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JAPAN
Feb 5, 2001

LDP exec rejects calls for sworn Diet testimony

The acting secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party on Sunday rejected calls to its members testify under oath about ties to KSD, a scandal-ridden mutual-aid foundation already responsible for the downfall of three LDP legislators.
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jan 27, 2001

The art of appreciating ceramics

In pottery, as with life, sometimes the most basic questions are the most important: Why is this so? Or, how did this happen? Or, what does this part mean?
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2001

Japan needs open, clear agenda in an age of life science

The 21st century will be called the century of life science. In fact, an enormous amount of money has already been reinvested for research in this field on a global scale. A representative example is the human genome project, which is closing in on the complete deciphering of human DNA. In addition,...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2001

Wanted: a leadership strategy

Japan has stepped into the 21st century under not-so-comfortable political circumstances. Public approval ratings for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori remain extremely low, and half of the nation's voters say they have no political party to support. While the government has launched one stimulus...
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2000

Science and politics expected to clash at COP6

Scientists agree that the Earth's atmosphere is getting warmer. There is consensus too that this warming will be the paramount environmental threat in the next century, as predictions see oceans swallowing beaches, tropical diseases spreading north and more species facing extinction.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Nov 2, 2000

Red Sox interested in bringing Ichiro to Fenway

With seven straight Pacific League batting titles and a lifetime average of .353 topping his resume, Orix BlueWave superstar Ichiro Suzuki is now preparing for life in the major leagues.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 17, 2000

Japanese will fight for rights

THE RITUAL OF RIGHTS IN JAPAN: Law, Society, and Health Policy, by Eric A. Feldman. Cambridge University Press, 2000, 219 pp., 14.95 British pounds (paper). Debunking myths is a noble endeavor, especially for scientists who are in the business of separating fact from fiction. The belief that Eric Feldman...
COMMENTARY / World
May 13, 2000

Democracy hangs in the balance in Iran

BEIRUT -- "For God's sake, tell me, is Islam a religion of violence or not?" begged a reader recently in the question-and-answer column of Musharekat, mouthpiece of the reformist forces headed by Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's brother Mohammad-Reza.
MULTIMEDIA / SPORTS SCOPE
May 11, 2000

Wanted: soccer manager for long-term relationship

Heard enough about Japan soccer boss Philippe Troussier recently? OK, I understand. Don't worry, this is not about him. Well, not much. Today, we go one step beyond to the big question: Who would be right for the job as coach of the Japanese soccer team, assuming it's not going to be Troussier?
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2000

Allies urge Japan to be Asian leader

As a regional and global power, could Tokyo have halted '97 crisis? The meltdown that started in Thailand in 1997 nearly brought the economies of East Asia to their knees. Why did it happen and how might a similar crisis be averted in the future? These and other questions were the focus of the March...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 5, 2000

Japan changes -- its own way

"Is Japan changing?" This is the question asked by virtually every recent visitor to Japan. The question reveals both the long-standing desire by many non-Japanese to see Japan change in fundamental ways and the heightened expectations fostered by years of hope-inducing Japanese rhetoric that the country...
JAPAN
Nov 9, 1999

Politicians brace for one-on-one Diet debate

Staff writer
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 21, 2023

Zelenskyy schedules a news conference, and a reporter’s day is turned upside down

A Japan Times reporter was supposed to help write a story on a trilateral meeting between Japan, the U.S. and South Korea. But the Ukrainian president's schedule changed everything.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 15, 2023

10 ways GPT-4 is impressive but still flawed

Although it’s an awfully good test taker, the system — from San Francisco startup OpenAI — is not on the verge of matching human intelligence.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 8, 2023

I can't believe it's not meat! Is lab-grown beef on Japanese menus?

This week, Oscar Boyd gives us a review of his cultured chicken meal and runs down the environmental implications of such an endeavor, while Tomoko Otake gets us caught up on where Japan stands in the great race to replicate beef.
A man stands atop a float holding a portable shrine at this year’s Sanja Festival in Tokyo.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 20, 2023

Why 2023 will be a deciding year for Japan’s iconic summer festivals

As the population gets older do we risk losing the summer festivals that make Japan unique?
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 25, 2023

Bigmotor chief to resign in wake of repair fraud scandal

Employees were found to have intentionally damaged the vehicles of some customers in order to charge excessive repair fees and make fraudulent insurance claims.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 26, 2023

A tale of two Fujis: Bullet climbs, crowds and Lizzo

With the borders fully open, Mount Fuji is all booked up and Fuji Rock is back in full force. Drew Damron and Patrick St. Michel join us on the podcast to discuss Japan’s two favorite Fujis.
A new high-rise is erected in Beijing in October 2021. The same year, 41% of the assets in China’s banking system were accounted for by property-related loans and credit.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2023

Is Japan’s economic past China’s future?

China is facing a long period of low growth similar to Japan’s experience since the 1990s.
A woman takes a picture of the poster for the new Hayao Miyazaki film, “The Boy and the Heron.”
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 2, 2023

Hayao Miyazaki’s confusing new masterpiece

Our critics Thu-Huong Ha and Matt Schley discuss what they thought of the new Hayao Miyazaki film, “The Boy and the Heron.”
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown takes a shot against the Miami Heat in the third quarter during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Miami on May 23.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2023

Could Saudi money be coming to the NBA, too?

Jaylen Brown just signed the richest contract in the league’s history, but there’ll probably be an ever bigger deal before long.
Paul Cezanne’s “Mont Saint-Victoire and Chateau Noir” (Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation)
CULTURE / Art
Aug 10, 2023

Artizon Museum considers the diverse legacy of abstract art

The Artizon’s overview showcases the huge diversity that non-figurative painting can encompass while illustrating how divisive a genre it can be.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 10, 2023

Why is modernizing Japan so darn tough?

Reporter Gabriele Ninivaggi joins us to break down how Japan’s digitalization hiccups risk exposing how backward things are.
The ocean has absorbed a whopping 90% of the warming that’s occurred in recent decades as a result of increasing greenhouse gases. Shipping is responsible for a large portion of those emissions, pumping out more than a billion tons in 2018.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 16, 2023

Shipping's quest for greener fuel runs into climate complications

Three-and-a-half years ago, a new rule was established to cut ships’ sulfur emissions. Yet some scientists have linked that to warmer ocean temperatures.
In 1990, there were five times as many men who had alcohol use disorder than women — now it’s two times, according to the director of a research institute on alcoholism and alcohol abuse.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2023

Women are drinking more alcohol and it’s killing them

Analysis of data from the CDC found that alcohol-related deaths among women increased by nearly 15% per year between 2018 and 2020.
Noah Lyles of the U.S. celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the Men's 4x100m final at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 28, 2023

Noah Lyles takes tentative steps into Usain Bolt's big shoes

The question now is whether Lyles will be able to continue his fine form into next year's Paris Olympics.
Taliban security personnel in Kabul on Aug. 15. So far, U.S. President Joe Biden has not decided to restore any U.S. support to Afghanistan, despite the country's worsening humanitarian crisis.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 31, 2023

Two years after exit, Biden resists calls for more Taliban contact

Some analysts and U.S. officials had clung to the hope that the Taliban had moderated since they last controlled Afghanistan in the 1990s.
Ukrainian soldiers with the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade after firing a DANA, a wheeled 152 mm self-propelled artillery gun, at a Russian target in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, on Aug. 26.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 2, 2023

As Ukraine fight grinds on, talk of negotiations becomes taboo

Discussion of a Plan B, should Ukraine fail to win a total victory, has become more fraught than ever, say those who have tried.
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2023

Education ministry asks court to fine Unification Church

The ministry has requested the Unification Church to report on more than 500 items on seven occasions in total, with the group refusing on some issues.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin shakes hands with India's Defense chief Gen. Anil Chauhan during a reception in New Delhi in June.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 9, 2023

India’s military studying options for any China-Taiwan war

Defense chief Gen. Anil Chauhan — India’s top military commander — commissioned a study to examine the wider impact of any war over the island.

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