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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 14, 2015

Chinese media crucial in public diplomacy effort

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently had a cameo in the animated adult cartoon "South Park." In the episode, Xi (not the real Xi) revealed that Japan decides "who is gay or not" in Asia. The character also said the Japanese "are dogs who refuse not apologize to the Chinese Republic" and then kissed...
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Nov 14, 2015

Get the goods on manga and anime

Back in the Stone Age of streaming media, the most notorious and popular of pirate anime websites suddenly went legit. In January 2009, after securing distribution agreements with Japanese studios, and a licensing deal with TV Tokyo that included episodes of the global hit series Naruto Shippuden, the...
EDITORIALS
Nov 14, 2015

Problems with Ikata plant restart

Many concerns remain about the safety of the Ikata nuclear plant in Ehime Prefecture and the feasibility of the evacuation plans, but the governor has given his approval to restart the facility anyway.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 13, 2015

Nuclear power — an issue so prominent, it glows in the dark

Walking into Ken + Julia Yonetani's "Wishes" is like stepping into a bad dream. The room is illuminated by hanging chandeliers, their green light eerily flickering against black walls, as Disney's "It's a Small World" repeatedly plays in the background. This first Tokyo solo show for the husband-and-wife...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Nov 11, 2015

Mr. Cherry, Japan's No. 1 record-breaker, is 'officially amazing'

Cherry Yoshitake has broken more world records than any other Japanese person, but there's every chance you've never heard of him.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 10, 2015

A photo finish between ukiyo-e and the camera

The idea for the smart, complex and challenging exhibition "From Ukiyo-e to Photography" at the Edo-Tokyo Museum started from the discovery of two images. One is a photograph of the Meiji-Era (1867-1912) Minister of Home Affairs Toshimichi Okubo, taken in Paris in 1878. The second is a color ukiyo-e...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 10, 2015

Seduced by the Undercover labyrinth

It's undeniable that when designer Jun Takahashi founded Undercover — which celebrates its 25th anniversary with its first retrospective at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery — he was strongly influenced by the pioneers of deconstruction fashion Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto. His first few collections...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 10, 2015

SeaWorld will phase out San Diego orca show

SeaWorld said on Monday it plans to replace its signature "Shamu" killer whale shows in San Diego with displays focused on "conservation," after grappling with sagging attendance and years of criticism over treatment of the captive marine mammals.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Nov 9, 2015

Taxi firm hopes to have driverless cabs on the road by 2020

By the time Tokyo hosts the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2020, self-driving cars may be a feature on Japan's roads as local automakers work to develop the technology in the next five years.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 9, 2015

Aichi NPO goes extra mile with language support for non-Japanese kids

Aichi Prefecture, where manufacturing businesses are heavily concentrated, currently has the largest number of young non-Japanese students in the country. There are 6,300 such students in the prefecture and the number of students requiring Japanese language support is increasing every year.
Japan Times
BASEBALL
Nov 7, 2015

Premier 12 begins with Japan-South Korea clash

One day before the inaugural Premier 12 debuts, Japan national baseball team manager Hiroki Kokubo and South Korea skipper Kim In-sik addressed the media at a Sapporo hotel on Saturday evening.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Nov 6, 2015

"Star Wars" droid cakes are invading Ginza Cozy Corner

The new "Star Wars" film is being advertised with full force, and Japanese confectionery store Ginza Cozy Corner has joined in with a new series of sweets themed on the classic trilogy.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2015

Hebocon a venue for low-tech, crude robots that personify their makers

A new robot revolution is threatening to take over the world — as long as the glue and tape hold together long enough.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Nov 5, 2015

TV presenter Bungyou Dan recommends studying a country's culture to learn its language

NHK announcer and Chinese instructor Bungyou Dan believes learning about the culture and history of a country can help develop language skills, particularly when it comes to her mother tongue. So perhaps a visit to the Tokyo National Museum to see the "Terracotta Army" would be a good place to start?...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 5, 2015

Japan Post's epochal IPO

Japan Post's $12 billion listing is a symbol of the bold change that needs to be embraced to rejuvenate Asia's second largest economy.
EDITORIALS
Nov 3, 2015

China loses a 'lawfare' skirmish

An international arbitration tribunal's decision provides South China Sea claimants with an opportunity to breathe new life into negotiations designed to turn the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea into a real code of conduct.
Japan Times
JAPAN / AT A GLANCE
Nov 3, 2015

Historic Tokyo working-class restaurants find gourmet demand for offal, loaches

JR Hamamatsucho Station is a busy thoroughfare for Tokyo's jet set because of its link to Haneda airport and for tourists heading to Tokyo Tower and Zojoji Temple.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 2, 2015

University-affiliated startup revolutionizes the electron beam

A Nagoya University-affiliated venture firm has created a next-generation electron beam device, signaling a landmark shift in the way electron microscopes and 3-D printers operate.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Nov 1, 2015

Tackle embedded racism before it chokes Japan

Japan has a dire problem it must address immediately: its embedded racism.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 1, 2015

Quiet East China Sea ADIZ highlights Beijing's struggle to control contested waters

As the battle for control of the South China Sea heats up, Beijing's struggle to assert its authority over another disputed waterway may prove instructive.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2015

Retailers far from spooked as Japan's interest in Halloween grows

With Halloween conveniently falling on a Saturday this year, retailers are hoping to further capitalize on an event that by one estimate will generate ¥122 billion in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 29, 2015

The gorgeous world of Japanese gore

Zerai Naoi makes his living by keeping gore hounds fed on a shoestring budget. If you want to sample his work, it helps to have a strong stomach.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 28, 2015

Killing time at the Tokyo International Film Festival

Covering a film festival can turn anyone into a stickler for scheduling. Key screenings and Q&A sessions always seem to overlap and priorities collide. Do you stick with the stodgy Japanese biopic that you're supposed to be writing about, or sneak out halfway through to go watch something more entertaining?...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TOKYO MOTOR SHOW 2015
Oct 28, 2015

Nissan hopes to attract youth

Nissan Motor Co. is highlighting its Teatro for Dayz, an innovative concept that signals a new direction in mobile technology at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show 2015.
BUSINESS / TOKYO MOTOR SHOW 2015
Oct 28, 2015

BMW set to debut newest M car

BMW has chosen the Tokyo Motor Show 2015 for the world premiere of the BMW M4 GTS. Celebrating its Asian premiere, meanwhile, is the new, luxurious BMW 7 Series containing a host of innovations never before seen in automotive construction. Likewise making their Asian debut are the completely newly designed...
BUSINESS / TOKYO MOTOR SHOW 2015
Oct 28, 2015

Fiat Chrysler unveils latest models

The Japanese unit of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will display eight models, two each from four brands — Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Jeep and Abarth at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 27, 2015

Youth lost on isles of rage and doubts

'The person I hate most is my mother. Because she gave birth to me, I have to walk toward old age and death," Barcelona-born Angelica Liddell declared during a recent trip to Japan, her dress soft, smooth and elegant in stark contrast to her harsh sentiment.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 27, 2015

Sakanaction's Ichiro Yamaguchi plays with rare sound system on upcoming TV show

The Nov. 1 broadcast of "Jonetsu Tairiku" will feature the rare use of a binaural recording system on television — essentially, 3-D for your ears.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan