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COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Sep 29, 2019

The Tepco verdict is predictable but not insignificant

Three Tepco executives are acquitted of criminal negligence in the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant disaster. Did the court recognize the unfairness of holding only three people responsible for a crisis that had much broader causes?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 28, 2019

Cabinet reshuffle raises a slew of new questions

Since the new Cabinet was announced on Sept. 11, the focus has been on Shinjiro Koizumi as environment minister. Described by some as earnest but lacking in substantive ideas, the 38-year-old lawmaker has tried to make the most of the spotlight, commenting on Japan's role in addressing climate change...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 27, 2019

Aichi illustrator shines light on local moon-viewing tradition called 'Japan's Halloween'

There is a tradition in Japan of holding moon-viewing parties to celebrate the harvest on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, believed to be the best time of the year to watch the full moon, and this year it fell on Sept. 13.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 24, 2019

What’s really happening in the rest of the world

The conventional wisdom from the past 70-some years in Japan may no longer be conventional anymore.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Sep 23, 2019

Tokyo ranked world's safest city for third time in a row

The research section of British magazine The Economist on the 30th released its rankings of major cities in the world in terms of public safety, medical care and other aspects, and Tokyo was ranked the world's safest city.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2019

Can the United Nations put out the fires?

Allowing forests to burn is a crime against humanity.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 22, 2019

Kengo Kuma: Seeing the forest for the trees in Eskisehir

Nestled between the traditional buildings of Turkey's city of Eskisehir, Kengo Kuma & Associates' design of the new Odunpazari Modern Museum is a love letter to Seljuk, Ottoman and Turkish history.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Sep 20, 2019

Artist shines a spotlight on all-female theater group in postwar Hiroshima Prefecture

During the post-World War II recovery period the city of Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, was home to an all-women's theater group.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 20, 2019

Mie city's outreach to struggling residents in public housing pays off

Officials in the city of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, are working to reduce rent delinquency among low-income residents of municipal housing, by visiting defaulters individually and compiling custom payment plans.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Sep 20, 2019

Sapporo group to equip emergency shelter for people with special needs

A Sapporo-based association providing support to people with rare and intractable diseases is planning to establish its own shelter early next year allowing people with special needs to find a safe place in the event of an emergency.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Sep 20, 2019

Exhibition traces history of Okinawa tattoo tradition that became a mark of shame

Back when Okinawa was the Ryukyu Kingdom (1429-1879), tattooing the back of women's hands was a common practice, with the tattoos admired by men and women alike for their elaborate designs.
Reader Mail
Sep 20, 2019

Japan's schools not as bad as portrayed

I agree with Asia Dobbs' main point that secondary education in Japan would do better to value diversity more ("To create an immigrant-friendly Japan, start with education reform" in the Sept. 12 edition). However, the article portrays some aspects of education in Japan as distinctive when they are not,...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 19, 2019

U.S. Democratic Party donor Ed Buck charged with running drug den at home where pair died of overdose

Prominent California Democratic Party donor Edward Buck has been charged with operating a drug den after injecting a man with methamphetamine in his West Hollywood home where two other men previously died of apparent overdoses, prosecutors said.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Sep 16, 2019

'Weathering With You' is selected as Japan's best bet at the Oscars

Makoto Shinkai is taking a run at an Oscar with his animated film 'Weathering With You,' his much-talked about followup to his 2016 blockbuster 'Your Name.'
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2019

Japan's anime tourism: A blend of cash and chaos

When Liu Chenyu and Ji Xiaotian arrived in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, for their honeymoon early this summer, the Great Buddha and Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine, two well-known tourist spots in the area, weren't what they wanted to see.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 14, 2019

A long history of resisting self-service

Attempts to ban self-checkout are in line with previous controversies over ATMs and self-serve gas.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 13, 2019

Luxury on the Nakasendo with a dash of adventure

In Nagano Prefecture's idyllic Kiso Valley, near the post town of Tsumago on the rugged Nakasendo trail, the new 'expedition hotel' Zenagi offers guests the best of the region's food and culture — with an adventurous twist.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Sep 13, 2019

Plan to cut down ginkgo trees in Fukuoka to improve wheelchair access sparks backlash

An ongoing redevelopment project in the city of Fukuoka has sparked outrage among some local residents and calls for the authorities to reconsider their decision to cut down fully grown ginkgo trees along Fukudai-dori avenue, one of the city's main roads.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 13, 2019

Gifu washi apprentice publishes book of 'insanely difficult' origami animals

Yuga Arisawa, 21, who has loved making complex artworks using origami since he was a child, traveled throughout Japan as a high school student looking for the best paper — fine but able to endure nearly 100 folds.
BUSINESS / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Sep 13, 2019

Fukushima Prefecture sets sights on flying cars to boost recovery and local industry

The Fukushima Prefectural Government is leading a collaborative effort involving companies from different industries and a robotics testing field to invent a flying car.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 11, 2019

Nuclear arms treaty and umbrella states

Signing the nuclear weapons ban treaty would send a powerful message of the priority Tokyo gives nuclear disarmament.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 11, 2019

Actress Honoka Matsumoto is tackling tough issues on her journey to the top

22-year-old Honoka Matsumoto's latest film looks at the issue of same-sex marriage in Japan, one of a number of difficult topics the actress has taken on in her roles
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 10, 2019

The roles of women in influential positions

Sociologist Chizuko Ueno continues to be a driving force for gender equality in Japan.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Sep 9, 2019

Set of rare Japanese whiskies fetches record HK$7.19 mil. at auction

We look at the high prices commanded by premium Japanese whiskies, with a set of 54 bottles having recently been sold at auction for more than HK$7 million
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 3, 2019

Wanted: U.S. leadership in Tokyo-Seoul feud

Quelling tensions between Japan and South Korea is critical for the U.S.' broader strategic objectives in the Indo-Pacific.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 2, 2019

Britain's Brexit breakdown

As each side ups the ante, Brexit is now an all-or-nothing fight to the death among absolutists.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Sep 2, 2019

The first highway capsule hotel opens in Osaka

We look at Japan's first highway capsule hotel, which has opened in Osaka Prefecture's Izumiotsu City.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 1, 2019

All eyes on LDP factions as Abe plots Cabinet shake-up for final term

With Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expected to reshuffle his Cabinet later this month, attention is turning to who might get what posts, and from which Liberal Democratic Party factions any new ministers might be from.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Aug 30, 2019

In Hokkaido, Japan's youngest governor seen as 'safe driver,' but critics want him to go off script

When 38-year-old Naomichi Suzuki was elected governor of Hokkaido in April, he simultaneously achieved another feat: becoming the youngest serving prefectural leader in the nation.

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