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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 4, 2017

To comprehend Trump, read this

Three books and two magazine articles shed a lot of light on the U.S. president's baffling behavior.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 6, 2017

Corporate zombies need 'rich brains'

Japan has lost something. That's a stark but uncontroversial statement. Few whose memory goes back a generation or more will disagree. Controversy arises when the talk turns to what was lost; when, how and why it was lost; whether the nation is the better or worse for having lost it; and, if the former,...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 30, 2017

Asia's American menace

The need for constant adjustment to Trump's policy flip-flops will only stoke greater anxiety among America's allies and partners, who now run the risk that their core interests will be used as bargaining chips.
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2017

Head of Asia trade talks warns against adding elements of Trump-derailed TPP into new pact

The chief negotiator of a 16-nation Asia trade pact expressed hope that talks can be concluded this year if member nations refrain from introducing elements of a separate deal derailed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Mar 18, 2017

Playground legend 'Bone Collector' brings his talent back to Japan

Streetball fanatics revel with delight when rattling off names of legends who competed at New York's famed Rucker Park in the 20th century.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2017

Why hacking Trump might not be easy

Donald Trump's quip about using couriers instead of email may not be such a bad idea.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 26, 2016

Japan scores tragic own goal

The Abe government's position on 'comfort women' is damaging Japan's international reputation and playing into China's hands.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2016

Watering the drought-stricken Middle East

Governments in drought-stricken countries must take urgent action to preserve water reserves and standardize supply.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2016

The siren song of 'strongmania'

The embrace of political strongmen reflects widespread ignorance of the nature and consequences of populist rule.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2016

Girls' lives are improving, but not fast enough

The international community must strive to reduce teen pregnancies and enable girls in developing countries to learn, lead, decide and thrive.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 16, 2016

Donald Richie: The legacy of an entrenched view

The late Donald Richie lived at apartment number 804 in a block directly facing Shinobazu Pond in Tokyo's Ueno Park. The writer would lead visitors through his home's dimly lit entrance area — crammed with bookshelves — and his minuscule living room to the balcony, beneath which a vast lotus pond...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2016

Extremism's odd bedfellows

The relationship between the extreme right, particularly in Europe, and Islamist radicalism runs deep, with adherents of both groups sharing some important traits.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 13, 2016

Art Place Japan: The Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale and the Vision to Reconnect Art and Nature

In an era of relentless urbanization, global travel and weightless images, the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale has pioneered a ground-breaking model of place-based art curation that aims to cast a little edifying rural grit into the oyster of contemporary urban affluence. Centred on a declining, depopulating...
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK
Dec 19, 2015

Shearman details life behind sporting lens

Mark Shearman has achieved extraordinary success as a sports photographer, specializing in track and field. He has a remarkable portfolio — containing images of Olympic legends such as Edwin Moses and Carl Lewis, Usain Bolt and Sebastian Coe — that few can ever hope of compiling. But, he admits without...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 29, 2015

No-sweat risk-taker Arora lets ¥60 billion ride on SoftBank's future

It's a fall evening in Tokyo, and Nikesh Arora is supposed to be in two places at once.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Nov 25, 2015

U.S. developing new tools of economic war against the Islamic State

Since last month, U.S. warplanes have struck the Islamic State group's oil infrastructure in Syria in a stepped-up campaign of economic warfare that the United States estimates has cut the group's black-market earnings from oil by about a third.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 12, 2015

Putin's daughter and Russia's second-generation elite

Since Vladimir Putin began cementing his grip on Russia in the 1990s, many of his friends have grown famously rich.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2015

Big science now faces big problems in China

Under the government's heavy hand, the Chinese scientific establishment has long suffered from cronyism, corruption and pervasive fraud.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 19, 2015

Democratic donors urge Biden to challenge Clinton in presidential race

A group of prominent Democratic Party fundraisers on Friday began circulating a letter to encourage a hesitant Vice President Joe Biden to enter the 2016 race for president.
Reader Mail
Jul 30, 2015

Honda on the right track with English drive

Before retiring three years ago, I spent 40 years of my life trying to teach Japanese students real communicative English. Now, when I switch on the TV and hear NHK come up with phrases like "Catch Insight," or see Hitachi, for example, using the advertising slogan "Inspire the Next," and many other...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2015

Is a two-tiered Europe next?

The euro crisis is providing Europe with some tough Greek lessons.
Japan Times
TENNIS / MATCH POINT
Apr 14, 2015

Expert says hiring Nishikori would boost American companies in Japan

His meteoric rise in the rankings over the past two seasons has made Kei Nishikori both a superstar on the court and a valuable commodity off it.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK
Apr 4, 2015

Olympic channel set to innovate, inspire

The evolution of Olympic TV coverage mirrors technological changes that have transformed broadcast media — and society — over the past 50-plus years.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 20, 2015

A stitch in time does much more than save nine

One of Tokyo Dome's most attended annual attractions might come as a surprise to some. Aside from being home to baseball games and big-name concerts, the huge stadium also hosts a number of fairs, including the Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival — which is the largest of its kind.
Japan Times
SPORTS / NOTES ON A SCORECARD
Jan 30, 2015

No reason for fans to despair over Nishikori's defeat

What a difference three years makes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Dec 9, 2014

Sake specialists give a lesson in culture

In Saijo, Hiroshima Prefecture, the largest room in the home of Hisao Maegaki, president of the sake brewery Kamoizumi Shuzo, is set for a feast.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 29, 2014

Stretch your fright nights right into the weekend

This year, many people in Japan celebrated Halloween early. Last weekend saw parades, parties and trick-or-treating at special events across the country, but for those who grew up in places that historically celebrate the holiday, Oct. 25 may have been a bit too soon to get spooked.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 22, 2014

TIFF Critic's Picks: Films from countries famed for unrest and oppression

According to TIFF's visual programming director Yoshihiko Yatabe, the semiofficial theme for this year's festival is "People on the Edge." They may be pursued, stuck in a rut, in dire trouble or just plain confused, but their stories are some of the most compelling at this years festival. These films...
CULTURE / Books
Jul 19, 2014

Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential

"Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential" was first published in 2010, offering readers a rare insight into a growing global fascination with the image of the Japanese schoolgirl. This revised edition features eight new sections that focus on developments on the subject, including an analysis of the fall and...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 3, 2014

The Tank Man's defiance

Chinese Communist authorities largely spared the student protesters of Tiananmen Square 25 years ago, though many leaders went to prison. It was ordinary citizens like the famous man who stood down the tank — along the streets to the square — who suffered the most.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.