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COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2013

Tehran's nuclear quandary

There are many obstacles to an agreement on Iran's nuclear program. Particularly troubling for the U.S. and its allies, though, is how much Iran has mimicked the regime in Pyongyang.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 5, 2013

Outsider drawn to the circle of life

The discovery and promotion of works by self-taught or outsider artists — those who are not academically trained and create their works primarily for themselves, mostly beyond the cultural-commercial mainstream — are still relatively new activities in Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 5, 2013

Washington isn't working, so why not move it?

Dispersing the headquarters of Washington's bureaucratic agencies throughout America's hinterland might well reduce people's feelings of alienation and hence lead to better government.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2013

New maritime challenges

The recrudescence of territorial and maritime disputes, largely tied to the competition over natural resources, will increasingly have a bearing on maritime peace and security.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2013

Kurdish phoenix rises from ruins of Syria's war

The Kurds can't erase all the hurts of their modern history and those who choose to stay in Syria remain embattled, yet the isolation that had been their lot is now fading fast.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices
Nov 4, 2013

No safe country for foreign women: the debate

Holly Lanasolyluna's article published Oct. 23 attracted an unprecedented number of online comments. More than 5,000 people also answered the accompanying poll about safety in Japan. Here are just some of the mails and comments.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2013

Five myths about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

An avalanche of books written about Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis — without her cooperation — have left us with myths about her that are widely believed to this day.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 4, 2013

The witchcraft trend: a powerful spell for girls

When Ryan Murphy, the creator of "American Horror Story," announced that the third season of the American TV series would focus on witches, he was riding the crest of a growing wave. Not since the 1990s — the era of Buffy's geek goddess, Willow Rosenberg, and a scowling Fairuza Balk in The Craft —...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 3, 2013

Economists, stop playing in a science lab coat

Why do some economists keep insisting that economics is a science? If they would just give up on the science fixation, they might begin to appreciate the value in what they do.
CULTURE / Books
Nov 2, 2013

Shunga secrets bared between the covers

It looks like a classic coffee-table book, a hefty hardback of more than 500 pages and almost as many color illustrations — but be careful who you ask round for coffee if you're displaying the latest volume from the British Museum. That's because it's the lavish accompaniment to its new exhibition,...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 2, 2013

Physical activity may be brain food for kids

There's little dispute that physical activity is good for kids: It not only helps develop muscles and fend off obesity, it also offers opportunities to socialize and learn new skills.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 1, 2013

Seven Unlucky Gods sowing misery across Japan

I have a theory about the conspicuous absence of the Seven Lucky Gods: They each have an evil twin.
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2013

Japan Times appoints advisers to improve coverage

The Japan Times announced Thursday that it has established The Japan Times Media Advisory Board, appointing four distinguished individuals living in Japan to improve the quality of the newspaper and its reportage.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 29, 2013

Blame liberals for illegal drone war

Critics of the George W. Bush administration didn't realize that condemning quasi-lawless detention at Guantanamo Bay would lead a Democratic president to break new ground with drones.
LIFE / Digital
Oct 29, 2013

Remember past smells with the Madeleine

Next month sees the 100th anniversary of the publication of "Swann's Way," the first volume of Marcel Proust's masterpiece "Remembrance of Things Past" (or, if you prefer D.J. Enright's translation, "In Search of Lost Time"). So stand by for what one expert calls a Proustathon.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 28, 2013

Smashing ideas on future design and technology

While contemporary art is still transfixed by its own reflection, veteran Japanese curator Yuko Hasegawa has focused her cultural microscope on something quite different. "Bunny Smash Design to touch the world," the current group exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, is a hit-and-miss...
ENVIRONMENT
Oct 27, 2013

'Smart' window can generate and save energy

Paris AFP-JIJI
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 26, 2013

Three Scenarios in Which Hana Sasaki Grows a Tail

I like well designed books and often choose what I read by its cover — despite the well-known adage, I am rarely disappointed. Yuko Shimizu's illustration on the front of "Three Scenarios in Which Hana Sasaki Grows a Tail" immediately drew me in — the red-lipped, naked girl with long black hair and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 26, 2013

Pink Globalization

Pink Globalization, by Christine R. Yano, Duke University Press
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2013

Free migration lifts all boats

The eager courtship by Western nations of deep-pocketed and well-educated foreigners can mislead one into thinking that globalization encourages free and open movements of peoples.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 25, 2013

Man who burned White House in 1814 feted

Francis de Courcy Hamilton looked askance at the informational sign near the base of the Robert Ross monument, a 30-meter granite obelisk on a hill overlooking the majestic waters of Carlingford Lough.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Oct 25, 2013

Ferguson open for criticism after revelations in book

It is difficult to judge which produced the bigger laugh in "Sir Alex Ferguson — My Autobiography," launched this week in a manner that makes Hollywood premieres seem like a quiet evening in.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Oct 24, 2013

Food tradition with a long shelf life

A type of speciality food store that has almost disappeared from the streets of Japan is the kanbutsu-ya (dried-foods store). These days we can get fresh produce all year round, but that wasn't the case before canning and refrigeration became widespread.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2013

Role of media groups to 'contextualize' info

Given the faster, increasingly digital and polarized ways news is disseminated around the world, the role of trusted news organizations is to "contexualize" the bits of information people pick up in various different media, Andrew Ross Sorkin, a financial columnist for The New York Times, said Wednesday...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 22, 2013

Asia's (re)invitation to Obama

Mr. President, congratulations on handling the domestic crisis of the government shutdown and debt ceiling. The problem will recur, but most see you as a winner for holding your ground. Now, about that trip you canceled to Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 22, 2013

Brain drain taking toll on India, China

Disillusionment with India's seemingly ineradicable corruption and inefficiency has resulted in a brain drain abroad. A similar quest for more congenial climes affects China's privileged classes.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 21, 2013

Nobel committee overlooks beguiling reality of markets

The Flat Earth Society has all but disappeared, but the Nobel Prize Committee for Economic Sciences would have us believe that the efficient-market hypothesis is alive and well.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2013

The face of journalism's savior?

By the time Pierre Omidyar was 31, he was, in his own words, not just regular rich but "ridiculous rich." With enough money to make an impact in pretty much any sphere he chooses, the eBay billionaire last week made a splash in an area that is increasingly attracting the attention of tech titans: news....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 19, 2013

Japanoise: Music at the Edge of Circulation

There are some genres of music that Japan excels in. Recently, acts here have been appropriating the dance music styles of dubstep and juke to create a sound that feels like a real contribution to the global music scene. Before all this, though, there was noise.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.