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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Jun 25, 2017

Director Sunao Katabuchi shares his corner of this world

Last summer saw the release of what would become the highest grossing Japanese animation film to date, Makoto Shinkai's "Your Name.," which was also the country's top box-office draw of 2016. The surprise hit's main characters are a pair of body-swapping teenagers. A survey conducted by the Fields Research...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 24, 2017

Sticky bonds of the media and government

Last month, the United Nations Human Rights Council released a report critical of the Japanese government. The author, David Kaye, expressed concern over the way the media is pressured by the authorities to support their policies. The government objected to the report, saying it has never tried to sway...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jun 24, 2017

Nobuko Kiyomiya: Judging a bookbinder in France by her covers

Kiyomiya is keeping alive a way of thinking about books that may be finding itself under threat in our world of Kindles.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 24, 2017

The politics of religious hatemongering in India

The irresistible urge to mix politics and religion usually comes at the expense of secularism, tolerance and vulnerable minorities. We saw this recently in Asia with extremist Islamic groups spewing anti-Chinese hate speech to defeat the incumbent governor of Jakarta, the ebbing tide of secularism in...
CULTURE / Books
Jun 24, 2017

'Discover Sumo: Stories from Yobidashi Hideo': A jack-of-all-trades sheds light on the sport

The rituals, theatrical constructs and sartorial styles connected to this ancient martial art may seem visually arresting to the uninitiated, but as "Discover Sumo" tells us, there is much more to Japan's national sport than meets the eye.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2017

North Korea's real strategy

The idea that North Korea will abandon its weapons programs in exchange for the promise of security and regime survival has been tested has failed whenever it has been tested.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2017

The U.S.-Russia game of chicken will end in tears

The stakes are rising to perilous levels in the international rivalry between Moscow and Washington.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jun 21, 2017

Deafening silence from U.S. government as Okinawa defoliants quietly destroy children's futures

Lt. Col. Kris E. Roberts, who found dozens of barrels of hazardous waste buried at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in 1981, reflects on the consequences of that discovery.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 21, 2017

Which members of the Abe Cabinet deserve to be fired?

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has multiple reasons to pick this moment for a Cabinet reshuffle.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 20, 2017

A smoke-free Tokyo as an Olympic legacy

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike has vowed to make the capital a smoke-free metropolis in time for hte 2020 Games if her party and its allies secure a majority in the July 2 election.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2017

Remembering Helmut Kohl's unfinished business

The late German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was the man who put German history to bed, and helped lay the groundwork for the current confrontation between Russia and the West.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 18, 2017

Japan’s 'kanban' are still hanging in there

Little information remains about the personal life of the artisan Kojiro Shimizu. His personality and interests, his passions and motivations — all are shrouded in mystery. What we know is that he worked in Kyoto in the late 19th and early 20th century and that he appeared to be on good terms with...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Jun 18, 2017

Japan? The land of opportunity? Really?

The most common question you'll likely be asked upon making a new Japanese acquaintance is "Why did you come to Japan?" In 13 years here I've been asked this question by our hosts hundreds of times.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 18, 2017

Democrats' Russian obsession makes them look dumb

The Democrats are right about one thing: There's lots of smoke. They're wrong about the type of fire.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jun 17, 2017

Living through the golden years has lost its sheen

A man in his 80s suffering mild dementia (the story is courtesy of Shukan Gendai magazine) is cared for by his wife, also in her 80s. She's exhausted. Caregiving drains the prime of life, let alone the end of it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Jun 17, 2017

Tracing the decline of a beautiful Japan

Two irreconcilable views of patriotism were given their classic expressions by two Englishmen: Lord Byron, the poet (1788-1824), and Dr. Johnson, the lexicographer and jack-of-all-literary-trades (1709-84). Byron said, "He who loves not his country can love nothing." And Johnson: "Patriotism is the last...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Jun 14, 2017

Conspiracy theory becomes frightening reality for Japan

So-called conspiracy legislation massively expands the state's coercive powers, with few checks in place to prevent abuse.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 13, 2017

Sean 'Diddy' Combs ousts Taylor Swift as highest-paid global entertainer

Rapper and music producer Sean "Diddy" Combs was named the world's highest-paid entertainer on Monday, ousting pop singer Taylor Swift who fell to 49th place on the Forbes annual list.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 12, 2017

Trump-like 'Julius Caesar' production prompts Delta, Bank of America to pull sponsorship

Delta Air Lines and Bank of America pulled financial support on Sunday for the Shakespeare in the Park production of "Julius Caesar" in New York over its portrayal of the assassinated ancient Roman leader that resembles U.S. President Donald Trump.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 10, 2017

'Slow Boat': Hideo Furukawa beats Haruki Murakami at his own game

Comparing a Japanese writer with Haruki Murakami is the laziest move a reviewer can make, but with "Slow Boat," Hideo Furukawa leaves critics no choice.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2017

Local leaders question effectiveness of evacuation drills amid North Korea threat

As Japan plays up evacuation drills to prepare for North Korean missile strikes, people begin to question their practicality.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 9, 2017

Pleasure and peril: How to climb Mount Fuji in the off-season

I first climbed Mount Fuji in the summer of 2015, a dizzying ascent up the northeastern Yoshida trail accompanied by a group of friends from university who were as keen as I to summit Japan's tallest mountain.
Reader Mail
Jun 9, 2017

Thai government objects to column

Regarding the column by Pavin Chachavalpongpun in the June 3 edition, while Thailand respects freedom of opinion and expression, this right has to be exercised responsibly in order to protect the rights and reputation of others.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 8, 2017

How Trump might avoid criminal prosecution for obstruction

Did President Donald Trump obstruct justice? That is the question that will animate Thursday's Senate testimony by ousted FBI Director James Comey.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 8, 2017

The age of blowback terror

Western powers should resist the temptation to intervene and instead work systematically to discredit the ideology of Islamist extremism.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 6, 2017

A fresh look at the long war in Afghanistan

The war in Afghanistan has hardly been mentioned in the early months of the Trump administration. This must change.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jun 6, 2017

Cavs GM Griffin may be on way out; Clippers wise to get West

See, maybe the Cavs shouldn't have traded Andrew Wiggins after all. David Griffin may pay for that with his job, though it's highly unlikely it was his idea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 5, 2017

Abe's clean energy opportunity

By supporting new generations of renewable-energy startups Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could create the millions of high-paying jobs that have eluded his Abenomics push.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami