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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 17, 2018

The Irish influence on Soseki, a pioneer of Japanese literature

St. Patrick's Day is the time of year when many raise a glass in their local "authentic Irish" pub to Ireland's literary greats, from master satirist Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) to poet Seamus Heaney (1939-2013). In Japan too, the dynamic interaction of Ireland and Japan's literary traditions is a rich...
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Mar 17, 2018

Till death do us unite: Japan's dark tales of love

Has ever a civilized people lived in greater intimacy with death than the Japanese?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 16, 2018

Why Japan will never reach its inflation target

After five years of unprecedented stimulus, BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda should recognize reality.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2018

Trump's understanding of war is outdated

In the nuclear age, security depends less on technology and more on psychology.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Mar 15, 2018

Netflix's new yakuza flick has Jared Leto on the outs with critics

In his 1999 book "Tokyo Underworld," Robert Whiting told the real-life story of Nick Zappetti, a former American GI in postwar Japan who becomes embroiled in a world of yakuza and corrupt politicians. Subtitled "The Fast Times and Hard Life of an American Gangster in Japan," it had all the hallmarks...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Mar 14, 2018

The Japanese lessons of a 'plastic Paddy'

A Briton of Irish stock finds the 'Irishness' he seeks not on the Emerald Isle itself but in the expat pubs of his adopted land.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 12, 2018

A new order for the Indo-Pacific region

China's strategic advantages in the Indo-Pacific region could become entrenched if other powers do not step in to counter further challenges to the territorial and maritime status quo.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Mar 11, 2018

Schools plus rules equals Japan minus two

Having experienced schools around the world, why do Colin P.A. Jones' daughters rank Japan's bottom of the class?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 10, 2018

Confusing power with powerlessness

"We're all terrified. It's like living in a mass grave." It's an underground shelter. "No water, no food, no ventilation, no toilets. Explosion after explosion. It never stops."
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2018

False news 70% more likely to spread on Twitter, driven more by people than 'bots': study

False news stories spread much more quickly and widely on Twitter than truthful ones, an imbalance driven more by people than automated "bot" accounts, researchers said on Thursday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 7, 2018

Allow different surnames for married couples

Japan is the sole country in which husband and wife are legally obliged to use the same surname. This should change.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Mar 7, 2018

White supremacists and Japan: A love story

Far-right fanboys see in Japan an ethnostate that gets a free pass on the world stage, but it's a reputation that Japan needs to shake for its own good.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 7, 2018

Bruce Foxton on breaking up and moving on after The Jam

Bruce Foxton pauses for thought. "How would I describe what I'm doing? I suppose I'm flying the flag for those great songs."
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 6, 2018

Two Koreas agree to leaders' summit as North voices openness to denuclearization

In stunning and unexpected announcement late Tuesday, Seoul and Pyongyang agreed to a deal that could see South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet for a rare leaders' summit at the two countries' heavily armed border next month.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 6, 2018

Asia suggests autocrats can outperform democrats

The key for most successful strongmen is sound economic guidance.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 5, 2018

Asia rethinks drug wars that Trump admires

The region is tilting away from executions and toward rehab.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 3, 2018

Dive headfirst into the world of nihonshu with a sake education course

Sake has come a long way from the days when it was internationally — and crudely — known as "rice wine." In recent years, sake has been the star of two documentaries, as well as a TV series on Amazon. Sommeliers and chefs around the world are making room for nihonshu — as it is called in Japanese...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 2, 2018

Speculating on the future of initial coin offerings

Governments are only now waking up to the need to regulate ICOs and their related tokens.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 27, 2018

Can lab meat feed — and save — the world?

'Clean meat' — produced without raising and slaughtering animals — could be the next food revolution.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 27, 2018

Rock act Joy Opposites detail infamous low points on ‘Find Hell’

When was the last time you found yourself "in hell"? For Adam Graham, frontman for Japanese rock act Joy Opposites, it was last year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Feb 25, 2018

Netflix is animated about anime

Netflix's director of anime, Taito Okiura, tells me he feels like a local baseball player who got drafted into the U.S. Major Leagues. Except, he doesn't play the sport.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 24, 2018

Kazuki Kaneshiro's Go: Strength and irony in the face of prejudice

One of the most memorable characters in modern Japanese literature is not Japanese. Sugihara, the 17-year-old narrator of "Go," by Kazuki Kaneshiro, is a third-generation Zainichi Korean in his last year of high school. Son of a North Korean ex-boxer and shrewdly adept at silencing bullies, Sugihara...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 22, 2018

India's choice in the Maldives

The crisis in Maldives is a defining moment for New Delhi as China encroaches on its traditional sphere of influence.
JAPAN
Feb 22, 2018

Scenarios abound for Japan getting dragged into a U.S.-China conflict: expert

Could a few tiny islets in the East China Sea help light the fire that sparks a wider conflagration in East Asia? What about preventive strikes on North Korean nuclear and missile sites? A collision near one of Beijing's man-made islands in the South China Sea?
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 20, 2018

The social media threat to society and security

Global regulation is needed to tame the growing menace that social media giants like Facebook and Google pose to the public and democracy.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 20, 2018

What does the U.S. want in Syria?

The complexity of the Syria situation has far surpassed the world's ability to master it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 20, 2018

Contemporary dance festival puts modern 'Genji' front and center

How do you make a thousand-year-old story resonate with an audience in Osaka today? Tell them that you plan to radically modernize one of the most famous literary works ever to come out of Japan to fit present concerns.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 20, 2018

I want to drink your blood: Vampire bat's genetic secrets revealed

If you want to know how vampire bats can survive on a diet that — as everyone knows — consists exclusively of blood, the answer is simple. It's in their genes.

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