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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 1, 2015

Otto Kunzli's real 'statement jewelry'

"Cozticteocuilatl is the Aztec term for gold and it literally translates into 'the yellow feces of the gods,' " says Swiss artist Otto Kunzli, who is standing before his work at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum. "It's the yellow poops of the gods," he emphasizes as he breaks into a broad smile....
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Nov 30, 2015

China moves from climate deal holdout to driving force behind slashed emissions

Back in 2009, China was a reluctant partner during major climate negotiations in Copenhagen that eventually collapsed amid recriminations between rich and poor nations. This time around the world's biggest polluter is regarded as a driving force behind what could be a comprehensive deal at a world climate...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2015

Sanders is a socialist and so are you

By global standards, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sander's campaign platform is mainstream policy, but in America it's viewed with deep suspicion bred of ignorance.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 23, 2015

When kanji components sound off, be sure to pay attention

Many common kanji include easily recognizable phonetic components that give a pretty good idea of how they should be read.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 22, 2015

Obama's four-summit trip did not always go according to script

From Turkey to the Philippines to Malaysia, it has been an overseas trip for U.S. President Barack Obama that often veered off-script.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Nov 20, 2015

Before Japan ate raw fish, there was himono

Japan is famous as a nation that loves raw seafood. But dried fish has a much longer history here and has played an important role in Japanese society for hundreds of years. There are basically two kinds of dried fish products in Japan. The first, which goes by various names, is dried (sometimes after...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 17, 2015

The ripple effect of Tawaraya Sotatsu's waves

'The most important Japanese artist you've never heard of." That is how James Ulak, senior curator of Japanese art at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington, describes Tawaraya Sotatsu, the focus of the gallery's current magnificent exhibition. The show presents the first in-depth examination of...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2015

Myanmar's democratization deserves support

While ownership of the democratization process belongs to the government and the people of Myanmar, the international community, including Japan, should continue to support Myanmar's democratization process to ensure genuine democracy takes root.
EDITORIALS
Nov 13, 2015

Myanmar's historic election

The NLD's triumph in Myanmar's election is an important victory for democracy, but amid the celebration it's important to remember this is only a beginning.
BASEBALL
Nov 12, 2015

Japan beats Mexico on sayonara single

Samurai Japan earned its second win ― its first since arriving in Taiwan ― through a hard-fought battle.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 11, 2015

Suu Kyi's NLD heads to big win in Myanmar vote, but untested party faces challenges, resistance

The question over Myanmar's first free election in decades no longer appears to be whether Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party will win, but whether it will secure the landslide needed to govern the country and enact promised changes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 10, 2015

Why does Japan get its very own 'Star Wars' trailer?

There was a great disturbance in the force this past week, as if millions of "Star Wars" fans suddenly cried out in joy while trying to read Japanese.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 9, 2015

Weighing Japan's options in the South China Sea

Rather than send Japanese ships to conduct freedom of navigation patrols in the South China Sea, Japan should continue to focus its efforts on maritime capacity building in Southeast Asia.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 9, 2015

Putin's Fortress Russia takes an economic toll

Hit by Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, Vladimir Putin has adopted an isolationist policy that is crippling the Russian economy.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 7, 2015

No relief in sight for Japan's poor single-parent families

How can Japan's single mothers have both the highest poverty and employment rate among the OECD group of developed nations?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2015

Tokyo's Shibuya and Setagaya wards issue first same-sex partnership papers

Eight couples in Tokyo's Shibuya and Setagaya wards were on Thursday issued with certificates recognizing their same-sex partnerships as equivalent to marriage on the first day of the long-awaited policy change.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 4, 2015

Myanmar's opposition expects better ties with China if it wins election

Myanmar's opposition, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, expects warm ties with China if it wins Sunday's parliamentary elections — good news for its northern neighbor, which has seen its influence wane amid tensions with the current government.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 2, 2015

Justice Ministry panel begins first comprehensive review of sex crime laws in over a century

A Justice Ministry panel on Monday began reviewing what critics call Japan's lax criminal penalties against rapists and other sex offenders, in the nation's first comprehensive effort in more than a century to overhaul laws on sex crimes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Nov 1, 2015

Entrepreneurial lawyer takes legal services into Internet age

Becoming a lawyer used to be the ultimate status symbol in Japan. Bar exams were extremely hard to pass, so hard that once they obtained the license, lawyers were pretty much guaranteed a successful life afterward.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 30, 2015

Zap happy: electric eels innovative in subduing hapless prey

A new study has detailed how electric eels can double the voltage of their jolts by adjusting the positions of the positive and negative poles of their electric organ.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 29, 2015

Tensions rise between Osaka LDP, senior party officials after Suga-Matsui meeting

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga flared tensions after meeting with Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui, who is running against an LDP candidate in next month's polls.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 28, 2015

OVERSEAs Japanese show solidarity with activists back home

OVERSEAs is a loose collective that aims to unite Japanese-speaking people who want to support specific domestic causes from outside the country.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TOKYO MOTOR SHOW 2015
Oct 28, 2015

Toyota showcases a look at vehicles of tomorrow

Toyota Motor Corp. will present its vision for the future of mobility at this year's Tokyo Motor Show, where three very different new concept cars will be revealed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 23, 2015

Japan's so-called visa overstayers tell of life in legal limbo

Eight children petition the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau for clemency to allow their families to stay in the country so they can continue their lives.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Oct 20, 2015

Hanyu off to solid start with win at Autumn Classic

It was great to see Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu back on the ice last weekend for the Autumn Classic International in Barrie, Ontario. Hanyu won the event handily over a field of relatively unknown skaters.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 20, 2015

Japan Post's IPO might just shake up lagging regional lenders

The nation's regional banks need a little shaking up: There are far too many of them, profits from loans are shrinking, and their customers are disappearing. The enormous privatization of Japan Post, coming up next month, may just help spur them into action.

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