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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 2, 2016

Composers Joe Hisaishi and Philip Glass team up for a special performance

The term "contemporary classical music" may sound straightforward, but it isn't. That is why one of Japan's most influential composers has made it his mission to guide people through what is essentially a sonic labyrinth.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 2, 2016

SoftBank to raise $8.9 billion from Alibaba sale

SoftBank Group Corp. said Thursday its sale of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. stock will raise $8.9 billion, an infusion of cash that can be used to strengthen the company's balance sheet and allow it to act fast when making strategic investments.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 2, 2016

Good morning, North Korea! Defector preaches dangers of cult worship over the radio

For an hour each day, Kim Chung-seong, a defector from North Korea and a Christian missionary, takes to the microphone in a small Seoul studio.
WORLD
Jun 1, 2016

U.S. warns of possible Europe attacks, no specific threat information provided

The United States warned its citizens on Tuesday of possible summer terrorist attacks in Europe, saying targets could include the European soccer championship in France, although a State Department official said there was no specific threat information.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
May 29, 2016

Mystery shrouds origin of the ubiquitous V sign

Despite its history in Japan being a mere few decades old, what started the 'peace sign' craze here is hotly disputed.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 29, 2016

Forget clubbing: Outdoor festivals offer a natural alternative

When the revised adult entertainment business law comes into effect on June 23, bringing an end to Japan's archaic ban on all-night dance parties, it will mark the end of what has been a challenging period for the nation's nightclubs. But beyond the major metropolises, at campsites and off-season ski...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 28, 2016

Poverty and boredom gnaw at Japan

Boredom, poverty and war: three themes you’d think (wrongly) would be extinct by now — war because humankind as a whole is more peaceably inclined than ever before, poverty because of an abundance of riches and boredom because ... doesn't it go without saying, given the endless stream, not to say...
CULTURE / Books
May 28, 2016

'Butoh': the dance of death and disease

The first dance in Japan may well have been a mythological striptease. In one of the most famous episodes from Japanese folklore, the goddess Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto entices Amaterasu Omikami, the sun deity, to come out of hiding by ripping off her clothes and dancing. The elemental irreverence of this...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 26, 2016

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia casts Tokyo in a special role

Now in its 18th edition, the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, which will unspool from June 2 to 26 at six venues in Tokyo and Yokohama, has grown into a world-class showcase for short-form cinema.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 25, 2016

'The Huntsman: Winter's War': On reflection, there's little new here

There are so many conflicting messages in "The Huntsman: Winter's War" that after the first half hour you give up trying to decipher them, only to realize they aren't messages at all but a grab bag of snippets from various Hollywood blockbusters.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 25, 2016

Sony climbs as games outlook makes up for earthquake damage

Sony Corp. shares rose as investors ignored a weak profit forecast, looking instead to the company's long-term prospects in entertainment and sensors needed for driverless cars and other emerging products.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 24, 2016

Empty stores multiply as Singapore's 'shoppers' paradise' image fades

It seems empty storefronts in Singapore's prime shopping district may become a more common sight.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
May 24, 2016

OkanoTV

In a light-hearted yet informative way, YouTuber Chris Okano (known online as OkanoTV) gives viewers insight into many aspects of Japanese society and culture — from the usual guide videos to humorous takes on the more more left-field aspects of this country.
CULTURE / Music
May 22, 2016

Seiho's rise out of the clubs results in 'Collapse'

Seiho Hayakawa knows how to work a room. After his show at Black Bear Bar in Brooklyn — a performance that saw him thrashing his long hair back and forth to electronic beats — the Osaka-born musician takes a walk through the crowd. He chats with the locals and poses for selfies. The overall verdict...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 18, 2016

'Macbeth': What's done is done again

Few storytellers can match Shakespeare for his vast range of timeless themes and awesome characters. Imagine what the Bard could have accomplished if he had had a laptop and smartphone.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2016

Win or lose, Trump could cause a recession

America and the world will face an unprecedented economic disaster if Donald Trump is elected president and treats the federal government like one of his companies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 17, 2016

Twitter bending 140-character limit to fit way people tweet

Twitter is making a major shift in how it counts characters in tweets, giving users more freedom to compose longer messages.
CULTURE / Books
May 16, 2016

Crime and thriller writer Kanae Minato named winner of Yamamoto Shugoro Prize

The 29th Yamamoto Shugoro Prize will be given to Kanae Minato for her book "Utopia," the award's screening committee said Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2016

Filipinos taking a huge gamble with Duterte

The Philippines' next president, Rodrigo Duterte, may come across as a crass bully, but there's more to him than that.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 11, 2016

'Cartel Land' uncovers little hope and no glory

The debate over border policy in the United States has reached levels of nonsense worthy of Lewis Carroll. On the right, you have presidential candidate Donald Trump tarring all immigrants from south of the Rio Grande as "rapists and murderers," and pledging to build a "huge" wall to keep them out. On...
Restaurants
May 11, 2016

Spring gourmet special

Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
May 7, 2016

Countryside Chiba farms out the fun

If you're raising children in Japan, then there's a good chance that, like me, you are raising city kids — children who are more comfortable in an urban setting than a rural one, whether it's in downtown Tokyo or suburban Kobe.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 4, 2016

'Hero Mania': Japanese heroes are keeping it real

Why don't Japanese audiences turn up in big numbers for Hollywood superhero movies? The rare success in Japan of the Spider-Man series suggests one answer: Japanese like superheroes just fine, as long as they're flawed humans as well as heroic fighters for justice.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 4, 2016

'Backtrack': Haunted by other people's pasts

These days, according to a New York Times Opinionator article by Richard Brouillette (March 16, 2015), the psychotherapist's job is on shifting ground. Doctors are now dealing less with relationships and family problems and treating more patients suffering from workplace trauma and financial stress....
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
May 1, 2016

Is it fifth time's the charm for 'Game of Thrones' in Japan?

Last week, the sixth season of "Game of Thrones" premiered to record ratings in the United States. When factoring in all the ways people watch it — live as it airs and streamed later — the episode titled "The Red Woman" brought in 10.7 million viewers, beating the 10.3 million record set by last...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 28, 2016

Sony reports quarterly loss, delays forecast to assess quake damage

Sony Corp. reported a fourth-quarter loss after booking a charge against its chip business and delayed giving a full-year forecast to assess damage from an earthquake that shut its main plant for camera sensors.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 28, 2016

Nintendo plans to sell Mariners majority stake

Nintendo of America is planning to sell its majority interest in the Seattle Mariners, the company announced Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 27, 2016

'Terraformars': Miike's life on Mars has its bugs

Now that voyages to Mars seem likely in the next generation or so, films about the red planet are moving beyond the "John Carter" (2012) space-opera stage. But for every reality-based "The Martian," there is still a "Terraformars," Takashi Miike's latest extreme entertainment.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami