health ministry's attempt to use comedy to encourage people to discuss hospice care options with their families in advance fell flat with the public and was criticized as being in poor taste, prompting its withdrawal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 28, 2019

Capitalizing on the pull of experimental Japanese theater

The latest play by Shuntaro Matsubara, 'Memorial,' sees the playwright team up with a new director for the first time, after a string of successes working with Motoi Miura
EDITORIALS
Nov 27, 2019

Lessons from the fatal Ikebukuro car accident

More effective measures must be taken to reduce accidents by elderly drivers.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / FOCUS
Nov 27, 2019

No money, no hope: South Korea's 'dirt spoons' turn against President Moon Jae-in

Hwang Hyeon-dong lives in a 6.6-square-meter (71-square-foot) cubicle near his university campus in Seoul, which comes with a shared bathroom and kitchen plus all the rice he can eat, that he rents for 350,000 won ($302) a month.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 27, 2019

Ryonosuke Shimomura: An eclectic rule breaker

At school, Ryonosuke Shimomura conceived art techniques that led one teacher to think he was color blind. Yet his unusual approach led him to become a principal of the Pan Real Art Association — Japan's influential avant-garde Japanese-style painting groups.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Nov 23, 2019

A Le Loic: Inspired gelato comes to Tokyo Disney

Gelato shop A Le Loic offers a selection of classy flavors that you can enjoy on their own or stuffed in a crepe.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Nov 22, 2019

Japan's 3x3 squad for Tokyo 2020 takes shape

When 3x3 basketball's inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was announced, longtime proponent Tomoya Ochiai was beside himself.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji