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COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2016

U.S. allies must prepare for a President Trump

Looking at the upcoming contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, America's friends and allies may want to hope for the best, but they need to prepare for the worst.
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
May 22, 2016

Osaka Ishin in existential crisis as election looms

A year after Osaka city voters rejected Osaka Ishin no Kai's most fundamental policy proposal in a referendum, the party finds itself heading south.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 21, 2016

Arita ware: Traditional Japanese porcelain has an international history

This year is ostensibly the 400th anniversary of Arita-yaki (Arita ware). An Arita city webpage tells us it was in 1616 that a forcibly relocated Korean farmer, Yi Sam-pyeong, discovered the white clay kaolin and then fired Japan's first porcelain. Other scholars have dated the first firing to 1610,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 19, 2016

Karin Nakagawa's path to the koto was a discovery of Japan's musical tradition

Born into a musical family, koto player Karin Nakagawa's destiny seemed to be mapped out for her from birth — still, she put up a fight.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 19, 2016

Cyberattacks, including for espionage, targeting presidential campaigns, Clapper says

U.S. presidential campaigns face threats from hackers bent on espionage and other activity more nefarious than mere political mischief, the office of the U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper said on Wednesday, but it did not provide details on specific intrusions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
May 18, 2016

Frankfurt's Nippon Connection brings together an extensive collection of Japanese films

What's the best place on the planet for catching up on the entire range of contemporary Japanese cinema, from experimental shorts to commercial hits? My candidate is Nippon Connection, a festival in Frankfurt, Germany, whose 16th edition unspools May 24-29. Headed by festival director Miram Klomfass...
CULTURE / Music
May 15, 2016

Ayumi Hamasaki takes a note from Beyonce with sudden 'M(a)de In Japan' release

Streaming services remain a fledgling part of the Japanese music industry, but the major players are learning from their Western counterparts. Last week, Avex "surprised" J-pop fans with Ayumi Hamasaki's new album "M(a)de In Japan" (with the "a" being her own distinctive logo) on the label's AWA platform....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 15, 2016

Yoshimi explores his city on 'Tokyo Restricted Area'

One of the classic cliches about Tokyo is that it's a city where the past and the future intermingle, one where ancient shrines sit steps away from neon-soaked shopping districts. Long-running musician Yoshimi Hishida explores this very idea on "Tokyo Restricted Area," but in a way far more abrasive...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 13, 2016

U.S. sets rules to cut methane emissions from oil and gas wells

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday published the first U.S. regulations to reduce methane emissions from new or modified oil and gas facilities, one of the key remaining pieces of the Obama administration's climate change strategy.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 12, 2016

Philippine president-elect aims for economic continuity: aides

Philippine President-elect Rodrigo Duterte will continue his predecessor's macroeconomic policies focusing on higher infrastructure spending and fiscal efficiency, aides said on Thursday in a bid to end uncertainty around his growth agenda.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2016

Stamp out the insidious tentacles of corruption

World leaders are increasingly recognizing that corruption is a menace to development, human dignity, and global security. It's time they acted.
Restaurants
May 11, 2016

Spring gourmet special

Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 10, 2016

The Medici loved trinkets of power

For over three centuries the Medici family dominated Renaissance Florence and much of its economic, political and cultural life. In the arts, the wealthy family is largely remembered for its patronage of painting, sculpture and grand architecture, but a new exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 9, 2016

To be a more complete Japanese speaker, leave your sentences incomplete

Often, saying less can make you seem more of a complete natural Japanese speaker.
COMMENTARY / World
May 9, 2016

Putin strikes a defiant note with concert in Syria

Vladimir Putin is signaling to the world that his forces have not really withdrawn from Syria and that any peace will be made on Russian terms.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
May 6, 2016

May 7, 2016

Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 3, 2016

'Leonard Foujita: Art Bridging the East and the West'

Until July 3
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2016

The Filipino game-changer

Electing Rodrigo Duterte as president would return the Philippines to the 'bad old days.'
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2016

Playing by the rules in the South China Sea

In making maintenance of a 'rules-based global order' a core strategic priority, Australia's new defense white paper adopts language not often found at the heart of national defense charters.
CULTURE / Music
May 1, 2016

DYGL soaks in New York's garage rock and politics

The life Nobuki Akiyama has been living since moving to the greater New York City area in March sounds like a dream come true for any young musician.
OLYMPICS
Apr 30, 2016

Gymnast Kato, judoka Nomura included on top 100 all-time Olympians list

Distinguished journalist Joe Posnanski, a columnist for the NBC SportsWorld website, recently compiled a list of top 100 all-time Olympians.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Apr 23, 2016

You don't know what you've got (till it's gone) in Tokyo's nagaya

After hearing rumors that one of my favorite hideaways in Tokyo, the Sanuki Club, is slated for demolition, I stand outside the hotel's front gates with apprehension. Aside from offering some of the cheapest lodgings available in Minato Ward, the property's beer and barbecue terrace — tucked under...
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 23, 2016

Control of Prince's music trove could come from grave

The late pop star Prince was known in life as an artist fiercely protective of his intellectual property, but how much others may profit from his legacy, including a large body of unreleased songs, hinges on how astute he was in arranging for control of his music after death.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 20, 2016

'I Am a Hero': Japanese zombies pick up the pace

Horror films here have traditionally featured vengeful female ghosts, but Japanese filmmakers do also take cues from Hollywood, where zombies have long flourished since George Romero's seminal "Night of the Living Dead" (1968) and "Dawn of the Dead" (1978). Even so, Japanese zombie films, such as Hiroshi...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 19, 2016

Akiyama remodels the canon of clay

Artist Yo Akiyama has never been one to play by the rules. As a young student in the ceramics program at Kyoto City University of the Arts (Kyoto Geidai) in the mid-1970s, he quickly earned a reputation as a troublemaker, never content to accept his teacher's lessons at face value.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 19, 2016

'National Treasure Irises Screens: A Legacy of Poetic Allusion'

April 13-May 15
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 19, 2016

'Artists in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction: From Picasso to Warhol'

April 23-June 5
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 16, 2016

Minimalist family 'camping' in the foothills of Mount Fuji

The birds are singing, the wind is rustling in the forest and sunlight is filtering through the treetops. So far, so idyllic — until my 3-year-old releases a primal bird-scattering shriek as she thrusts an axe into a piece of wood.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 13, 2016

Toyomu reimagines Kanye West's 'Life of Pablo' in a creatively fun way

Toyomu — "Imagining 'The Life Of Pablo'" (Self-released)

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