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Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Apr 10, 2013

Pop tourism gains traction

Pre-flight shopping at Narita airport a couple of weeks ago, I passed a mannequin sporting a light-blue necktie and a turquoise wig with pig tails dangling down to its mini skirt. The vision spoke volumes: It was Hatsune Miku, of course, Japan's holographic, animated virtual pop star, beloved fashion...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Apr 8, 2013

Team Abe's grand plan leaves ghosts in charge of a haunted house

As I observe Team Abe in action at the helm of the Bank of Japan and elsewhere, a rather terrifying passage from a poem by William Hughes Mearns comes to mind:
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2013

Stubbornly shrinking workforce dims prospects for U.S. growth

Put out an all-points bulletin: Millions of Americans have gone missing from the workforce.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Apr 7, 2013

What's with the police purge on dance clubs?

If you're ever minded to dance the night away to trance music, or even old-fashioned rock, you may have a tough time finding a venue in Japan these days. In fact, you may end up waltzing away hours inside a police station, peeing into a cup after being rounded up in a raid. Yes, indeed, a War on Dance...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Apr 7, 2013

Many in Japan can't see the stars; some not even their home

Generally speaking, an architect's style is defined by particular forms or shapes. There's Frank Lloyd Wright's prominent horizontal lines, for instance; Le Corbusier's simple white boxes; or, more recently, the deliberately abstract masses of Frank Gehry — of Guggenheim Bilbao fame.
BASEBALL
Apr 7, 2013

High honor for Nagashima, Matsui

Shigeo Nagashima and Hideki Matsui both had legendary careers with the Yomiuri Giants, the latter also excelling in the major leagues after leaving the Giants. Now their accomplishments are being officially recognized with the People's Honor Award.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Apr 6, 2013

PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk: making the fury fly

My favorite story about Ingrid Newkirk, the founder and head of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), the animal-rights organization, involves her storming the dining room of the Four Seasons hotel in New York, depositing a dead raccoon on Anna Wintour's dinner plate and calling the veteran...
EDITORIALS
Apr 4, 2013

Japan Restoration Party platform

Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) flies dangerous colors at its first party convention, calling for constitutional revision of the no-war principle.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2013

Working around others who work works better

Yahoo!'s new CEO recently created a fuss when she no longer let employees work from home. Is her edict a step backward or a boon for creativity?
Japan Times
JAPAN / FORUM ON AFRICA-JAPAN RELATIONS
Mar 30, 2013

The evolution of Japan-Africa relations through TICAD

The fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) will be held in Yokohama from June 1 to 3 to discuss various issues regarding the continent with political and business leaders from around the world.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 28, 2013

New prenatal test in high demand but limited to risk cases

Testing will begin in Japan on a new, noninvasive prenatal test to check for chromosomal abnormalities, but it will be limited to pregnant women deemed at risk of having babies with Down syndrome or other disorders.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / JAPAN-CHINA RELATIONS SYMPOSIUM
Mar 26, 2013

Private sector urged to do more to help rebuild Japan-China relations

The private sector has a key role in the efforts to rebuild mutual trust between Japan and China as political disputes begin to affect economic relations, experts from the two countries said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Mar 23, 2013

Photography buff behind Japan Camera Hunter thrives in Tokyo, the capital of cameras

Bellamy Hunt's name is part of his business: Japan Camera Hunter, a one-man enterprise supporting film photo buffs around Asia and the world. His work mainly involves hunting down vintage cameras, whether an elusive early model Nikon or a classic Leica.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 20, 2013

Lift the veil of secrecy on U.S. drone program

The White House is still weaving on whether to share legal opinions on targeted killing, including justifications for killing U.S. citizens without trial.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 19, 2013

Finding common ground on the Senkakus dispute

The only realistic way to stabilize Japan-China relations is for both countries to go back to the idea of shelving the Senkaku Islands sovereignty issue.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 17, 2013

World records no joke to frustrated Pakistanis

One young contender created the world's largest sequin mosaic using 325,000 of the sparkly discs.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Mar 17, 2013

Ghosts of Cowra breakout haunt Japan to this day

Prisoner A: " 'Never live to experience the shame of being taken prisoner by the enemy' ... that's what the Imperial Japanese Military Regulations say, hence there must be no prisoners. So what's happening here now are the dreams of ghosts" — from "Cowra no Hancho Kaigi" ("Honchos' Meeting in Cowra")....
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2013

Prefectures dally over nuclear evacuation plans

If a disaster were to occur at one of Japan's 50 nuclear reactors, the most critically needed personnel in the minutes and hours immediately afterward might be bus drivers.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 14, 2013

Why more diversity won't mean more Democrats

The finding that as ethnic groups mix, voters tend to vote for more racially conservative candidates does not bode well for the U.S. Democratic Party.
WORLD
Mar 5, 2013

Many immigrants in America don't finish path to citizenship

For 13 years Rafael Cohen, an immigrant from Mexico, was eligible to become a citizen of the United States. But something held him back.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 4, 2013

Too high to drive? Pot-legal Colorado mulls blood-level limits

When is someone too stoned to drive?
WORLD
Mar 4, 2013

Research into gays emerges from shadows

Just a few salient facts are known about the Americans whose lives might be changed by a Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage expected this summer.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 3, 2013

The days may be numbered for English as a universal second language

How long will English last as a major world language? The answer must be: a very long time.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 27, 2013

Seniors forced to go it alone as ranks swell, housing eludes

Itoko Uchida, 82, was counting on the nephew she raised to support her in old age. He refused, forcing her to pay for a sponsor to join the 420,000-long line of Japanese waiting for a nursing home bed.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2013

Interviews with 'evil personified' reveal very different men

He shuffled into the room and stopped, plexiglass and cinderblocks framing his slight figure. He looked much as I remembered him from nearly a decade earlier: big eyes in a boyish face, a thin build, long fingers, waist chains. But his eyes, once cold and flat, had mellowed into something resembling...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 25, 2013

'Ponzi demography' as Singaporeans fear overpopulation bubble, burst

Singaporeans are raring to do something extraordinary: protest.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
Feb 19, 2013

Journey to Kenya turns writer's life on its head, spurs Africa fascination

It was a single visit to Kenya in 1972 that completely changed Michio Hiraiwa's philosophy on life. He fell in love with the country, and visited there 150 times over the past 40 years. Once a workaholic, Hiraiwa says he now leads a stress-free and relaxed life, visiting Kenya and Tanzania four times...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 18, 2013

Stay of execution?

Jerry Givens executed 62 people. His routine and conviction never wavered. He'd shave the person's head, lay his hand on the bald pate and ask for God's forgiveness for the condemned. Then, he would strap the person into Virginia's electric chair.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Feb 18, 2013

'Interruptions' gives form to invisible immigrants

As senators opened the immigration reform debate with a hearing Wednesday morning, spectral sentinels last seen in the Hollywood Hills and on Rodeo Drive began appearing on Capitol Hill.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight