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Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
May 1, 2016

Ex-bureaucrat on mission to trigger technological revolution

Almost a decade before the March 2011 quake and tsunami triggered the triple core meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, Ko Fujii knew the government could not effectively communicate the risks of nuclear technology.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 30, 2016

Japan's meek media kowtows to the government

Last week I compared the Catholic Church in Boston and Japan's "nuclear village" of atomic-power advocates — two powerful institutions that stifled embarrassing revelations for some time. The Oscar-winning film "Spotlight" depicts the comeuppance of the church hierarchy after investigative reporters...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Apr 30, 2016

Our picks from Salone del Mobile Milano 2016

As always, Japan was well-represented at Salone del Mobile Milano last month, with Sou Fujimoto creating a forest of spotlights for clothing retailer H&M's COS brand, Panasonic's "Kukan — The Invention of Space" installation, as well as separate exhibitions, including the Experimental Creations showcase...
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Apr 30, 2016

The German mischief maker here; Eating in London is real problem; New effort to rectify Japan's image planned; Ad-zapping VCR gains popularity

100 YEARS AGOWednesday, May 17, 1916
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.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 25, 2016

Supreme Court apologizes for discriminatory treatment of Japan's leprosy patients

The Supreme Court apologizes to former leprosy patients for allowing lower courts to hold criminal trials involving them outside standard courtrooms over ungrounded fears about the spread of infection.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 25, 2016

Should Britain leave the EU?

If British voters are to make the right choice about remaining in the EU, they will have to cut through the hyperbolic claims being made by leaders on both sides.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 20, 2016

Lubezki achieves the extraordinary long shot

At this year's Oscars, while everyone was fuming about the academy's lack of diversity, few bothered to notice an incredible achievement: Mexican cameraman Emmanuel Lubezki, also known by his nickname "Chivo," became the first person ever to win three Oscars in a row for Best Cinematography. (And one...
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 13, 2016

Abe ready to set aside TPP ratification for now to preserve standing in polls

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructs the ruling coalition not to “forcibly” proceed with TPP deliberations for fear of a voter backlash.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 6, 2016

China seeks 'new chapter' in first visit with Myanmar's Suu Kyi

China and Myanmar pledged to open a "new chapter" in their sometimes strained relationship, raising the prospect that stalled Chinese investment projects in the Southeastern Asian country could be allowed to resume.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 5, 2016

Segways roll through Tokyo's Futako-Tamagawa area in capital's first tours

Tokyu Corp. and Segway Japan Ltd. launched trial outings on the wheeled devices Tuesday in Tokyo's Futako-Tamagawa area — the first such Segway tours in the capital.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2016

Ryoma Suzuki bet on a musically diverse line-up for Unborde — and it paid off

Media attention has become a mixed blessing for Ryoma Suzuki. Unborde, the label he founded in 2010, is currently celebrating five years in the game and will hold a special show at Makuhari Messe on April 10.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Apr 2, 2016

A tipple that's close to my heart — and life

I moved to Kurohime in northern Nagano Prefecture in 1980, and three years later I bought some land here and built the first house I had ever personally owned. That was made possible by the Nikka Whisky Distilling Co., for whom I did my very first Japanese television commercial back then. What a cushy...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Mar 29, 2016

Duncan quietly winding down a sensational career

In this NBA season of Kobe, his season-long farewell tour perhaps the only thing distracting from the Golden State Warriors fast break to history, it is fitting that this likely is the final season for probably the greatest power forward of all time in the NBA. He's a player who may even rank above Bryant...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 28, 2016

Why the future will disappoint us

We can't replicate the 'special century' that took place between 1870-1970 — an era that completely transformed the human condition.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 21, 2016

Lessons in history and bureaucracy lurk within Japan's geographical layer cake

Although in English we say Japan has 47 prefectures, Japanese uses four terms to express the same concept. And that's just for starters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 17, 2016

It starts with 'a piece of cloth': Designer Taku Satoh explains what it's like to work with Issey Miyake

"A Piece Of Cloth." It is these four simple words that acclaimed graphic designer Taku Satoh cites when asked to summarize the essential appeal of Issey Miyake's creations.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Mar 13, 2016

Making an impression in Japan: a hanko primer

Everything you wanted to know about chops, from cheapo ¥100-shop seals to the Privy Seal of Japan, which is wielded by the Emperor and hewn from pure gold.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 12, 2016

Get a taste of spring with cherry blossom-inspired goods

Here's a taste of some of the cherry-blossom themed drinks, snacks, shoes and toilet paper on shelves now.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 10, 2016

Balance propelling Shimane's surge

The Shimane Susanoo Magic on Sunday became the first club in the 24-team circuit to reach 30 wins this season.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 5, 2016

Japan's counterterrorism efforts falling short

The Foreign Ministry invited ridicule toward the end of 2015 after it advertised job openings for part-time counterterrorism analysts. While the expansion of the exploited precariat of non-regular workers to nearly 40 percent of the workforce is lamentable in itself, who would have thought some of them...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 4, 2016

A phone booth for contacting the dead; renewal after the tsunami; CM of the week: Brother

Starting March 5 and airing every night for the next week, NHK will present a series of hour-long specials dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. Suffice to say that only NHK could produce the kind of detailed and comprehensive reports the anniversary...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 27, 2016

Participation in society should be barrier-free

When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formed a task force last year to promote greater citizen involvement in whatever it is he is trying to accomplish, many people objected to the name of the group. "Ichioku Sokatsuyaku" reminded them of a slogan used before and during World War II that demanded national solidarity...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Feb 23, 2016

Pokémon catches nostalgia fever for its 20th anniversary

Nintendo is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Poku00e9mon with a year full of new products, re-releases and huge doses of nostalgia around the world.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Feb 21, 2016

In Japan, don't just celebrate black history, be black history

There are a number of annual celebrations of Black History Month here in Japan. I've attended dozens of them over the years. Have even spoken at several, and in fact will be speaking at one later this month. And more often than not, I'll be asked the question, "Why?"
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2016

Korean tensions at an alarming level

Rising tensions between North and South Korean pose a dangerous threat to regional peace and stability.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 8, 2016

U.N. rapporteur urges Japan to consider law banning hate speech

Japan should enact a law banning hate speech to protect the nation's ethnic minorities, according to a United Nations expert who said such a change would not impact freedom of speech.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan