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Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 24, 2016

Marketing push for Hokkaido Shinkansen blasts off

As Japan gets ready for the start of the new Hokkaido Shinkansen on March 26, many companies are launching marketing tie-ups — with some odd results.
EDITORIALS
Mar 23, 2016

The shinkansen reaches Hokkaido

It remains to be seen whether the latest extension of the shinkansen network will bring economics benefits to Japan's northernmost island.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Mar 23, 2016

Halilhodzic looking to stoke competition in World Cup qualifiers

Japan should have little trouble clinching its place in the final round of 2018 World Cup qualifiers when it faces Afghanistan and Syria over the coming week, but manager Vahid Halilhodzic will nonetheless be looking to lay down a marker for the year ahead.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / NOTEBOOK
Mar 22, 2016

Children's library opens; Tribute to classic art

Children's library opens
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 21, 2016

Japan backs homegrown stealth jet in aerospace industry revival

Japan is set to become the fourth country to test-fly its own stealth jet — a move that is likely to increase its military presence in the region.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Mar 21, 2016

Ise Shrine becomes social media savvy ahead of G-7 summit

Photos of a dimly lit Uji Bridge at night, sacred horses walking on the front approach to the shrine, artists performing court music and dance.
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Mar 20, 2016

Razing of wrecked homes lagging badly as Fukushima residents ponder return

The central government is covering the demolition costs for disaster-hit homes in Fukushima Prefecture, but 70 percent of the razing requests have not been completed.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 18, 2016

U.S. sees Chinese activity at reef seized from Philippines

The United States has seen Chinese activity around a reef that China seized from the Philippines nearly four years ago that could be a precursor to more land reclamation in the disputed South China Sea, the U.S. Navy chief said Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 18, 2016

Nintendo finds a hit with its new social app, Miitomo

Nintendo Co.'s foray into smartphones is off to a good start.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 16, 2016

The transformative power of Japan's 'magical girls'

There is one surprising thing about Japan's male-dominated — some may say rabidly misogynistic — society: manga and anime support women. True, there are plenty of examples to the contrary (take a short stroll through any Akihabara anime shop if you need proof). But at the same time, the modern Japanese...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 16, 2016

'The Decline of Western Civilization' is a punk masterpiece

The Sex Pistols played their final gig at San Francisco's Winterland in January 1978. About a year later, Sid Vicious died from an overdose, and so did punk rock — according to the music magazines. The Pistols' chaotic tour of America, however, had dropped like a stone in a still pond, and the ripples...
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 15, 2016

U.S. military build up in Australia's north 'natural evolution,' top RAAF official says

Australians should view a growing U.S. military presence as a "natural evolution" as the strategic alliance between the two countries comes to grips with rising tensions in the South China Sea, Royal Australian Air Force chief Leo Davies said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 15, 2016

Looking forward through photography

The spectacular landscapes left by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami have been used as source material by photographers to an extraordinary degree. Yes, using the words "spectacular" and "landscape" here may seem indecent, but this is one of many difficult issues that arise when photography...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Mar 13, 2016

Wi-Fi leaps higher in speed, range

To support the explosive growth of information and communications technology, wireless Internet connectivity is now considered essential infrastructure and is sometimes referred to as the fourth utility, after electricity, water and gas.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 12, 2016

Recurring views of Tokyo's utopian dream

When the Nakagin Capsule Tower opened in Tokyo in 1972, it embodied the energy and optimism of Japan's postwar boom. Considered architect Kisho Kurokawa's opus, its completion was also a major moment in the development of metabolism, the much publicized Japanese avant-garde architectural movement that...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 12, 2016

Sorry Tesla, but China wants golf carts

For a variety of reasons, ranging from affordability to size, low-speed electric vehicles are taking off in China.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 11, 2016

Fighters phenom Otani keeping calm in eye of storm

Shohei Otani might as well be stepping into the swirling winds of a tempest each time he takes the mound for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 11, 2016

Amid South China Sea spat, Japan foreign aid white paper stresses importance of sea lanes

Tokyo renews its commitment to the ASEAN in its annual report on foreign aid, stressing the importance of safe sea lanes.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Mar 10, 2016

Looking for comfort in art following the Great East Japan Earthquake

In her film "Heart of a Dog," the American artist Laurie Anderson explores loss as exemplified by the death of a loved one. A recurring theme is the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, an incident that profoundly changed the way New Yorkers like Anderson confronted their environment....
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 9, 2016

Suzuki touts India-made car's quality at parity with Japan

Suzuki Motor Corp., shipping India-built cars to Japan for the first time, said plants in its biggest market are now capable of making vehicles at the same level of quality as factories at home.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2016

Norwegian woman picked to lead cherry blossom festival featuring Edo Period costumes

A 27-year-old Norwegian national has become the first Western female ever to be chosen to play a leading role at a cherry blossom festival in the city of Tsubame, Niigata Prefecture, which features women dressed as high-class Edo Period (1603-1868) courtesans.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 8, 2016

Fujiwara wants the dirt to stick

White often seems to be used in contemporary art in Japan as a kind of short cut to signify "beauty," "purity" or "spirituality." Simon Fujiwara's show "White Day" at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery is, as the title suggests, overwhelmingly white, but it's designed not to stay that way.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 8, 2016

'Paris Haute Couture: The Only Gown in the World'

March 4-May 22
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 8, 2016

Chinese foreign minister accuses Japanese government of 'double dealing'

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused Japan of "double dealing," as tensions linger between Asia's two biggest economies over disputed islands and Japanese officials join international criticism of China's efforts to build artificial islands in disputed waters.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Mar 7, 2016

With new toe-operated fan, students put their best feet forward

Three students at Aichi Prefectural Toyohashi Technical High School have designed a new type of standing fan that can be operated by using one's toes — and it's set to be produced and sold nationwide this spring.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 6, 2016

Japanese bands plan overseas spring offensive

TV Asahi's weekly "Music Station" program has rarely served as a staging ground for exciting young domestic acts in recent years. It has been more of an opportunity to gawk at Johnny's boy bands and test how many members of AKB48 can fit on the interview bench.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 2, 2016

Why N.Y. judge's decision is huge win for Apple

A New York judge's ruling is a milestone in the ongoing debate over privacy and national security.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Mar 2, 2016

The drama of work: Exploring Japan's 'oshigoto' genre

There's a genre in Japanese fiction called oshigoto (work). It has been around for a while, but after the disasters of March 11, 2011, it really took off — perhaps we realized that the only thing going for us was a willingness to work our backsides off.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.