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Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OBJECT-ORIENTED
Apr 1, 2016

Exploring the fishy tale of a woven basket

If you have spent any time at or around Tsukiji fish market you may have noticed large rectangular woven baskets in the hands of the regular shoppers, or strapped to the backs of scooters and bicycles ferrying the mornings catch back to numerous sushi bars and izakaya (pubs). The basket is so popular...
Reader Mail
Apr 1, 2016

Train's tragic roots and future promise

Amid the excitement over the first ever shinkansen from Tokyo to Hokkaido on March 26, this is a great time to reflect on some of the fascinating and tragic history behind this rail link.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2016

Ex-missionary hedge fund boss has faith sun will shine on Fukushima and its investors

The region hit by the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl has a new backer.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 1, 2016

California lawmakers OK minimum hourly wage of $15 by 2022

A plan to raise California's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022 passed both houses of the state legislature Thursday, putting the state on track to become the first in the nation to commit to such a large pay hike for the working poor.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 31, 2016

Ryuichi Sakamoto offers his thoughts on politics, Japan and how his music will change 'post-cancer'

"The Professor" is back in town. Last weekend, Ryuichi Sakamoto took the stage at Tokyo Opera City for the debut concert of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, a 105-strong ensemble of young musicians from Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, which counts him as its musical director.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 31, 2016

China says Japan base shows its hypocrisy on South China Sea

China's Defense Ministry accused Japan on Thursday of hypocrisy by opening a new base close to Taiwan and a group of islands disputed between Japan and China in the East China Sea at the same time as criticizing Beijing's actions in the South China Sea.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2016

A slow-growing China brokers little dissent

It is no longer only pollution from China that Hong Kong citizens have to worry about.
WORLD
Mar 31, 2016

Britain to ship record amount of nuclear waste to U.S.

Britain will ship 700 kilograms of nuclear waste to the United States under a deal to be announced by Prime Minister David Cameron at a nuclear security summit in Washington on Thursday, a British government source said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 31, 2016

North Korea in 'top-speed dash' for May congress, Kim's nuclear policy

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is poised to declare his signature ruling policy during a rare party congress in May and, despite tough new U.N. sanctions, it is likely to be the twin pursuit of nuclear prowess and economic development.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2016

Japan's first-ever hate speech probe finds rallies are fewer but still a problem

The Justice Ministry finds a “significant” number of xenophobic rallies held by nationalist groups still occur regularly.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 30, 2016

The onsen odyssey of the Japanese snow monkey

A new commercial features a monkey traveling from Nagano to Tokyo —u00a0via train — to take a dip in a hot spring.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 30, 2016

Hitachi, Sagawa Express agree to buy stakes in distribution businesses

Hitachi Ltd. and Sagawa Express Co. agreed Wednesday to buy stakes in each other's distribution businesses as competition among Japanese logistics companies intensifies.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2016

South Korean lessons for a slowing China

No major economy has tried to change growth engines mid-flight, but South Korea provides a template for China.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 30, 2016

A terrible film saved by the dog

One of the two stars I gave this film is to honor the combined team of Terry Jones, the director and co-writer (and former member of Monty Python), and Simon Pegg, the star who is never out of a single frame. Actually, make that 1.5 stars for these two gents.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Mar 30, 2016

Documentary delves into the darker side of Kawasaki

Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture is famed for three things: yakiniku barbecue restaurants, sex shops and a high crime rate. Though parts of the city are middle class, a grittier and lower-income image of Kawasaki has persisted through the years.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 30, 2016

Landmark new laws put suicide prevention front and center

In what was hailed as a landmark development, the Diet passed an amendment last week to the suicide prevention law for the first time since its enactment 10 years ago — this time requiring local-level authorities to take preventive action.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 29, 2016

Security laws usher in new era for pacifist Japan

Marking a historic change in Japan's pacifist diplomacy, two divisive security laws take effect that allow Tokyo to engage in collective self-defense based on the reinterpreted Constitution.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 29, 2016

The illuminating nature of Emile Galle

The Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum has always had a connection with French glassware. After all, almost the first thing you see as you enter through the front entrance is a set of glass-relief doors with an angel motif. These were created by the famous French glass artist Rene Lalique as part of...
EDITORIALS
Mar 29, 2016

Security legislation takes effect

Japan's postwar defense posture underwent a major change this week as new security legislation took effect, but how the government plans to implement the laws remains unclear.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2016

Sorry Donald, America is not a poor country

Americans may feel poor, but that's only because the U.S.' stunted economic growth can't satisfy all their demands.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 28, 2016

Belgium seeks more information on 'man in the hat'; death toll at 35

Belgian police issued a new appeal on Monday for information about a man caught on CCTV at Brussels Airport with two others who are thought to have blown themselves up in the check-in area last Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 28, 2016

Abe offers ¥600 million grant to Zimbabwe in bid to counter Chinese economic offensive

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe a ¥600 million welcome to Japan in the form of an aid pledge intended to lure more Japanese companies back to the former agricultural powerhouse and counter an aggressive foray by China. But the move could also raise eyebrows in the West....

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past