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Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 1, 2016

Muslim is seen as favorite to run London after racially charged mayoral race

Sadiq Khan, a Muslim lawmaker from Britain's opposition Labour Party, is the strong favorite to win London's mayoral election Thursday after a bitter contest marked by religious tensions and accusations of racism.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2016

The next nuclear disaster may be intentional

Nuclear reactors are likely terrorist targets and not enough is being done to protect them.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Apr 27, 2016

Sendai forward White named bj-league MVP

Sendai 89ers forward Wendell White joined fellow league legend Lynn Washington, the retired Osaka Evessa icon, as the bj-league's only two-time regular-season MVPs, as the league's 11th and final regular-season awards were announced on Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 26, 2016

The double delight of 'Grand Hotel'

It started life in 1929 as "Menschen im Hotel" ("People in the Hotel"), the first novel by Austrian writer Vicki Baum, but its storyline — set in the Grand Hotel in Berlin in 1928 — first became widely known through 1932's Oscar-winning film "Grand Hotel" starring silver-screen idols John Barrymore,...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 24, 2016

Young voters' fear of 'Hell Chosun' puts South Korea's Park on back foot

Spend any time on South Korean social media sites, and you're bound to see the phrase "Hell Chosun." For Korean millennials, that refers to the hellish future that lies ahead. Such youthful disillusionment goes a long way toward explaining the electoral drubbing voters gave President Park Geun-hye's...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Apr 23, 2016

You don't know what you've got (till it's gone) in Tokyo's nagaya

After hearing rumors that one of my favorite hideaways in Tokyo, the Sanuki Club, is slated for demolition, I stand outside the hotel's front gates with apprehension. Aside from offering some of the cheapest lodgings available in Minato Ward, the property's beer and barbecue terrace — tucked under...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 23, 2016

Tokyo hotel gets into bed with local artists

When building a new hotel, designers would normally consider the artwork displayed on the walls as a finishing touch. But for BnA Hotel Koenji, which just opened in Tokyo's Koenji neighborhood, the artwork definitely comes first.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 19, 2016

Johnson picks up slack as Carp enter post-Maeda era

The Hiroshima Carp may not have Kenta Maeda any longer, but they still have Kris Johnson, and the West Covina, California, native is no mere consolation prize.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 6, 2016

Son-in-law of Trump is a real estate investor, newspaper owner and effective informal adviser

Before introducing Donald Trump to a dozen Republican lawmakers at the Washington law offices of Jones Day, Sen. Jeff Sessions paused to acknowledge the man he said had facilitated the closed-door talks.
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
CULTURE / Film
Mar 30, 2016

'Bitter Honey': Fishing for the love of a writer

Films about elderly men falling for elusive young women (and utimately regretting it) go back to "The Blue Angel" (1930). One Japanese example is Kaneto Shindo's 1992 "Bokuto Kidan" ("The Strange Tale of Oyuki"), a biopic about writer Kafu Nagai and the prostitute he came to love. Unlike the deluded...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 29, 2016

The illuminating nature of Emile Galle

The Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum has always had a connection with French glassware. After all, almost the first thing you see as you enter through the front entrance is a set of glass-relief doors with an angel motif. These were created by the famous French glass artist Rene Lalique as part of...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 26, 2016

Pundit didn't need an actual Harvard degree to get top marks in gaming the system

On Feb. 29 a group of veteran journalists held a press conference to protest communications minister Sanae Takaichi's comment that the government could shut down broadcasters if their news programming was deemed to be politically biased. Former Mainichi Shimbun reporter Shuntaro Torigoe said that Takaichi's...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 26, 2016

Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten sells the story of Japanese crafts

"I can't ask a craftsperson to make something cheaply, or to produce 1,000 items. I have to find 10 artisans to each create 100 quality items," says Jun Nakagawa, president of the crafts-revitalization business Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten. "That's what makes it tricky."
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 22, 2016

Gomes expands horizons with Japan move

Yomiuri Giants reliever Tetsuya Yamaguchi, for some reason, thought he could get away with a first-pitch, 128-kph slider over the outside of the plate against Jonny Gomes.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Mar 15, 2016

Choreographer Wilson regrets 'transformative' Kim's early retirement

When Yuna Kim retired after her controversial second-place finish at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, many felt it was too abrupt an end to a brilliant career for the 23-year-old.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Mar 11, 2016

The search for Tokyo's best gimlet leads to Daisuke Ito

I have a particular fondness for the gimlet, that simple but elegant concoction of gin, fresh lime juice and sweetened lime cordial. For many, the drink conjures images of dames and detectives from noir films, but mine is a more nostalgic affection. The gimlet was my cocktail of choice during my early...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 9, 2016

The Greek auteur who cooked up 'The Lobster'

When a gifted director ditches their native tongue and starts working in English, it can be a fraught process. For every Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, there's a Wong Kar-wai or Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, whose career still hasn't recovered since he parlayed the Oscar triumph of his 2006 drama "The...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 7, 2016

Trump has a point about American decline

The U.S. may not be able to reverse its decline, but there are steps that can halt it before it gets worse.
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Feb 20, 2016

The Meiji Era and the soul of Japan: part 1

'Japan's first modern novel" was published serially between 1887 and 1889.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 17, 2016

Canadian behind Rodman trips to bring hockey to North Korea

The Canadian man who once helped bring basketball hall-of-famer Dennis Rodman to North Korea is now eyeing another project: a hockey tournament that could see former NHL players visit the secluded nation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 15, 2016

It's the season of love: Won't someone please grab hold of my chin?

In Japan these days, it can seem as if love itself is on the decline — and that no one really cares.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 13, 2016

Onagawa is on the rebound from devastation

On March 11, 2011, the magnitude-9 Great East Japan Earthquake propelled a powerful tsunami through the port of Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, claiming 827 lives — nearly 10 percent of the town's population — and destroying 70 percent of all of its buildings. It was the most severely damaged town in...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Feb 13, 2016

Trust robots to keep the kids occupied

'Can we go to the park?" In our household, this refrain is heard almost as frequently as "I want ice cream" and "I don't want to go to bed."
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Feb 13, 2016

Winning looks: Sacai, Mr. Gentlemen and AllSaints

Sacai wins Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2016

Cruz upsets Trump in Iowa; Clinton barely scrapes by Sanders

It was a bad night in Iowa for the establishment on both sides of the political aisle.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 30, 2016

NHK may need to rethink its 'taiga' formula

An article that appeared in December in the Yomiuri Shimbun weighed the prospects for the 2016 edition of NHK's year-long historical taiga drama series, which premiered Jan. 10. "Sanada Maru" is the title of the 55th marathon show, and the name of a fortification added on to Osaka Castle to protect it...

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building