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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 11, 2015

Liberating the robot from factory floor by inflating it

Kevin Albert is playing the part of lion tamer. The 33-year-old engineer, with a passing resemblance to Joe Namath, sticks his head into the four-fingered grip of a robotic hand, pauses for a moment and then emerges unscathed.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2015

Aim for green infrastructure expansion in Asia

Infrastructure projects in Asia must be accompanied by protective safeguards to avoid damaging the environment, climate and communities — and slowing economic growth.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 8, 2015

Let's discuss Otsuka Kagu in the news

Aiming to shake off its image as an expensive members-only store, furniture retailer Otsuka Kagu Ltd. on Friday unveiled its renovated flagship store in Tokyo's upscale Ginza shopping district, offering a more welcoming atmosphere.
BASEBALL / MLB / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Jun 2, 2015

Revived Mets ignite renewed attention in ballclub

Sitting in the dugout of a New York Mets foe before a recent contest, MAS overheard an intriguing comment.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 1, 2015

Let's discuss drones in the news

Despite a spate of headlines showing drone users to be reckless attention-seekers or outright dangerous, the industry believes the sky is the limit for demand for unmanned copters.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 29, 2015

Oketani leaves Iwate Big Bulls after three seasons at the helm

After three successful seasons in charge, Iwate Big Bulls coach Dai Oketani's tenure has ended, the Eastern Conference club announced on Friday evening.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 25, 2015

Let's discuss Osaka referendum in the news

As the city of Osaka prepares for Sunday's unprecedented referendum on the merger plan being championed by Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, most media polls show those opposed to the plan holding anywhere from a slim to a wide lead, though the margin is too close to call.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 25, 2015

China state media warns of war over South China Sea unless U.S. backs down

A Chinese state-owned newspaper said Monday that "war is inevitable" between China and the United States over the South China Sea unless Washington stops demanding Beijing halt the building of artificial islands in the disputed waterway.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
May 21, 2015

Japan-U.S. alliance remains as a bulwark against China

The more belligerent Beijing behaves, the more important the Japan-U.S. alliance becomes.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
May 19, 2015

'Coach Crusher' likes Hamamatsu's chances going into Final Four

The Japan Times features periodic interviews with personalities in the bj- league. Coach Tomoya Higashino of the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix is the subject of this week's profile.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2015

Hillary Clinton's lucrative life of crime

Corporations and banks bribe the Clintons to buy political favors. The speaking racket that has earned them at least $30 million over the past 16 months is a (flimsy) cover.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 15, 2015

Astroscale opens lab in Tokyo in bid to clean up space junk

A Singapore-based company that aims to sweep junk from space has expanded to Tokyo and has handed its biggest broom to 32-year-old female President Miki Ito.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 14, 2015

League legend Newton reveals he's decided to retire

Jeff Newton, the winningest player in league history, has quietly retired.
Japan Times
JAPAN / TELLING LIVES
May 13, 2015

Nagoya DJ brings Japanese history to life

Chris Glenn's participation in relief efforts in the disaster-hit Tohoku region made the news in 2011, when as a member of a group of pilots he flew a helicopter to deliver food, water and medicines for evacuees.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 11, 2015

Let's discuss visa overstayers in the news

Visa overstayers facing deportation orders marched through Tokyo's Ginza district on Wednesday afternoon, pleading for permission to remain in a country that many have called home for decades.
JAPAN / Politics
May 11, 2015

LDP produces manga to make case for constitutional revision

The Liberal Democratic Party has published a new manga targeted at younger voters that argues the pacifist Constitution should be revised because it was hastily written in just eight days — by foreigners.
Japan Times
TENNIS / MATCH POINT
May 5, 2015

Expert says Nishikori's rise to elite due to self-belief

Kei Nishikori's impressive performance in winning the Barcelona Open for the second straight year and the withdrawal of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic have made the Shimane native the favorite at this week's Madrid Open.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK
May 2, 2015

Vizer's attack may be costly

Playing political hardball with the IOC is not a winning proposition.
Reader Mail
May 2, 2015

The world needs Rall's indignation

Thank you, Japan Times, for publishing Ted Rall ("Proof the U.S. is rotten to the core," April 28) and thank you, Ted Rall, for your continued righteous indignation about the injustices of this world.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Apr 27, 2015

Let's discuss Taco Bell in the news

U.S. fast food chain Taco Bell Corp. made a much-hyped re-entry into the Japanese market on Tuesday, opening a store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward through Asrapport Dining Co., a Japanese operator of restaurant franchises.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Apr 20, 2015

Let's discuss studying abroad in the news

As part of efforts to give its younger workers an incentive to acquire skills that will benefit their future careers at the company, Sony Corp. said Friday it will allow its junior employees to study abroad for two years.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Apr 20, 2015

Migrant deaths may shame EU over 'Fortress Europe' policy

The outrage Europe's leaders face over the deaths of hundreds of refugees trying to reach its shores may force a shift in a policy critics decry as letting people drown to deter others in desperate need.
LIFE
Apr 18, 2015

State of the reunion: Evaluating the Hague pact's success

As most parents know, there is nothing quite so life changing as having children. Imagine the pain a parent feels, then, if their children are taken from them. Now imagine the shock a parent feels if the person who abducted their children was their own spouse, a trusted partner who fled the country and...
WORLD / Politics
Apr 14, 2015

Pressured by liberal Democrats, candidate Clinton goes after CEO pay

Hillary Rodham Clinton, under pressure from the left wing of her Democratic Party to aggressively campaign against income inequality, voiced concern about the hefty paychecks of some corporate executives in an email to supporters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 11, 2015

Sakai: a keyhole to the history of Osaka

As I peered out the window from my vantage point on the 21st floor of the Sakai City Hall, in the distance I could see Abeno Harukas — Japan's tallest skyscraper, which houses a train station, hotel, museum, department store and offices. But this modern curiosity was not what I was looking for. I was...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 8, 2015

White U.S. cop charged with murder after black victim shot in back, on video

A white South Carolina police officer was arrested and charged with murder on Tuesday after a video showed him shooting eight times at the back of a 50-year-old black man who was running away after a traffic stop and died at the scene.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2015

High price of cold-hearted capitalism

At the root of Germanwings pilot Andreas Lubitz's likely decision to kill himself is that he lived, as we all do in the Western world, in a disposable society.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 4, 2015

Bouldering, a remedy to climbing the walls

I emerged from Mitake Station, on the Ome Line, just after 10 a.m. on a Sunday morning amid a throng of day-tripping hikers easily identifiable by their heavy boots, seam-busting backpacks and seemingly standard issue trekking poles.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight