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May 15, 2025
 

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Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 18, 2020

Japan's news outlets take one step backward before moving forward

Before going forward into the new year, an extra edition of Shukan Shincho (with a Jan. 27 publication date) flashed back in time to track down author Ben Goto. Now a spry 89 years old, Goto achieved instant fame with a 1973 publication titled "Great Prophecies of Nostradamus." His book initially sold...
WORLD
Jan 4, 2020

Singular 'they' chosen as word of the decade in U.S.

American linguists on Friday chose "they" as their word of the decade, recognizing the growing use of third-person plural pronouns as a singular form to refer to people who identify their sex as neither entirely male nor entirely female.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Dec 30, 2019

Waste not want not in Japanese design

The limitations of recycling and repurposing materials frees the imagination for unusual, amusing and clever design in Japan.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 30, 2019

Taro Yamamoto blurs the popular line on climate change

Climate change is not much of a social issue in Japan. Even in the wake of three recent weather-related disasters, there has been little discussion across the political spectrum that climate change contributed to them. In Europe and the United States, left-leaning groups demand action to mitigate the...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Nov 30, 2019

Telephone manufacturers unveil the perfect Christmas gift to combat bank transfer scams

Furikome sagi (bank transfer scams) have become such an entrenched part of life in Japan that you can't even make a bank transfer via an ATM these days without first acknowledging a notice reminding you to refrain from sending money to people you don't know.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 28, 2019

Australian ex-pat writer and TV critic Clive James dead at 80

Clive James, an expatriate Australian writer and broadcaster who wrote incisively and often hilariously about television, literature and current affairs, has died aged 80, his agents said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 16, 2019

'Forty-Seven Samurai': A paradoxical account of bloody revenge and haiku poetry

The saga of the 47 ronin has inspired artists and imaginations for centuries. Now, this book by Hiroaki Sato seeks to shed new light on the origins of the conflict.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 2, 2019

Examining a jealousy that's a long way from the green-eyed monster

'Comparison is a very foolish attitude," said Indian mystic Chandra Mohan Jain, popularly known as Osho (1931-90), "because each person is unique and incomparable. Once this understanding settles in you, jealousy disappears."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Oct 27, 2019

A happy ending for a sweet little Herb

The lovely Herb, who was featured in this column in January of this year, has found a home.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 19, 2019

Uncontrollable rage is largely a sober phenomenon

How we hate each other.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 16, 2019

Slicker production needed for amateur sumo

Typhoon Hagibis raged across Japan last weekend leaving in its wake a trail of devastation both deep and wide-ranging.
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...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2019

Younger Americans will contend with higher taxes or benefit cuts

There needs to be a better balancing of burden and benefits among America's generations.
Rugby
Sep 1, 2019

A guide to the 2019 Rugby World Cup and its host cities

What to do, see, drink and eat in each of the RWC cities as well as match dates and information on stadiums, transport and accommodation.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 31, 2019

Road rage coverage reveals gulf in awareness of traffic rules in Japan

For the past several weeks, media organizations in Japan have been obsessed with a road rage incident that happened in Ibaraki Prefecture on Aug. 10, when a 43-year-old man forcibly stopped another driver on the Joban Expressway and assaulted him as he sat in his car.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 31, 2019

Aspiring to achieve forgiveness in the most difficult times

"To be wronged is nothing," said Confucius — "unless you continue to remember it."
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2019

Real freedom of the press doesn't exist in the U.S.

Since few other countries have the equivalent of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment, learning that it ranks below Botswana and Slovenia may come as a surprise.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 23, 2019

In breakthrough that could aid depleted reefs, Florida scientists induce spawning of Atlantic coral in lab

Scientists in Florida have artificially induced reproductive spawning of an endangered Atlantic coral species for the first time in an aquarium setting, a breakthrough they say holds great promise in efforts to restore depleted reefs in the wild.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 17, 2019

Dissecting the benefits of medical intervention in Japan

"Lies!" "Nonsense!"
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Aug 9, 2019

Risk of injury real concern before final squads named

With less than three weeks to go before the 2019 Rugby World Cup coaches name their final squads, and 41 days before the tournament kicks off in Tokyo, it is a nervous time for players.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jul 6, 2019

As Japan prepares to open casinos, gangs won't be afraid to test security

Japan is currently creating a legal framework to operate casinos via a system of integrated resorts, but concerns persist that they'll be prime targets for organized crime once they're finally up and running by 2024.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jun 29, 2019

As dementia cases rise, so a nation's character changes

"Your mother is senile, senile, senile!"
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jun 19, 2019

Retirement ceremonies often full of emotion

It's no secret that difficulty in procuring tickets is one of the main hurdles preventing overseas visitors from being able to watch sumo in person.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jun 8, 2019

Japan's convenience stores work hard to stay relevant

Ride the Seibu Shinjuku Line to Iriso Station in the city of Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, and you can enjoy shopping at Japan's oldest franchise convenience store, a Family Mart that opened in September 1973. The following May, the nation's first 7-Eleven outlet was opened in Toyosu, Koto Ward — not...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jun 1, 2019

Historic justification for Japan's tattoo ban is no longer relevant

With the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games a little more than a year away, it's time for Japan to turn the page on tattoos. It's hard to argue with a straight face in this day and age that tattoos are exclusively used by members of the yakuza and ex-criminals. It's a no-brainer.
Reader Mail
May 31, 2019

Keep preschool kids away from busy streets

Regarding the Big in Japan column titled "Fatal traffic mishaps put drivers in the media spotlight" (May 26), I am losing count of the number of traffic accidents in recent years where the vehicle involved has ridden up onto the sidewalk, injuring and even killing pedestrians.
Reader Mail
May 10, 2019

Nishiogikubo needs protection

On Tokyo's Chuo Line between Ogikubo and Kichijoji is the unique area called Nishiogikubo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 4, 2019

Deciphering the curious act of talking to oneself

Talking to oneself is not respectable. It suggests many things, none of them good: abysmal loneliness, a mental screw loose, a social wire frayed, insanity, dementia. Shukan Post magazine this month cites experts in dementia who see solitary dialogue as a potential premonitory sign — not a conclusive...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2019

The unseen crisis of drug shortages

High costs plague American health care, but so do low costs: Life-saving generics can become so cheap that companies stop making them.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Apr 20, 2019

Emperor Go-Daigo: The pride before a fall

The anonymous 14th-century chronicle 'Masukagami' ('The Clear Mirror,' translated by George Perkins), dramatically details the trials and errors of Emperor Go-Daigo, the 96th emperor of Japan.
Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
South Korea couple beat same-sex barriers to parenthood
South Korean lesbian couple Kim Kyu-jin (left) and her wife, Kim Sae-yeon, pose with a "pregnant woman" badge during an interview in Seoul last month.
Toyoko Kids: The lonely street children of Tokyo
Many young people who feel neglected at home flock to the Toyoko area to find a community where they can fit in.
Opportunities await the bold in the Year of the Wood Dragon
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, with the year predicted to be a good time for fresh starts.
Don’t worry about global population collapse
Most projections show the world will hit peak humanity in the 21st century as people choose to have smaller families and women gain power over their own reproduction.
Sculpted waves, sleek updos: Showa hairstyles are back in fashion
The larger-than-life hairstyles of Japan's Showa Era are unmistakable — and they're making a comeback.
Consumption tax set to dominate Upper House election debate
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters his office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japan should produce its own AI defense solutions, Sakana AI CEO says
Sakana AI CEO David Ha speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Nissan gets ‘wake-up call’ with $4.5 billion annual net loss
Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa in Tokyo as the company releases its results
Japan set for bigger role in Philippines after SDF’s debut in key drills
Philippine Army Brig. Gen. Michael Logico, who was involved in managing the latest iteration of the Balikatan U.S.-Philippine drills, told The Japan Times that he expects military ties with Japan to surge even further once Tokyo ratifies a key visiting-forces agreement with Manila.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?
By Tomoko Otake

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Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones
Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

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