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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2017

Do you want to be a cyborg?

Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk is convinced that enhancing human intelligence and memory is our species' only alternative to elimination by our own super-intelligent inventions.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
May 17, 2017

Thirty years of JET: countless treasured memories and priceless gaffes

Past participants in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme recall their most memorable experiences, from the inspiring to the excruciating.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 17, 2017

Takeda scores a KO in 'Poetry Angel'

In last week's review of Yuya Ishii's "The Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue," I wrote that poetry-based Japanese films are rare — but here seems to be another: Toshimitsu Iizuka's "Poetry Angel." One more example and I'll have a trend.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2017

Why U.S. should get used to the North's ICBMs

The sooner the U.S. accepts that a North Korean ICBM capability is a reality, the sooner it can focus on how to deal with the North Korean problem more comprehensively, moving beyond mere security.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2017

Can the emerging Sino-U.S. coalition stop Kim's game?

The coordinated efforts by the U.S. and China offers the best bet to secure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and allow the two Koreas to coexist.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 16, 2017

Music schools to sue Japan's largest copyright collection group over plan to collect fees

The school operators said they would file a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court as early as July, a representative told The Japan Times.
JAPAN / Society
May 13, 2017

In Fukushima, a land where few return

The evacuation orders for most of the village of Iitate have been lifted. But where are the people?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 10, 2017

Opinions aren't split on Shyamalan's comeback

I've always had a soft spot for M. Night Shyamalan, even despite the fact that he has made a total of two truly successful films — "The Sixth Sense" (1999) and "Unbreakable" (2000) — over the course of his over-20-year career. The rest of his work has ranged from mildly disappointing to somewhat...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 10, 2017

Moon win puts allies' approach to North Korea in doubt, but drastic policy shift unlikely, experts say

With Wednesday's election of liberal candidate Moon Jae-in as South Korea's new president, all eyes are on whether he will stick to his campaign promise of pursuing rapprochement with Pyongyang.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 9, 2017

Step aside, Siri: A new AI-powered assistant is in town, and she's kawaii

When Siri is asked whether she has a boyfriend, the iPhone's digital assistant is usually quick to deflect the question with a quip about drones always trying to pick her up.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 6, 2017

Corporate zombies need 'rich brains'

Japan has lost something. That's a stark but uncontroversial statement. Few whose memory goes back a generation or more will disagree. Controversy arises when the talk turns to what was lost; when, how and why it was lost; whether the nation is the better or worse for having lost it; and, if the former,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
May 5, 2017

Pineapple cakes, pirouettes and petals in Aoyama

The one time of year I'm happy to linger in Aoyama Cemetery is when the venerable rows of old cherry trees growing around the gravestones blossom. Before heading there, though, I decide to first get in the mood with a bit of personal spring renewal.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2017

Russia's neo-feudal capitalism

Russian President Vladimir Putin's model of crony capitalism poses a genuine threat to social and political stability.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
May 3, 2017

As Japan's JET Programme hits its 30s, the jury's still out

Ambitious program has helped Japan meet the world, but does it have a role to play today?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 3, 2017

'Teiichi: Battle of the Supreme High' takes high school politics to a whole new level

Japan's film and TV industries are populated by hundreds of comedy writers, but few find politics funny, at least in public. One exception is filmmaker Akira Nagai, whose power struggles unfold not in the Diet, but at an elite boys' high school in "Teiichi: Battle of the Supreme High."
EDITORIALS
May 3, 2017

The Constitution turns 70

The Constitution should not be amended just to fulfill the agendas of politicians or political parties.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 2, 2017

Ryuichi Sakamoto provides a soundtrack to life at 'async' exhibition

How has Ryuichi Sakamoto been able to harness melancholy so skillfully? How has he created such desperately sad music, and then managed to get up in the morning and do it again and again, over several decades?
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 30, 2017

Ardija shock Reds in derby to end winless spell

Akimi Barada scored in the 63rd minute as rock-bottom Omiya Ardija stunned J. League-leading local rivals Urawa Reds with a 1-0 win on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 28, 2017

Japan's March data on core inflation, output keep pressure on BOJ

The nation's core consumer prices rose at a slower than expected pace in March and household spending fell more than estimated — worrying signs for the central bank that domestic demand won't be strong enough to generate sustained inflation.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 25, 2017

North Korea marks foundation of military with huge live-fire drill amid flurry of U.S. activity

North Korea and the U.S. flexed their military muscles Tuesday as Pyongyang marked the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army — without testing a nuclear weapon or conducting a major missile test.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 25, 2017

Enjoy Earth Day, while you last

Earth's climate will probably recover from this human-fueled round of global warming, but on time scales that are unimaginable to humans. And perhaps without humans.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 25, 2017

Maverick Beji Sasaki picks a fight with Fujitsu to push takeovers, turnarounds of undervalued firm

Beji Sasaki, a maverick businessman who first challenged Tokyo's status quo four decades ago, says his bidding war with the $13 billion computer giant Fujitsu Ltd. is just the start of his plan to use takeovers to change Japan Inc.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 24, 2017

Nagoya group looks to spread jump rope 'culture' to the world

In Aichi Prefecture, the nation's top producing region of jump ropes, efforts are being made to promote the sport at home and abroad.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 15, 2017

Tying the knot is unraveling in Japan

Love, marriage; marriage, love. It was so simple, once upon a time.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 14, 2017

Among the monks: Dipping a toe in Zen at Shinshoji Temple

When was the last time you sat in silence, without fretting about the things you ought to be doing or gazing at a screen of any kind? When was the last time you didn't think anything at all?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 13, 2017

At 104, Toko Shinoda talks about a life in art

The only living Japanese on a postage stamp, 104-year-old Toko Shinoda reflects on a lifetime devoted to art.

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