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COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 17, 2019

Whitewashing racial bias: The ball's in Japan's court

In what felt something like a case of deja vu from last year's Masatoshi Hamada blackface fiasco, Japan welcomed in 2019 with yet another racially insensitive controversy, this time in the form of an ad from food company Nissin.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 16, 2019

Will removing porn from convenience stores in Japan hurt ailing tabloids?

Don't go looking for titillation at your local convenience store.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Feb 16, 2019

Osaka in the spotlight ahead of G20 and elections

January and early February in Kansai, and Japan as a whole, is a busy time for local leaders. New Year's greetings are exchanged by (mostly) elderly men at stuffy buffet parties in luxury hotels. Their job is to stand around holding a white paper napkin-covered drink and toast to, well, something, after...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 13, 2019

Philippine journalist at odds with President Rodrigo Duterte arrested for libel

The award-winning head of a Philippine news website known for its tough scrutiny of President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on Wednesday on libel charges, the latest in a series of legal cases against perceived adversaries of the government.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 9, 2019

News outlets' coverage of abuse cases can make the situation worse

In her 2017 book, "Thinking About Child Abuse,” Haru Sugiyama describes her correspondence with Yukihiro Saito, who is serving a lengthy sentence for causing the death of his 5-year-old son, Riku, in the mid-2000s through neglect. In his letters, Saito expresses regret, but also says his memories about...
JAPAN / History / Heisei Icons
Feb 3, 2019

Takafumi Horie: Bane of the old guard

In many ways, Heisei has been an era of reform, peppered with tales of mavericks who challenged those at the helm of an entrenched business and political system they viewed as opaque and rife with vested interests.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Feb 3, 2019

An idol's fans have the power to make change in Japan

Being a fan of any entertainer in 2019 can be a challenge, as scandals both old and new make blindly supporting artists an impossible task. That might be doubly true for Japanese idol-pop acts, who inhabit a corner of the country's entertainment industry made up predominantly of young women, which has...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 26, 2019

Isle dispute with Russia tied to base issues, argues author Koji Yabe

There seems to be little chance that Russia will ever give back any part of the four islands it seized from Japan at the end of World War II, but the Japanese government, as well as some mainstream media, continues to act as if the possibility exists. Prior to last week's meeting between Prime Minister...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 25, 2019

Chinese movie star Gao Yunxiang pleads not guilty to sexual assault in Australia

Chinese movie actor Gao Yunxiang and a producer pleaded not guilty in an Australian court on Friday to charges of sexual assault, setting the course for a trial later this year, a court official said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 2, 2019

'Astral Abnormal Suzuki-san': YouTube comedy series makes it to the big screen

What is the future of films in Japan? Bigger spectacles backed by media conglomerates? Maybe at the top end of the industry. At the lower end, though, indie filmmakers have to find other ways to draw audiences and finance films. Crowdfunding helps some get made, while ceaseless and creative PR on social...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 23, 2018

The crew at TELL Japan wants you to know you're not alone during the holidays — or at any other time

The holidays can be tough for foreign nationals in Japan. For those hired in the summer, the thrill of being in a new country is starting to fade. Open social media feeds and you'll be bombarded with photos of family and friends back home celebrating. If you're not careful, you can fall into a rut.
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Dec 22, 2018

Defining the Heisei Era: When communication in Japan went mobile

The launch of a pager known as the Pocket Bell marked the birth of texting and mobile communications in Japan.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 19, 2018

Passion and technology behind English sumo coverage

Sumo fans around the globe are spoiled for choice these days when it comes to following their favorite sport.
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Nov 24, 2018

Defining the Heisei Era: Examining the rise of otaku culture

With the number of children shrinking, popular entertainment naturally began targeting the otaku population that didn't hesitate to open their wallets for material many considered juvenile.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 21, 2018

Police harassment of Chinese environmental reporter sparks anger and apology

A Chinese environmental journalist's account of police harassment while reporting on a chemical spill has sparked widespread condemnation online and an apology from the police.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Nov 3, 2018

Shibuya's Halloween havoc may tarnish future festivities

Less than a decade ago, finding any sort of Halloween celebration in Tokyo would have been tough. Then, suddenly, October revelry was everywhere you looked in the capital. And in 2018, the spookiest event of the year has evolved once again in Japan: It’s now being held up as an example of hedonism...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 15, 2018

How much do we know about Saudi Arabia?

The Khashoggi crisis is the first and probably the biggest test for Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman as a leader of Saudi Arabia.
BUSINESS
Oct 7, 2018

China crack down on luxury goods at customs alarms investors, makers of high-end goods

Social media reports that China is cracking down on travelers returning home with suitcases full of luxury goods have alarmed investors in companies ranging from Shiseido Co. to France's LVMH and Kering SA.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 3, 2018

The bots awaken: Half of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' haters were trolls or not even human, study says

How much did movie fans hate "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"?
Japan Times
TENNIS
Sep 19, 2018

Former Chiba Lotte interpreter Shun Nakasone helping Naomi Osaka in Japan

When Naomi Osaka faced the media in Japan as a Grand Slam champion for the first time on Sept. 13, Shun Nakasone was right there beside her.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Sep 15, 2018

Chinese A-list actress Fan Bingbing last seen in June amid culture crackdown

Fan Bingbing, an A-list Chinese movie star who has appeared in the "X-Men" and "Iron Man" film franchises, has more than 62 million followers online in China and fronted campaigns for Montblanc watches and De Beers diamonds, has disappeared.
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2018

Tokyo protests Beijing's exclusion of Sankei Shimbun reporter from covering diplomatic meeting

The ban runs counter to Japan's support for “basic human rights, including freedom of expression, and the rule of law,” the government's top spokesman said.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 11, 2018

Unsolved mysteries: Japanese fans of the occult are engaged in a never-ending search for the truth

Whether it's tales of hauntings, spirits or paranormal phenomena, Yuki Yoshida loves a good scare.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 27, 2018

Untangling Japan's curious support for Cambodia's 'undemocratic' election

As democracies across the globe distance themselves from Cambodia's general election, widely slammed as a sham, Japan has conspicuously gone out of its way to recognize it. Its apparent motive: win back the heart of Prime Minister Hun Sen as the Cambodian leader cozies up to China.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 27, 2018

Sally Amaki's life as an animated idol-pop star

Though she liked anime growing up, Sally Amaki never thought she'd grow up to be an anime character.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 25, 2018

At least 19 dead, more than 3,000 in need of rescue after Laos dam collapse: report

Nineteen people have been confirmed dead and more than 3,000 need to be rescued after a dam collapsed in a remote part of land-locked Laos, local media reported Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2018

Comcast concedes to Disney in bidding war for Fox assets but still vies to buy chunk of Sky

Comcast Corp. dropped its $66 billion bid for Twenty-First Century Fox Inc.'s entertainment assets on Thursday but said it would still try to expand its international footprint by acquiring 61 percent of European broadcaster Sky PLC, the remainder of which is owned by Fox.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 28, 2018

As North and South Korea cosy up, human rights groups struggle for cash

Human rights and North Korean defector groups in South Korea say they are struggling to raise money, cutting jobs and programs, and facing pressure to avoid criticism of Pyongyang as Seoul and Washington focus on diplomatic outreach to the isolated country.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2018

Vietnam forces Facebook and Google to pick privacy or growth

Vietnam's new cybersecurity law could force Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Facebook Inc. to choose between access to one of Asia's fastest-growing digital economies and protecting their users' privacy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jun 24, 2018

Can Japanese 'light novels' remain publishing heavyweights?

Two years ago, light novel publisher Kadokawa added Thailand to its list of foreign publishing investments, which already includes Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and the United States. Now there are signs that English-language readers are catching on.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb