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COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 13, 2017

Why the bulls are wrong about the yen's rise

The yen has started 2017 strongly, but the Bank of Japan is likely to stick with its super-loose money program rather than dismantle it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 12, 2017

'Garage Rockin' Craze': 'It's not about fame, they want 15 minutes of fun'

Mario Cuzic used a video camera to face the question that keeps many expat English teachers up at night: What am I going to do before I head back home? His answer, "Garage Rockin' Craze," is a documentary on the history of Japan's underground garage rock scene that has nurtured internationally renowned...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 28, 2016

'Stonewall': We need to talk about Danny

"Stonewall" is a bit of a head-scratcher. A fictional account of the 1969 Stonewall riots — a series of events that subsequently triggered the gay rights movement in America — it's directed by Hollywood's resident disaster-movie specialist, Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow")....
CULTURE / Books
Dec 24, 2016

Tales from the cracks: 10 of the best books about Japan released in 2016

It's been a difficult year — one that felt like humanity was living on a fracturing ice shelf. That uncertainty came from our exposure to wars and natural disasters, and even our struggles with "truth" itself. The best Japan-related books released in 2016 seemed to channel this feeling of instability...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 24, 2016

Ex-Dragons star Powell reminisces about playing days in Japan

One of the most prolific hitters among foreign players in Japan, and a most fan- and media-friendly personality, returned to the country earlier this month to say "konnichi wa" and offer batting instruction to Japanese youngsters.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 18, 2016

Everything you hope you never have to know about divorce, separation and visa status in Japan

Lifelines addresses questions received about what is unfortunately a common concern among readers: divorce.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 17, 2016

Professional Santa Jeremy Rigby: 'Think about what makes a gift special'

Visiting Saint Nick on working off Christmas snacks and washing his beard with toothpaste.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2016

CIA should come clean about Russian 'hacking'

If the CIA has indisputable evidence that Russia threw the U.S. election, it should put up or shut up.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 16, 2016

Asahi bid for SAB assets said to be about $834 million above runner-up

Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. is paying a hefty premium for the business that owns Czech lager Pilsner Urquell, extending a pricey deal-making spree by Japanese companies eager to find new growth overseas.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices
Dec 14, 2016

Views from Kansai: What are your hopes and fears about the coming Trump presidency?

John Ashburne took to the streets of Osaka and Kyoto 
to find out what people expect from the Donald Trump administration in 
the U.S. See the online version of this article or the Japan Times YouTube channel for a video of these vox pops.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Dec 7, 2016

So you want to write about Japan?: the 10 essential tips

Having taken the daring — not reckless or avoidant — step of leaving your home country, you now have a million stories to tell.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 7, 2016

Economy is about to grow by ¥19.8 trillion, at least on paper

Japan's economy will grow by an amount equivalent to New Zealand's economy in the blink of an eye on Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Dec 5, 2016

Worrying signals about Trump's diplomacy

The confusion in the Trump camp over U.S. foreign policy has two possible consequences, neither good.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 5, 2016

Trump complains in tweets about Chinese policy after Taiwan call raises ire

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump complained about Chinese economic and military policy on Twitter on Sunday, showing no signs of a conciliatory approach after a phone conversation with Taiwan's president raised hackles in Beijing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 3, 2016

An exploration of the game at the heart of 'The Master of Go'

The Chinese board game of go has fallen in and out of fashion over the past 2,500 years.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Dec 2, 2016

Escaped Yazidi sex slave says she never knew about trafficking until her ordeal started

A Yazidi woman imprisoned and raped by Islamic State fighters said she had no idea about the scourge of human trafficking until she found herself enslaved with thousands of other women.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Nov 27, 2016

Fukushima aftershock renews public concern about restarting Kansai's aging nuclear reactors

The magnitude-7.4 aftershock that rocked Fukushima Prefecture and its vicinity last week, more than five years after the mega-quake and tsunami of March 2011, triggered fresh nuclear concerns in the Kansai region, which hosts Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Mihama plant in Fukui Prefecture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 5, 2016

'Mr. Turtle': Yusaku Kitano's bizarre, award-winning novel about artificial intelligence

Mr. Turtle wants to borrow a Philip K. Dick novel from a local Japanese library. But "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" is on loan, so he borrows a book on "The Making of Blade Runner." This scene from Yusuke Kitano's award-winning sci-fi novel "Mr. Turtle" sums up its narrative strategy: Don't tell...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 5, 2016

Amid Rakhine violence, rights monitors voice concern about Myanmar's freedom of speech

Human rights monitors have raised concerns about press freedom in Myanmar after a journalist at an English-language newspaper said she was fired following government criticism of her reporting of allegations of rape by soldiers.
Reader Mail
Nov 4, 2016

What's to be done about the TPP?

Frankly it is time for a backup plan. Even if Hillary Clinton is elected president of the United States, as appears likely, she is not going to move on this for a year or two and it is extremely difficult to predict what she will try to change in order to meet her election promises and what that might...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 2, 2016

Movie about 'shogi' master Satoshi Murayama closes Tokyo International Film Festival

For the premiere of "Satoshi: A Move for Tomorrow," actors Kenichi Matsuyama and Masahiro Higashide and director Yoshitaka Mori were on hand to greet fans before the screening of their film, which closes the 2016 Tokyo International Film Festival.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2016

Filipinos in Japan optimistic about changes Duterte is making

While all eyes are glued on new Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his brutal crackdown on drug traffickers, Filipinos living in Japan are happy with the job he's doing.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 12, 2016

As Saudis bombed Yemen, U.S. worried about legal and war crimes blowback

The Obama administration went ahead with a $1.3 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia last year despite warnings from some officials that the United States could be implicated in war crimes for supporting a Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen that has killed thousands of civilians, according to government documents...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 5, 2016

Duterte's enforcer: Philippine police chief says has no regrets about drug killings

When Philippines police chief Ronald Dela Rosa gave a rousing speech to his men at a regional headquarters in Luzon, they rewarded him with a gift: a replica of the sword used by actor Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji