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Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 25, 2017

Reassessing the negative impact of hosting the 2020 Olympics

The estimated cost of the 2020 Olympic Games has increased astronomically since Tokyo won the right to host it. On Dec. 22, Asahi Shimbun reported that the estimated price could be as much as ¥1.8 trillion. The original bid estimate for constructing new Olympic venues was ¥499 billion and that is now...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Mar 12, 2017

Militant approach to collecting fees hurts JASRAC's reputation

At the start of 2017, it was hard to imagine a way that the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) could garner more hate from social media users than its already received. The music copyright management organization has long been one of the most loathed institutions...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 9, 2017

What path will Japan take?

Japan's continuing importance should not need restating, but its future prospects are not so clear.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2017

North Korean missile drill simulated targeting Iwakuni base, analysis shows

A new open-source intelligence analysis of North Korean media by missile experts has shown what appears to be the hypothetical target of Monday's test-launches: the U.S. base at Iwakuni.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 26, 2017

No welcome for refugees

The milk of human kindness toward refugees has soured across the world.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 25, 2017

Premium Friday is not about taking a holiday

The anonymous writer of Asahi Shimbun's finance-related Keizai Kishodai column pointed out in the Feb. 18 edition that Japanese people only think of time off on a day-by-day basis, whereas Europeans tend to conceptualize it in week-long blocks, as 'vacations.'
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 22, 2017

Abe's golf diplomacy with Trump scores on the home front

Playing golf and dining al fresco in Florida with Donald Trump won Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plaudits from the Japanese public, suggesting a more pragmatic view toward engagement with the new U.S. president than in Europe and North America.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 18, 2017

'Homecomings: The Belated Return of Japan's Lost Soldiers': Portraits of lives transformed by war

It's staggering to think that, at the end of the Pacific War, almost 7 million Japanese servicemen and civilians were awaiting repatriation in various parts of Asia.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Feb 16, 2017

Troubled swimmer Hackett found after being reported missing

Australian swimming great Grant Hackett has been found safe and sound after being reported missing on Thursday, the triple Olympic champion's father Neville said.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 11, 2017

Foreign workers: Should they stay or should they go?

As the rest of the world debated the ramifications of U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban on persons from seven Muslim-majority countries last week, Japan was notably silent.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 9, 2017

Syria bombs rebel-held Homs neighborhood; civilians among at least eight killed

Syrian government jets bombed a rebel-held district of Homs city in the west of the country on Wednesday, killing several people, rescue workers and a monitoring group reported.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 8, 2017

China halts construction at major Lotte project amid THAAD tension

South Korea's Lotte Group said Chinese authorities have halted construction at a multibillion dollar real estate project in the northeastern city of Shenyang after a fire inspection.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 5, 2017

North Korea offers first foreign test to Trump administration

As U.S. President Donald Trump grapples with domestic crises and transition issues, the country that is widely seen as representing his largest foreign policy challenge is gearing up some 10,000 km away to test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the United States.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jan 24, 2017

Trump's election is bad news for human rights in China

If Donald Trump doesn't care about human rights, why should Beijing?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 15, 2017

Malaysian communities in denial after major pedophile case, police say

More than six months after Richard Huckle was sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing scores of children, most of the families in the Malaysian communities where he lived are declining counseling and other help, police say.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2017

Japan's hair salons reaching out to expats, tourists and international students

It takes a little courage to go to hair salons when living overseas. Without knowing where to go and what stylist has which specialty, you can wind up gambling with your style.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jan 10, 2017

From Iceland to Maldives, Chinese seek 'lung-cleansing' trips

Toxic haze that settled over much of China during the last three weeks has triggered a flight reflex among residents, leading to the rising popularity of smog avoidance travel packages to far-flung locations such as Iceland and Antarctica.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Jan 3, 2017

Release and renewal: Ando's life full of joy, challenges

Freed from the constraints of competition, retired athletes often change directions. Some go into business, a few into TV, others into coaching or various endeavors.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 31, 2016

Why Abe's Russian gambit is doomed

Say what you will about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, he is a glutton for punishment. Too bad his bravado is not matched by canny discernment. Case in point is his plan to visit Russian President Vladimir Putin to follow up on the recent fiasco in Japan. In December, Abe came away from his 24 hours with...
Reader Mail
Dec 30, 2016

More info needed on illegal drugs

Regarding the story "Aska released on evidence claim" in the Dec. 21 edition, Japan's entire notion of drug use has been completely off the scale for too long.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2016

Charges of Russian hacking fall flat without evidence

Why are the very same media outlets that let themselves get duped 13 years ago dutifully transcribing what amounts to nothing more than unsubstantiated allegations?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 18, 2016

Japan's pop music scene saw a power struggle in 2016

Media, both domestic and overseas, spent a lot of time focused on the streaming services arriving in Japan in 2016. Months of "Can these platforms thrive in CD-loving Japan?" speculation reached a climax in September, when global market leader Spotify finally debuted here. There was a big press conference,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 17, 2016

Undercover journalist infiltrates Uniqlo

In her Dec. 14 Tokyo Shimbun column, media critic Minako Saito mentioned how the press is excited about the buzzword of the year and the kanji of the year. They are much less interested in another annual prize, the Black Company Award for the firm that most egregiously exploits workers. The nominations...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 16, 2016

China's Liaoning aircraft carrier conducts first ever live-fire drill as Beijing shows off military might

China's first and only aircraft carrier battle group has carried out its first-ever live-fire drills — a show of force amid ongoing tensions in the region — the Defense Ministry announced late Thursday.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 10, 2016

Japan's humble school lunch: social leveler and sacred cow

Beyond the inculcation of good eating habits and an appreciation of wholesome food, Japan's school lunch program stresses the importance of community and helps children understand their responsibilities within the group.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2016

Trump learned the wrong lessons from Asia

If Donald Trump dislikes China so much, why has he embraced policies that would be at home in Beijing?
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2016

Why are the fish in China disappearing?

China's efforts to regulate food safety are falling woefully short.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 29, 2016

Plane carrying Brazil's Chapecoense soccer team crashes in Colombia, 76 dead

Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense, heading for the biggest game in their history, were on board a plane that crashed into Colombian jungle, killing 76 people, police said on Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 25, 2016

Six reasons why Trump's win wasn't a surprise

As with any large-scale disaster, the ascent of a spectacularly unqualified buffoon to the most powerful political office on Earth came about as the result of numerous system failures and operator errors.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Nov 19, 2016

Don't rule out a Trump-style revolt against Tokyo

The shock of Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election has people both in that country and overseas trying to figure out what happened. Plenty of praise — and blame — is being directed at individuals in both the Republican and Democratic campaigns, as experts point to a host of social...

Longform

Construction equipment sits idle in a park near Shiba Toshogu shrine in Tokyo's Minato Ward. While Japan has a history of treating its trees with reverence, green coverage is said to be lacking in most of the major cities.
Do Japan's trees no longer occupy the sacred space they used to?