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Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 29, 2020

Raise your glasses to 2020: Good riddance!

Drinking culture changed in a lot of ways in 2020. On one hand, we drink alone more. On the other hand, we don't have to worry about the last train as much.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Dec 29, 2020

Learning how to use 'ira-ira' without getting frustrated

The onomatopoeic terms 'ira-ira' and 'unzari' can help express feelings of frustration and being fed up in general. Therefore, they're helpful during a pandemic-related lockdown.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 29, 2020

EU's marathon COVID-19 vaccination drive off to uneven start

The EU's campaign to vaccinate Europeans against COVID-19 has got off to an uneven start in what will be a marathon effort to administer shots to enough of the bloc's 450 million people to defeat the viral pandemic.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 28, 2020

With money and waste, China fights for chip independence

In every corner of the country, investors, entrepreneurs and local officials are in a frenzy to build up semiconductor abilities, responding to a call from Xi Jinping.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2020

Hydro-hegemony: Will China turn off Asia’s tap?

As long as the Communist Party of China remains in power, the country will most likely continue to wage stealthy water wars that no one can win.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 26, 2020

Brexit deal done, Britain now scrambles to see how it will work

For many Christmas was only the beginning, Day 1 of a high-stakes and unpredictable experiment in how to unstitch a tight web of commercial relations across Europe.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 24, 2020

How has COVID-19 changed Japan's pop culture? Episode 4: Rebuild

Two anime films — ”Demon Slayer” and “Violet Evergarden” — offer a dash of optimism to end 2020, as Japanese pop culture moves towards the beginning of a new era.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2020

We’re never going to mine the asteroid belt

One factor rules out most space mining at the outset: gravity. It guarantees that most of the solar system's best mineral resources are to be found under our feet on Earth.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 23, 2020

‘Each day is critical’: South Korea’s 11th-hour battle with COVID-19

In several provinces across South Korea, there are no ICU beds available to treat the rapidly rising number of COVID-19 patients. As of Monday, the government confirmed that there were only 42 beds available nationwide. In the Seoul metropolitan area, home to half of the country’s population and the...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 22, 2020

Dear Canberra, you are not alone

What Australia's prime minister said about a COVID-19 inquiry was appropriate and the international community must remain united and push China to do what is right during these trying times.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Dec 22, 2020

Warren Cromartie won't continue role as Yomiuri adviser in 2021

The three-time Best Nine selectee returned to the Giants in 2019 at manager and former teammate Tatsunori Hara's request.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2020

New tricks and old truths for the world’s second oldest profession: spying

The SolarWinds attack was a supply chain hack. One of the most successful U.S. espionage programs of the Cold War was a 20th-century version of this attack.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 21, 2020

Foreign investors eye return to Japan stocks after years of selling

The Tokyo Games and a recently forged Asia trade pact will serve as some of the reasons for investors to seek Japan-specific exposure.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 20, 2020

The real trees behind fake corporate climate progress

Carbon offsets — an increasingly popular tool used by thousands of companies to declare improved environmental performances — sometimes fall short of big claims.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 20, 2020

Facebook investors don't need to fear a breakup

If Microsoft Corp.'s antitrust ordeal is at all analogous — over three years from suit to settlement — it could be a long time before the outcome of all this is known.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 20, 2020

For some in Russia’s elite, Putin’s future is again a hot topic

The regular revival of speculation about the 68-year-old leader's future highlights how central Putin remains to the Russian state.
JAPAN / Society / 2020 in Review
Dec 19, 2020

Anxiety over coronavirus in 2020 spurs unprecedented societal change in Japan. Will it last?

For many in Japan, 2020 has been a year hijacked by uncertainty, a tumultuous period spent improvising and adapting to an unfamiliar way of life.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 19, 2020

Trump claims credit for vaccines. Some of his backers don’t want to take them.

Elizabeth Graves, an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, is not opposed to vaccines. She said she had taken flu shots and pneumonia shots and, having just turned 50, was interested in being vaccinated against shingles.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / 2020 in review
Dec 16, 2020

One anime to slay them all: How Japanese film fared in 2020

The film industry was hit hard by the pandemic, with the closure of theaters and festivals moving online. However, that's what made the triumph of “Demon Slayer” all the more surprising.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 16, 2020

Seagulls deny Frontiers on final play of X Bowl to return to X League summit

The Obic Seagulls made their long-awaited return to the X League summit Tuesday night, knocking off the league's current dynasty.
Japan Times
Special Supplements
Dec 16, 2020

Technology aims to fix labor shortages

DRONE FUND, established by Kotaro Chiba in 2017, has provided capital to help develop the drone business. It launched the third round of funding to accelerate social implementation of drones and air mobility in May, aiming to raise ¥10 billion. NTT DOCOMO INC. is one of the first companies to invest...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2020

Drone business attracts attention as growth industry

Drones have been used in pesticide spraying in agriculture since the 1980s. Drones have become smaller, lighter and more high-performance machines. In addition to agriculture, they have been used in various fields, including the construction, medical and entertainment industries.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2020

Trucks in China are watching if drivers doze, speed or slack off

Beijing-based G7 aims to monitor all steps along a product's logistics journey, from warehouse to delivery, remotely.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2020

Psychedelics replace cannabis as the new favorite edgy investment

Early stage investors are predicting substances such as psilocybin and Ibogaine have an even better shot than cannabis at disrupting the $70 billion market for mental health.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 14, 2020

Olympic favorite Ryo Kiyuna seizes ninth straight title at karate championships

Kiyuna said he's never competed with records in mind, and insisted his nine straight titles are the result of his dedication to fulfill his own potential.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 14, 2020

Big Tech turns its lobbyists loose on Europe, alarming regulators

As the European Union has become the global leader in tech regulation, companies have increasingly focused on Brussels in hopes of choking off stiffer rules.

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