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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 22, 2019

Chinese tourists won't be weapons for much longer

As the number of independent travelers rises, Beijing will have a harder time using them to punish countries such as New Zealand.
Special Supplements / The Emperor’s 30-year Anniversary
Feb 22, 2019

Exercising goodwill in symbolic role

Emperor Akihito marked the 30th year of his reign on Jan. 7, and the government will be holding a ceremony on Sunday to celebrate this milestone. On April 30, after three decades on the throne, the Emperor will be the first living Japanese monarch in about 200 years to step down.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Feb 20, 2019

The onus is still on us to be black history

A few years back, I wrote a piece for Black History Month in which I challenged people of African descent living here in Japan to "be black history." I implored them not to necessarily dwell on the past but to: "Dwell on the now instead. Because everything you do now becomes history and herstory the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Feb 20, 2019

Same gripes, different country: Japan ain't the only place with squat toilets and table charges

It's not easy being an expat. While most of us choose to live in Japan of our own volition, there are still times when we're frustrated with the way things work — or don't work — and the Community page often serves as an outlet for our gripes.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 19, 2019

What North Korea could learn from Vietnam

The Asian tiger would be an especially apt model for Kim Jong Un to emulate.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 19, 2019

Churchill was more villain than hero in Britain's colonies

His record in the British Empire more closely resembles that of a war criminal than a defender of democracy and freedom.
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.
Reader Mail
Feb 15, 2019

Remembering Taichi Sakaiya

"Author and economist Taichi Sakaiya dies at 83" in the Feb. 11 edition prompted me to write.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2019

South America is a battlefield in the new cold war

The Venezuela crisis is a test of Russian and Chinese power in America's backyard.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2019

How good advice on skin cancer can be bad for your blood pressure

A lack of sun puts darker-skinned people at greater risk for hypertension.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Feb 9, 2019

Yu Nakamura: A sweet affinity between Japan and Thailand

An entrepreneur and cultural innovator, Yu Nakamura helps Thai farmers with her coconut sugar business.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 8, 2019

Africa sees nuclear power as answer to continent-wide electrification goal

In a damp office at Addis Ababa University, doctoral student Hailu Geremew fantasizes about working on the nuclear reactor his country is now pondering building.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 7, 2019

Trump's gift to the Taliban

By abandoning Afghanistan, the Trump administration is repeating one of the worst foreign policy mistakes of the past few decades.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 6, 2019

Japanese law needs to catch up with the realities of trans life

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that the current law for gender transition is constitutional, though it registered that this law may fail to align with our current society. The law requires people wishing to change their official gender to be unmarried, have no minor children, be surgically sterilized...
Japan Times
EDITORIALS
Feb 5, 2019

Japan's stakes in Trump-Kim talks

Pyongyang doesn't appear ready to engage with Tokyo. Whether that changes with the second U.S.-North Korea summit remains to be seen.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 5, 2019

Feud between major U.S. allies Japan and South Korea deepens as Trump sits it out

Donald Trump's desire to put "America First" has fostered new disputes between the United States and its allies. In Asia, old rivalries are also roaring back.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 5, 2019

New York beats out San Francisco to be world's best tech city

Amazon.com Inc. might have the right idea: A new study shows New York City is the best place on the planet for technology.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 5, 2019

Norway's Arctic islands at risk of 'devastating' warming, report says

Icy Arctic islands north of Norway are warming faster than almost anywhere on Earth and more avalanches, rain and mud may cause "devastating" changes by 2100, a Norwegian report said on Monday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 4, 2019

The shackles of history in a democracy

The boundary between historical fact and fiction is more porous than students of history might think.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 4, 2019

Breaking the spell of aging

Extending the working lives of the elderly by offering better employment conditions is a top priority for Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Feb 3, 2019

The story behind anime localization

'The structure of Japanese storytelling does not adhere to a strict three acts. At times, the story meanders and takes the viewer on a seemingly unrelated path. ... Characterizations are richer, deeper, darker. Plots are often complex and convoluted, serving primarily as vessels to display incredible visuals.' — Mary Claypool, anime localization expert
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 3, 2019

Geotechnology and the U.S.-China trade war

If data were petroleum in the artificial intelligence era, then China would be Saudi Arabia.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Feb 3, 2019

From cosplay fan to idol, Yuriko Tiger's journey has been a colorful one

It was 1964 when 19-year-old ye-ye singer Sylvie Vartan captured the hearts of Japanese cinemagoers in the French film "Cherchez l'idole," released here as "Aidoru o Sagase" and in English as "The Chase." Her track from that film, "La plus belle pour aller danser," was a hit here, selling more than a...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 3, 2019

There's a radical plan to make South Korea's legislature 50% female

Some South Korean women are so frustrated by the country's stubborn gender pay gap that they are seeking a radical shift: equal political representation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 2, 2019

Facial recognition technology: What would George Orwell say?

This coming June, British author George Orwell's dystopian novel, "Nineteen Eighty-Four," marks the 70th anniversary of its publication. In the United States, Penguin has announced plans for a special 75,000-copy reprint. According to The New York Times, the publisher noted that, sales of the novel have...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 2, 2019

How Japan unleashed Lu Xun's ferocious literary passion

Although he was poised to be a doctor, Lu Xun, the most celebrated of all modern Chinese authors, abandoned medicine for something he felt would truly enlighten and modernize his nation: literature.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 2, 2019

Tabloid's objectification of women continues to stir controversy

The weekly magazine Spa has apologized for an article it published in December that ranked universities in terms of how easy it is to get their female students into bed. The article generated backlash but the apology was issued in response to a petition that had been drawn up in protest.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Feb 2, 2019

'The Lone Samurai': A meticulous portrait of warrior-legend Miyamoto Musashi

William Scott Wilson's definitive 2004 biography, 'The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi' stands out not only for its meticulous historical accuracy, but also for the author's expertise on samurai texts.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2019

Stop hating on the weather forecast

It's actually pretty accurate now, even further in advance. The Midwest had plenty of warning this cold front was coming.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami