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Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / 2022 in Review
Dec 29, 2022

Kizuna AI's departure marked a new era for virtual stars in 2022

Fans were shocked when the pioneering digital character stepped down in February, but virtual YouTubers are still proving to be one of Japan's strongest pop culture exports.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 24, 2022

U.S. House approves Ukraine aid including arms after Zelenskyy visit

The aid measure passed by the U.S. House, part of a $1.66 trillion government funding bill that won Senate approval a day earlier, will now go to U.S. President Joe Biden.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 23, 2022

'Armed with English': Ukraine soldiers take language lessons

Lessons are practical — giving soldiers words like 'wounded,' 'semi-automatic' and 'cache' as well as phrases such as 'killed in action.'
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2022

Watchdog OKs new rules to allow Japan's nuclear plants to operate beyond 60 years

The move comes as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pushes continued use of older nuclear plants in the years ahead to meet national carbon reduction goals.
Japan Times
Special Supplements
Dec 12, 2022

NHK Top Docs tells powerful stories about the world around us

Documentaries explore, preserve and publicize history in immersive ways so that we can learn from it. That’s why NHK Top Docs, a free streaming service provided by NHK World-Japan, is such an important project. With all the resources of Japan’s public broadcaster behind it, NHK Top Docs introduces...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 8, 2022

‘Dr. Coto's Clinic 2022’: Heartwarming drama offers predictable prognosis

Much of the original cast from Fuji TV's 2003 drama “Dr. Koto's Clinic” return for this feature film about the highs and lows of life as an island physician.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 4, 2022

Firebrand poet Rin Ishigaki speaks for modern women in 'This Overflowing Light'

Poet Rin Ishigaki may not have been as prolific as some of her contemporaries such as Makoto Ooka and Shuntaro Tanikawa, but she occupies a unique space in Japanese poetry with her affinity for elevating the familiar and her pragmatic take on the human condition.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Dec 4, 2022

Ryuichi Sakamoto keeps the music going with a 'profound' concert

The upcoming “Playing the Piano 2022” concert will showcase a musician still exploring new horizons while contemplating the finiteness of life.
Japan Times
LIFE
Nov 28, 2022

Beauty over brains: Japan’s skin-deep university pageants

The contests perpetuate a culture that often places women in rigid gender roles, and have seen some contestants face abuse and harassment from organizers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Nov 28, 2022

Lululemon leader takes change and runs with it

Tudor took the helm at lululemon Japan in March 2020. Since opening its first Japanese store in 2020 in Roppongi, the athleisure brand has expanded to eight locations in Tokyo, Osaka and Shizuoka. The latest addition is the Aoyama store, which just opened this month.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 27, 2022

Stephanie Crohin: 'Public baths are a force for good when it comes to body positivity'

When you enter a public bath, you leave your phone in a locker and the outside world behind. It's like stepping into a new world, and Stephanie Crohin is your ambassador.
BASEBALL
Nov 25, 2022

‘Mr. Baseball’ endures as go-to resource for players headed to Japan

Many who accept offers to play in Japan will surely prepare for the experience the same way those before them have for 30 years: by watching 'Mr. Baseball.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 25, 2022

Kah Wai Lim's ode to Japanese mini-theaters gets meta

The director's new film, 'Your Lovely Smile,' is a love letter to indie cinema that doubles as a plea for help to keep struggling theaters open.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Nov 24, 2022

China’s grandparents are done babysitting and ready to go viral

Rapping grannies, crooning 70-year-olds and gamers in their 80s are challenging traditional Chinese views about aging and what it means to have a long and happy life.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2022

Pfizer’s RSV vaccine succeeds where others failed

Early data bodes well for Pfizer's RSV shot, which would be given during pregnancy to protect infants in the early months of life.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 16, 2022

Japan’s changing nuclear energy policy

Under the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan has sharply altered its thinking on nuclear power.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Nov 15, 2022

Tyson Fury says need to stay 'sane' behind retirement U-turn

The 34-year-old reversed his decision several times before confirming he would defend his title in an all-British bout against Derek Chisora in December.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 10, 2022

Event broadens reach of traditional theater

“For over a thousand years, noh theater has been consistently expressing a prayer for peace,” said Manjiro Tatsumi, a Hosho School shite-kata (lead actor) and a designated Important Intangible Cultural Property, at the explanatory session of the 18th Tokyo Dai Takigi Noh (Noh by Firelight).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 10, 2022

'2 Women': Shinobu Terajima shines as celebrated novelist

The actress gives a luminous performance as a fictional version of Jakucho Setouchi, an author turned Buddhist nun, in Ryuichi Hiroki's biopic.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Nov 7, 2022

‘Plastic-free’: Fukuoka man's monthlong project highlights wider waste issue

A Fukuoka man has shared his quest to buy products in reusable containers to avoid single-use plastic.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Nov 1, 2022

Despite uncertain future, Ukrainian children slowly adapt to Japanese schools

With the end of the war and the length of their time in Japan unclear, parents are facing a tough decision on how strongly to have their children embrace the study of Japanese.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 30, 2022

Man faces charge of attempted murder after attack on Nancy Pelosi's spouse

The incident stoked fears about political violence less than two weeks ahead of U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 8.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Oct 24, 2022

Second generation of Unification Church followers begin to speak out

Growing up constrained by the church's doctrine and expected to act as role models for believers, some children suffer when trying to seek their own religious freedom.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2022

Who gets the last word on Steve Jobs? He might.

Some historians are wondering if Steve Jobs' widow is trying to frame the legacy of her late husband, a complicated and transformational figure who was shadowed by his flaws.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 23, 2022

Using adoptions, Moscow turns Ukrainian children into spoils of war

Soldiers took children from orphanages and group homes to be adopted in Russia — but they also took children whose relatives or guardians want them back.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 19, 2022

Do you know how much a kid will cost you?

Parents can no longer afford to just 'figure it out' as they go when it comes to the financial expense of having kids.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 11, 2022

So you want to work remotely: a guide

As more employers offer flexibility, countries, travel brands and entrepreneurs are stepping in to make working from anywhere easier, with everything from special visas to work pods.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 7, 2022

Go For Kogei: The evolution of Hokuriku's crafts, art and nature

The craft-art festival, which takes place at three historical temples and shrines, showcases how the region's history and artisanal works are closely intertwined.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 5, 2022

Deep Dive is back! And the climate crisis is still a problem.

Oscar Boyd, Hanae Takahashi and Eric Margolis join new Deep Dive host Shaun McKenna to talk about how people in Japan get their climate news and what we need to do as citizens to aid in the fight.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 2, 2022

Facing a dire storm forecast in Florida, some officials delayed evacuation

The delay, an apparent violation of the meticulous evacuation strategy one county had crafted for just such an emergency, may have contributed to catastrophic consequences.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years