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JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Mar 30, 2019

Defining the Heisei Era: Japan deals with death, disasters and a feeling of insecurity

Post-disaster Tohoku has been rife with supernatural sightings.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 29, 2019

Censorship pays: the Chinese Communist Party's newspaper expands lucrative online scrubbing business

People.cn, the online unit of China's influential People's Daily, is boosting its numbers of human internet censors backed by artificial intelligence to help firms vet content on apps and ads, capitalizing on its unmatched Communist Party lineage.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Mar 18, 2019

Activists in Hong Kong and Taiwan feel heat as China fears 'separatist' collusion

As Beijing grows wary of pro-independence groups seeking to forge closer ties in Hong Kong and Taiwan, activists say they are coming under increased surveillance and harassment from pro-China media outlets and unofficial "operatives."
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Mar 15, 2019

Japan's Netflix contender bets on youth-driven viral hits

On a Friday night at a downtown Tokyo television studio, 12 teen models with cutesy nicknames like "Ayamin" and "Kyokyo" are waiting nervously to find out who has won coveted spots on the cover of Popteen magazine, a Japanese fashion bible.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2019

Huawei wages charm offensive in the battle for hearts and minds amid U.S. pressure

Huawei Technologies Co. has turned to a blend of wit, sarcasm and defiance to publicly fight allegations that the world's largest maker of telecommunications equipment is spying for China. It's a remarkable shift for a giant whose founder, Ren Zhengfei, spurned the media and avoided overt displays of...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 26, 2019

A month ahead of election, Thailand's billionaire rising political star is energizing young voters

Young people line up to take selfies with him. His hashtags are trending. And when billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit promises an end to Thailand's military "dictatorship," supporters of his Future Forward Party roar their approval.
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Feb 23, 2019

Defining the Heisei Era: Women in Japan speak out on inequality

Last April, a female reporter from TV Asahi accused Junichi Fukuda, the top bureaucrat at the Finance Ministry, of sexual harassment.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 23, 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un departs by train for Vietnam ahead of summit with Trump: report

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un set off by train for Vietnam on Saturday for his second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump next week, Russia's TASS news agency reported.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Feb 19, 2019

North Korea's 'socialist utopia' needs mass labor, but growing market economy threatens model

In January, thousands of North Korean students traveled to Mount Paektu, a sacred site where the ruling family claims its roots and where leader Kim Jong Un is building a massive economic hub in the alpine town of Samjiyon.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 18, 2019

Is Europe still complicated and mysterious?

To avoid being left behind again, Tokyo needs to deal directly and catch up with the rapidly changing European socio-political realities.
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.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’