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COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 16, 2022

Can Kishida’s ‘new capitalism’ help Japan’s workers?

What is remarkable about Kishida's new capitalism is that the LDP is the very party that brought neoliberalism to Japan in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 12, 2019

Does Japan have a global environmental strategy?

As the world's attention turns to climate change, Japan is in prime position to lead.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Apr 22, 2018

Me Too rises in Japan as sexually harassed journalists speak out

Women journalists in Japan join the growing ranks of the Me Too movement following allegations of sexual harassment at high levels.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Jul 1, 2016

YouTube poses unique challenges for Japan Sumo Association

Every few days, year-round, I receive emails from foreign visitors to Japan asking just how to gain access to morning training sessions at one of the sport's (current) 44 stables.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 15, 2015

Japan needs geopolitical skills

As long as Japan lacks a resolute strategy and prudent foreign policy, it risks becoming a strategic pawn in someone else's game.
Japan Times
LIFE
Sep 28, 2013

Camera artist casts new light on Jomon millennia

The Jomon Period of Japanese history is so shrouded in the mists of time that any bid to fathom its secrets stretches even the usual bounds of prehistoric archeology. Yet as amateurs and experts alike have continued unearthing examples of Jomon pottery and stone tools for more than a century, the pieces of the puzzle are gradually coming together.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
May 30, 2010

Pearl farmers look to satoumi to save their way of life

One bright blue February afternoon, Akira Harajo stood on a concrete pier and surveyed Mie Prefecture's Ago Bay. With dyed black hair, a zippered sports shirt and immaculate V-neck sweater, Harajo, 75, hardly looked the part of the farmer that he is. Then again, his crop isn't exactly ordinary: Harajo...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 25, 2008

Harajuku in peril?

As a dedicated follower of Japanese pop culture and the coauthor of a book on Japanese teen fashion, I confess that I'm getting a bit concerned about the direction in which the Harajuku district is headed these days.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
May 6, 2007

Karel Van Wolferen: Insights into the new world disorder

When Karel Van Wolferen released his seminal book "The Enigma of Japanese Power" in the dying months of the bubble economy, the normally staid monthly magazine Chuo Koron described its impact as akin to being struck by a bolt of lightning. For once, the hype was merited. Little before had matched the...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL
Sep 26, 2002

Trees that tower over the past and present

An visitor to Kyoto's world-famous gardens and temples could not fail to be awed by the stands and avenues of towering Kitayama sugi (Japanese red cedar, or peacock pine; Cryptomeria japonica).
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Sep 9, 2001

Katsuya Takasu, holding back the years

Katsuya Takasu regards his body as a vehicle to carry his mind. So what he had done to his face two years ago was, as he puts it, "just like fixing an old jalopy."
JAPAN / STAGING A COMEBACK
Jan 4, 2001

Information disclosure could give power to citizens if they get involved

Satoru Ienishi felt overwhelming anger as he watched a newscast at his Tokyo office on June 13, 1998.
Daniil Medvedev returns a shot to Alexander Zverev during their round-robin match at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Nov 16, 2023

Medvedev books place in ATP Finals semis as Alcaraz gets back on track

World No. 3 Medvedev had to win in straight sets to claim a spot in the semifinals in Turin with a match to spare.
Emperors sought eternal life for centuries, but scientists believe our physical bodies have limits. That's where technologists come in.
BUSINESS / Tech / Longform
Feb 3, 2024

The digital beyond: Is an eternal existence within grasp?

Immortality has been a dream for centuries, but scientists doubt its possibility. Can technologists and coders find a virtual path instead?
Damo Suzuki, who passed away at the age of 74 on Feb. 9, was best known as a vocalist for the German “krautrock” pioneers Can. He later launched Damo Suzuki’s Network, a live music project that took him around the world, playing with different musicians every night. 
CULTURE / Music
Feb 17, 2024

Damo Suzuki forged a path outside of mainstream pop and rock

Idiosyncratic and spontaneous, the Can vocalist was an influential figure of the “krautrock” scene.
Factions, cliques, caucuses — whatever they may be called, groupings in legislatures are not unusual in many countries.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Perspectives
Mar 2, 2024

Is the funding scandal unraveling the LDP?

The media is caught up in the money-politics scandal of the moment, framing factions as all good or all bad. Things are a lot more nuanced than that.
Two people try to take a selfie under the illuminated cherry blossoms in Kyoto’s Gion district last year.
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 25, 2024

Sakura stories revisited: Getting in the mood for hanami

We are revisiting some past content on the science, economics and culture of cherry blossom season.
China's Olympic gold-medal winning 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay team celebrates on the podium at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 29, 2021.  Zhang Yufei (third from left) is among 23 top Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance in the lead up to the Games.
OLYMPICS
Apr 20, 2024

Top Chinese swimmers tested positive for banned drug, then won Olympic gold

The episode sharply divided the anti-doping world, where China’s record has long been a flashpoint.
U.S. President Joe Biden makes an appearance at an infrastructure construction project in Woodstock, New Hampshire, in November 2021.  Bridges and sewage systems may seem unglamorous, but common assets such as these will form the basis of economic growth for years to come.
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2024

The West’s new infrastructure imperative

A dim future awaits any society that allows its infrastructure to degrade and underinvests in new needs.
For someone who grew up in a country with a system of street names, finding an address in Japan — or worse: trying to guide someone else to one — is no easy task at first.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
May 7, 2024

Lost in translation? No, lost in Japan’s maze of streets.

Anyone who experienced wayfinding in Japan before the age of map apps will remember how much sleuthing was required to get to your destination.
To counter the rise of authoritarianism, liberals must acknowledge the importance of transcendent loyalties like faith and family, while defending liberal institutions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2024

The authoritarians have the momentum

To counter the rise of authoritarianism, liberals must acknowledge the importance of transcendent loyalties like faith and family, while defending liberal institutions.
Harmony Korine (center-left, in orange) DJs a set with his EDGLRD crew at a Tokyo event promoting his film, “Aggro Dr1ft,” at WWW X on June 6.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 14, 2024

Harmony Korine wants us to dream movies, and he’s working on a ‘pill’ for that

Korine and his collaborators came to Tokyo to screen his new film "Aggro Dr1ft," his first visit to Japan in 17 years.
Japan's tradition of offering investors gifts is nice. But with the stock market at record highs, such perks are no longer needed.
COMMENTARY
Jul 18, 2024

It’s time Japan's shareholders buy their own wine

The practice by Japanese companies of giving gifts once served as a good way to encourage trading novices to dabble in the stock market.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik (left to right), Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pose for a photo at the Defense Ministry Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 28, 2024

U.S., Japan and South Korea ink deal to 'institutionalize' security ties

The move — just months before the U.S. presidential election — is seen as part of a bid to make the trilateral relationship more difficult to reverse.
Stuart McDonald, a fifth-generation farmer, searches for freshly planted seeds coated with Loam Bio’s fungal treatment, near Canowindra, Australia, on April 24.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 12, 2024

Australian farmers are betting on fungi to battle climate change

Fungi act as nature’s carbon traders, pulling it from the roots of plants and giving the plant nutrients in return.
An artificial intelligence process sign in the Samsung Electronics hall at the IFA Consumer Electronics and Home Appliances trade fair in Berlin in 2022
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 27, 2024

Is that voice real or AI? One startup says it can tell the difference

The latest wave of artificial intelligence technology can mimic the voice of almost anyone.
Taxes on U.S. citizens working abroad aren’t excessive so much as excessively complicated.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2024

Trump is right: Expat taxes are too complicated

Taxes on U.S. citizens working abroad aren’t excessive so much as excessively complicated.
One of conductor Seiji Ozawa’s most enduring contributions is the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, which brings together young musicians and seasoned artists. The maestro passed away in February.
CULTURE / Entertainment news / 2024 in Review
Dec 27, 2024

The cultural luminaries we lost in 2024

While Japan’s culture marked notable triumphs at home and overseas, the year also saw the passing of many greats in the arts.
Getting caught in the rain while walking home may require you to use the passive voice when relaying your bad luck to others.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 23, 2025

Annoyed? Unfairly treated? Express yourself in Japanese with the passive voice

Verbs get complicated when they're used to describe feelings of annoyance or victimization.
More than half of Japan's population may suffer from pollen allergies, with hay fever dubbed the nation’s "national disease" and blamed for being a drag on the economy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 21, 2025

Did I fall victim to Japan’s stealth productivity killer?

Hay fever has been dubbed Japan’s "national disease” and blamed as a major drag on productivity.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami