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Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Dec 28, 2021

Omicron offers stark reminder of human cost of Japan's border controls

The administration's response to the new variant has again shone a light on the impact of tough countermeasures, and demonstrated the country's continued willingness to pay the price.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 28, 2021

Iran seeks to cool tensions in Iraq

Iran is intervening in Iraq to quell destabilizing internal unrest stirred up by Iranian-backed militias as Tehran seeks to preserve its deep influence in the country.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2021

How 2021 became the year of ESG investing

Major wins for ESG investors pushing for changes at companies this year included the replacement of three directors at Exxon Mobil.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 25, 2021

COVID-19 continued to dominate media coverage in 2021. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

Domestic papers turn their attention to the plight of foreign residents, while we hand out gongs for Japan's media personalities of the year.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 24, 2021

Escapist bops and deep pop: Music was a mood in 2021

After a year in which Japan's music industry had to make its peace with streaming, this year saw more of the holdouts get on board with the times.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA
Dec 22, 2021

The NBA, like most other leagues, plans to persist amid omicron

The NBA's approach to omicron is much like that of most other North American team sports leagues, which appear determined to keep playing games and welcoming fans.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Dec 21, 2021

Buying influence: How China manipulates Facebook and Twitter

Swarms of accounts are amplifying Beijing's brash new messaging as the country tries to shape the global narrative about the coronavirus and much else.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Dec 17, 2021

U.S. FDA will permanently allow abortion pills by mail

The decision comes as the U.S. Supreme Court considers rolling back abortion rights or even overturning Roe v. Wade.
Japan Times
EDITORIALS
Dec 17, 2021

Safety and security are key to a new Go To Travel campaign

The prospect of a recovery from COVID-19 and a vaccine and pills that can protect against future infection has prompted the Kishida government to restart the Go To Travel program.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 16, 2021

Terunofuji's rise was among defining moments of eventful year in sumo

The past 12 months have been extremely challenging both inside and outside the ring, but sumo's highest highs and lowest lows of 2021 all occurred on the clay.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 13, 2021

Revenge Christmas is coming, with or without omicron

Unless gatherings are canceled altogether, people will continue to buy Christmas gifts for relatives they may have only seen on Zoom last year.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2021

Mass COVID-19 testing: Does it save lives?

Would Japan have seen far greater fatalities if it opted for mass COVID-19 testing like other countries rather than just targeting vulnerable group as it did?
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 22, 2021

Food delivery drivers question safety nets on gig platforms

The gig economy has surged during the pandemic and brought with it concerns from drivers and researchers who say lives are put in danger daily from inadequate training and support.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / Longform
Nov 22, 2021

Deflation generation: Japan’s budget-minded consumers keep price hikes in check

Decades of stagnant wages and low prices have ingrained a “deflationary mindset” into shoppers who are hesitant to spend more, thwarting policymakers' efforts to fan inflation.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Nov 21, 2021

Burnout: Firefighter trauma rises in American West

Climate change has ratcheted up the pressure on firefighters, who face lengthier wildfire seasons and blazes that have devoured forests and rural communities.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 20, 2021

South Korea's beaches face threat from development and rising seas

Economic expansion is chewing away at some of the country's most popular beaches — a trend exacerbated by climate change, which has brought rising water levels and unpredictable weather.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 19, 2021

Hong Kong under pressure to track residents like China to open mainland border

City leaders have struggled to find a tracking system that both convinces Beijing to the unlock the border and avoids triggering a public backlash.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 15, 2021

Japan and Germany align on an Indo-Pacific strategy

The world needs to pay attention to the security arrangements being made between Japan and Germany and their Indo-Pacific strategies.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Nov 13, 2021

Buffaloes and Swallows go from worst to first to set up improbable, intriguing Japan Series

The 2021 Japan Series will be the setting of the ultimate rags-to-riches story.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 11, 2021

Ever forward: Tokyo’s dynamic arts and culture scene

Still fresh in our memories are the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which had their grand finale in September 2021. With the legacy created through the Games, what sort of city should Tokyo aim to be in the future, both after COVID-19 and in the decades to come? And what role can the arts and...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2021

Energy’s year of recovery more like a remission

Until news of the COVID-19 vaccine broke, energy had been the worst performing sector in 2020, falling by more than half.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 10, 2021

Despite sluggish attendance, Kyushu Basho boasts overwhelming charm

After a two-year absence, the return of professional sumo to Fukuoka offers a chance to reassess the grand tournament schedule's most unique host.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Nov 8, 2021

Why Japan won't say the coronavirus is transmissible over long distances

There is a growing scientific consensus that the virus is more airborne than many originally thought, but the government claims the jury is still out.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional voices: Chubu
Nov 8, 2021

Parents and children in Japan unaware HPV vaccines are available for free

In Japan, about 11,000 women mainly in their 20s through 40s suffer from cervical cancer every year, of which about 2,800 die from the disease.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Nov 8, 2021

Forty years of empowering women in Japan

In the 40 years since its inception, FEW Japan has gone from serving a specific subset of non-Japanese women in the country to broadening its scope to help all women living here.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 6, 2021

Does Japan breed leaders? Does it even need to?

A panel of four men at the tops of their fields discusses what it means to be a leader and comes to the conclusion that Japan doesn't necessarily breed them.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear