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Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 28, 2015

Bintley returns with his new-look 'Cinderella'

For dance fans, there's the promise of some glittering Golden Week holiday reunions as David Bintley, long-time director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, returns here with that company for the first time since his four-year stint doubling up as artistic director of the National Ballet of Japan ended last...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2015

Time to stop taking the Earth's soil for granted

Healthy soils are crucial to human nutrition, but erosion and contamination are placing them under severe stress.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Apr 25, 2015

Slippery when wet

Mom, can I go and play outside in the rain?
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 24, 2015

Why prosecuting Auschwitz crimes still matters

The best symbol of German atonement for World War II is Chancellor Angela Merkel's relentless efforts to negotiate compromises in conflicts others want to resolve by force.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Apr 21, 2015

To defeat sexism, men need to take a stand against other men

When it comes to dealing with highly sexist males, just one other man's voice has more sway those of hundreds of victims and countless public awareness campaigns.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 19, 2015

Publish 'Mein Kampf' and end World War II

The publication of 'Mein Kampf' in Germany as part of a scholarly project could be a good starting point to ending taboos and their populist use by politicians.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 18, 2015

The Asahi cries foul on school sports

Baseball fans were disheartened to learn that Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish would be out for the entire 2015 season because of elbow surgery. The right-hander could still have a promising Major League career, but like other Japanese pitchers who have crossed the Pacific, he seems cursed by infirmities...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Apr 18, 2015

On the pleasing violence of fairy tales

Traditional fairy tales are so steeped in blood it's astonishing that children didn't all grow up to become deranged in days gone by. Take, for example, the popular Japanese fable "Shita-kiri Suzume" (literally, "Tongue-Cut Sparrow"), which tells the tale of a kind old man, his avaricious wife and an...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2015

New Yamanashi liberal arts college seeks to put students in 'zone' of critical thinking

Michael Lacktorin, founding dean of a unique new college at Yamanashi Gakuin University in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, says his most important role as an educator is to help students discover where their passion lies, and to find out what they really want to do with their lives.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 15, 2015

Why do Americans hate free-range parenting?

Why has America gone lunatic on the subject of unattended children?
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Apr 11, 2015

'Salad Anniversary' comes dripping with honesty

My entry to Japanese poetry was, I suspect, similar to most. It began with Matsuo Basho; anthologies by R. H. Blyth and Kenneth Rexroth; haiku by Edo Period (1603-1868) monks; and tanka by Heian Period (794-1185 ) noblewomen.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 6, 2015

Decommissioning aging reactors inevitable, costly

Last month, four utilities announced they would decommission five commercial nuclear reactors that were at least 40 years old, rather than apply for a restart that could extend their operating life another two decades.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2015

U.K. election most unpredictable in generations

On May 7, British voters will go to the polls in the most unpredictable general election for decades.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2015

GOP's road to power runs through Israel

The deterioration of U.S.-Israeli relations under the Obama administration could help the Republicans win the White House in 2016.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Apr 3, 2015

Kobeya Kitchen hops into Easter

The Kobeya Kitchen chain of bakeries found mostly around major train stations is celebrating Easter with a limited-edition treat in the form of a dessert shaped like a rabbit (¥238).
EDITORIALS
Apr 1, 2015

Corporate leadership rejuvenation

Hopefully the move to buck the seniority system and appoint younger presidents will help breathe fresh air into the staid corporate culture of major Japanese firms.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2015

Fukushima crisis was a hard lesson but one vital to share, groups say

When professional boxer and model Tomomi Takano heard that children in Fukushima Prefecture were becoming unfit and overweight because the 2011 nuclear crisis limited the time they could play outside, she decided to use her skills to help.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 1, 2015

Iran nuclear talks miss deadline; U.S. threatens to walk away

Six world powers and Iran negotiated past a March 31 deadline into the wee hours of Wednesday, struggling to conclude an outline accord on Tehran's nuclear program in the face of a U.S. threat to abandon the talks.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 1, 2015

Halilhodzic warns against complacency after Uzbekistan rout

New national team manager Vahid Halilhodzic hailed his players' efforts after Tuesday's 5-1 thrashing of Uzbekistan, but warned they will have to prove themselves all over again when he picks his next squad.
EDITORIALS
Mar 31, 2015

'A giant of history' leaves the stage

The late Lee Kuan Yew used to insist that he had to maintain a tight political grip on Singapore. Today, however, there are rising doubts about the durability of the system he has bequeathed to his son.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2015

Low-cost airlines elevate stress levels for pilots

Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot who steered a Germanwings flight into a mountainside, had a history of depression so debilitating that he left his pilot training program for six months in the late 2000s, reports Germany's Bild newspaper.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 28, 2015

Tokyo fashion week: Womenswear celebrates an eclectic lineup; menswear draws inspiration from the street

Womenswear collections showcased in mid-March for the fall/winter 2015-16 season were decidedly eclectic in composition, including designs that were as street-savvy as they were cute.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 26, 2015

U.S.-led coalition said planning to carry out Tikrit airstrikes

The U.S.-led coalition is planning to carry out airstrikes in support of Iraqi operations against Islamic State in the city of Tikrit, a U.S. official said on Wednesday, confirming comments by Iraq's president in an interview with Reuters.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 25, 2015

Jean-Marc Vallee's interlocking tales of heartbreak and lovesickness

It can be hard to find a movie with soul, but "Cafe de Flore" may have too much. This 2011 film by Quebecois filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallee tells an ambitious multilayered story that explores love and the idea of soulmates across two eras and cities.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Mar 25, 2015

Indian doctors find success in tackling hidden burden of TB

When Indian street-food seller Kumar Pal first began treatment for multidrug resistant tuberculosis two years ago, he quickly spiralled into depression and gave up hope of living.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 23, 2015

NHK beats commercial TV stations to simulcast punch

NHK's announcement earlier this month that it will start trial simultaneous broadcasts of its programming on the Internet signaled a new era in TV broadcasting.

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