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Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Feb 4, 2020

Paralympics: Tokyo to see a record number of competing nations

A Kyodo article looks at the number of nations taking part in the Tokyo Paralympics this summer.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 2, 2020

Japanese justice: Innocent until proven guilty or innocent until detained?

It's been a month since ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn's dramatic escape pushed the Japanese justice system back into the global spotlight. Critics have long called Japan's extended detentions and other legal practices "hostage justice" and an affront to international standards.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 1, 2020

Shinjiro Koizumi's paternity leave raises a few eyebrows

Shortly before Shinjiro Koizumi’s wife, Christel Takigawa, gave birth to a baby boy last month, the environment minister told reporters during a regular news conference he would be taking time off for paternity leave. It was a revelation that surprised some because after the pair had revealed she was...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 1, 2020

Dispatches from the front line of Japan's retail sector

Since October, business media have focused on two topics at the near-exclusion of numerous others: the economic repercussions of the consumption tax hike and how that increase has influenced, or accelerated, a shift from cash to electronic payments.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Feb 1, 2020

Folk fun: Reverence for life-giving soil and agriculture

Reverence for the soil that nourishes life has always been deeply rooted in Japan, where agriculture was central to daily life, and many folk toys and bells were made of clay.
Reader Mail
Jan 31, 2020

Teens have plenty of time to find themselves

I love reading the "Why did you leave Japan" column in The Japan Times On Sunday. What impressed me the most recently is the interview with Haruaki Saito, who is as old as me, in the Jan. 12 edition.
Reader Mail
Jan 31, 2020

Can't we please get some new ideas?

The Japan-U.S. alliance is widely accepted, according to the opinion piece "The state of the Japan-U.S. alliance at 60" in the Jan. 21 edition.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Jan 31, 2020

Japanese turn to crowdfunding to pay for public-interest lawsuits

When a Nagoya-based citizens group calling for the decommissioning of an over 40-year-old nuclear power plant kicked off a crowdfunding campaign in October to cover costs for ongoing litigation, it successfully raised about ¥3.7 million, 1.5 times the target amount, in about two months.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Jan 28, 2020

A robot-staffed cafe in Shibuya creates a buzz

A Kyodo article on a new robot cafe introduces us to Pepper and its friends.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 27, 2020

Ex-U.S. national security chief John Bolton says Trump tied Ukraine funds to Biden probe: report

U.S. President Donald Trump told a then-top aide in August he wanted to freeze security aid to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden, the New York Times reported on Sunday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 26, 2020

What lies behind Shiori Ito's lonely #MeToo struggle

In Japan, feminist voices have been raised for #MeToo, but they are often barely heard.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2020

Ambitious Zero Emission Tokyo plan wins praise, but begs for action

Just days before the new year, Gov. Yuriko Koike revealed the Zero Emission Tokyo Strategy, the capital's long-awaited plan to eliminate carbon emissions, transition to renewable energy and take the lead in the fight against global warming.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 25, 2020

Okinawa base debate ignores the bigger picture

Like many construction projects supported by the public sector, the new U.S. Marine Corps air base being built in the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, has seen its budget skyrocket since it was first proposed and its completion date postponed. When the project was first announced jointly...
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Jan 25, 2020

Folk fun: Traditional toys for prayer and play

Japanese folk toys popular from the Edo Period through the Meiji Era (1603-1912) are meticulously crafted and imbued with meaning.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 25, 2020

Decline of social engagement may betray democracy

Japan's three leading newspapers, disagreeing on much, agree on this: Japan's democracy is in crisis.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 25, 2020

Kakeibo: Turning a dull aspect of Japanese life into social media gold

At some point in the past decade, the international notion of “weird Japan” — a view in which the country produces more quirky and wacky trends than many other nations, regardless if said example is actually widespread — took a back seat to “boring but profound Japan.” 
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 24, 2020

In print and online, English media proliferate in Hokkaido ski resort of Niseko

English-language media outlets are stepping up their presence in Hokkaido's renowned ski resort of Niseko, benefiting from growing global interest from skiers and snowboarders lured by the region's fine powder snow.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Jan 24, 2020

Indian entrepreneurs create water-saving solution for farmers out of Okinawa fruit scraps

Two Indian entrepreneurs in Okinawa Prefecture are developing an organic polymer made from fruit scraps that can retain water 50 times its weight, in a potential breakthrough for farming in water-scarce regions.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Jan 24, 2020

Shaken by Kobe quake, Peruvian works to help Hyogo's Spanish speakers in times of disaster

Roxana Oshiro, a Peruvian of Japanese descent, came to Japan in 1991 and was living in a dormitory in Kobe with her husband and child when the Great Hanshin Earthquake hit the region in 1995.
Reader Mail
Jan 24, 2020

Just too much everyday plastic

Kudos to Andrew McKirdy for his article "Consumed by plastic" in the Jan. 12 edition. Like him, I'm saddened by the amount of plastic in my life, that I'm powerless to refuse.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jan 22, 2020

North Korea closes borders to all foreign tourists as new coronavirus spreads from China

North Korea has blocked foreign tourists from entering the country, travel operators said Wednesday, amid fears over the spread of a new coronavirus first detected in China.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 21, 2020

Get ready for 'peak decade,' strategists tell peers at Davos

Amid the Alpine peaks of the Swiss resort of Davos this week, politicians, investors and executives are busy debating whether we are witnessing peaks in multiple key drivers of the world economy.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Jan 21, 2020

The Times picks Shinjiro Koizumi as someone to watch in 2020

A Kyodo article looks at the attention Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is receiving overseas.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 20, 2020

The state of the Japan-U.S. alliance at 60

Over the longer term, the alliance must cope with a growing sense of fatigue among the U.S. public about overseas engagements.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 20, 2020

In policy speech, Abe vows to establish 'new era of Japanese diplomacy'

The prime minister Monday focused his speech on foreign policy, delivering a notable change in phrasing regarding South Korea.
BUSINESS / Davos Special 2020,Tackling Marine Plastic Waste
Jan 20, 2020

Islands of abundant nature spoiled by ocean waste

Situated in the Sea of Japan and wedged between the Kyushu region of southwestern Japan and the Korean Peninsula, Tsushima is a group of islands with a resident population of 30,000 people. The blue, clear ocean waters encircling Tsushima are a popular spot for fishing and marine sports, while on the...
BUSINESS / Davos Special 2020,Tackling Marine Plastic Waste
Jan 20, 2020

Local initiatives keeping the 'Singing Sands' alive

A beach of pure white sand extending for as far as the eye can see... Such a landscape is one fine example of particularly Japanese natural scenery. Kotohiki Beach, which has long been known as a place of picturesque scenery seems like something out of a painting. Many visitors reach the beach in Kyotango, part of Kyoto Prefecture, facing the Sea of Japan.
BUSINESS / Davos Special 2020,Tackling Marine Plastic Waste
Jan 20, 2020

Wood and paper surpass plastic

Japanese companies are addressing the global issue of plastic waste with traditional techniques, novel ideas and a strong desire to help bring about a sustainable, recycling-oriented society.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 18, 2020

Fleeing in Japan may be more common than many think

Having fled Japan while awaiting trial for alleged financial wrongdoing, former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has probably become the most famous foreign national ever arrested in the country. For a while after his initial detention in November 2018, the media discussed Japan's so-called hostage justice system,...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji