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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 3, 2023

A plea and a promise for 2023: No more ‘pacifism’

The characterization of Japan as a “pacifist” country is widespread — and very misleading.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2022

Pfizer’s RSV vaccine succeeds where others failed

Early data bodes well for Pfizer's RSV shot, which would be given during pregnancy to protect infants in the early months of life.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 7, 2022

How China has added to its influence over the iPhone

Apple is taking small steps toward India. But the production of its latest phone, set for introduction on Wednesday, shows how difficult it will be to make big changes.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 3, 2022

The two parties finally agree on something: American democracy is in danger

In a remarkable consensus, a new Quinnipiac University poll found that 69% of Democrats and 69% of Republicans say that democracy is 'in danger of collapse.”
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Women at Work
Aug 16, 2022

Creating parity in the field of science in Japan

Noriko Osumi is one of the highest-ranking female scientists in Japan, and has worked to address the structural causes behind the severe lack of women within certain academic fields.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 12, 2022

‘My friend, Abe-san’: Modi’s tribute to Shinzo Abe

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pens a touching tribute to the late Japanese prime minister on his blog.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2022

What to expect at the upcoming IISS Shangri-La Dialogue

Chinese assertiveness, North Korea's military provocations and the repercussions of Russia's invasion of Ukraine are just some of the topics up for discussion in Singapore this week.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 23, 2022

Pub owner Will Ryan has a few tips to avoid 'getting burned' when starting a business in Japan

The Irish business owner launched Japan Hospitality Consultants specifically to help non-Japanese entrepreneurs navigate Japan's business bureaucracy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / Longform
May 21, 2022

The enduring influence of mingei design

What began as a folk art around 100 years ago has gradually worked its way into the fabric of everyday life in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 12, 2022

Honda to spend ¥8 trillion on research and development amid EV push

The carmaker plans to invest in research and development over the next 10 years as it aims to roll out more than 30 electric vehicle models globally by 2030.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / Longform
Feb 21, 2022

After Beijing 2022, uncertainty clouds the future of the Olympics

The Olympic flame flickers amid faltering reforms and fading interest as the pandemic exposes shortcomings in the commercial goals of the Summer and Winter Games.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 28, 2021

Developing young minds for a better future

Many academics and policy pros travel in their own bubbles, seeing only counterparts or folks who pay for the privilege. Who they don't mix with are tomorrow's future leaders.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 13, 2021

Tencent buys game studio behind hit Nintendo Switch titles

The Shenzhen-based entertainment giant has taken about a 90% stake in Wake Up Interactive Ltd. for more than u00a55 billion ($44 million), sources said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 4, 2021

North Korea could make more weapons-grade uranium with existing mills: report

Satellite imagery suggests the country's current facilities for extracting the nuclear fuel are running below capacity, according to a new academic study.
Japan Times
SATOYAMA CONSORTIUM
Oct 25, 2021

Suntory invests for future with initiatives toward zero emissions

Suntory Holdings, a global leader in both the alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverage industries, has been making concrete plans and taking action to achieve its ambitious target of halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 with the ultimate goal of realizing net zero greenhouse gas emissions throughout...
Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, South Korea's main opposition party, leaves after delivering a public statement on the impeachment motion against acting President Han Duck-soo at the National Assembly in Seoul on Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2024

In South Korea’s impeachment saga, who’s really in trouble?

Lee Jae-myung, facing six criminal cases, needs an election before any convictions are finalized, as a conviction could disqualify him from running for president.
“The Place of Shells” takes place mostly in Gottingen, Germany, where both the author and the book's narrator live, while also jumping both geographically and temporally to Sendai, Japan, through memories of the 3/11 disaster and its aftermath.
CULTURE / Books
Mar 10, 2025

Grief ebbs and flows between two tragedies in 'The Place of Shells'

Mai Ishizawa’s debut novel, which won one of the three Akutagawa Prizes awarded in 2021, is also her first to be released in English, translated by Polly Barton.
Japan, despite facing multiple territorial disputes, lacks a dedicated university program on the issue, unlike Western countries, and would benefit from an interdisciplinary academic initiative to foster expertise.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 17, 2025

Japan needs academic programs focused on territorial issues

While many countries have territorial disputes with their neighbors — in fact, there are at least 150 active disputes worldwide — Japan faces issues with nearly all its neighbors.
Japan forward Mina Tanaka dribbles during a SheBelieves Cup match against Australia in Houston on Feb. 20.
SOCCER
Mar 20, 2025

How Mina Tanaka evolved into a prolific striker for Nadeshiko Japan

Mina Tanaka is having a moment. The Nadeshiko Japan and Utah Royals striker dominated the SheBelieves Cup, winning both MVP and top scorer as Japan defeated the U.S.
Rengo President Tomoko Yoshino speaks at a Democratic Party for the People convention in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, on Feb. 11.
BUSINESS / WOMEN AT WORK
Apr 6, 2025

Breaking with tradition: From the shop floor to fighting for millions

Tomoko Yoshino has rubbed shoulders with political heavyweights and business leaders as the first female leader of Rengo.
Yuki Tejima, who runs the Instagram account booknerdtokyo, hesitated to try her hand at literary translation until she won an award at the International Translation Contest.
CULTURE / Books
Mar 29, 2025

Yuki Tejima's metamorphosis from bookworm to literary translator

An Instagram “bookfluencer” and professional translator for over 10 years, Tejima’s love of books was, strangely enough, a hurdle to working in literary translation.
A television station broadcasts U.S. President Donald Trump speaking during a Rose Garden event, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
Apr 8, 2025

Frustrated world leaders wonder if Trump even wants a deal

U.S. President Donald Trump has set a high bar, telling reporters that any agreements would need to eliminate bilateral trade deficits.
A rescue worker stands in front of a damaged building following a strong earthquake, in Mandalay, Myanmar, on April 3.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 11, 2025

Making money out of a disaster: Fake news and the Myanmar quake

Online schemes prey on the heightened fears and appetite for news that follow any disaster or outbreak of war.
The Advanced Micro Devices headquarters in Santa Clara, California
BUSINESS / Tech
May 7, 2025

AMD and Arm offer a window into the AI landscape ahead of Nvidia earnings

Though chipmaking stocks have taken a hit this year, underlying results may show a stronger foundation for the AI trade than recent stock performance indicates.
French scientist Marie-Anne Blanchet examines bear cubs before taking tissue biopsies and blood samples from their sedated mother, in eastern Spitzbergen, in Norway's Svalbard archipelago, on April 6.
ENVIRONMENT
May 19, 2025

Polar bear biopsies shed light on Arctic pollutants

The team's findings may help explain how the bears' world is changing, and at an alarming rate.
After nearly shuttering earlier this year, the Tokyo-based Game Preservation Society continues its work to save the early history of Japanese gaming.
LIFE / Digital
Jul 12, 2025

‘Our ultimate goal is to save every single Japanese video game’

The Tokyo-based Game Preservation Society almost shuttered earlier this year, but a flood of support has buoyed efforts to save games on extinct media.
Japan’s high-tech toilets, from bidets to innovative public lavatories, offer a unique lens through which to explore the country’s culture, technology and even soft power.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 16, 2025

‘Perfect Days’ spent pondering the Japanese potty

The Japanese toilet is an engineering and technological marvel that transforms daily ablutions.
Masanori Murakami became the first MLB player from Japan when he made his debut with the Giants on Sept 1, 1964.
BASEBALL
Oct 16, 2025

New film explores how Japan and the U.S. found common ground through baseball

Baseball has been a shared love between Japan and the United States for over 150 years — a sport that has connected the nations despite disagreements large and small.
Sanae Takaichi's new Cabinet poses for a group photo at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 22, 2025

Breaking down Sanae Takaichi’s Cabinet picks

Takaichi only appointed two women in the Cabinet, which was identical to the previous Shigeru Ishiba administration.
Japan is deploying two officers to Lithuania for demining training in support of Ukraine, marking a key step in its evolving security strategy and the maturation of its defense policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 31, 2025

Japan’s demining deployment is a security milestone

This deployment is the latest in demining support that Japan has delivered to Ukraine since Russia’s full scale invasion began in February 2022.

Longform

Juzo Itami’s “Tampopo” was released Nov. 23, 1985, and though it wasn’t a hit at the time, it has gained a cult following in the years since.
Eat, slurp, love: 'Tampopo' turns 40