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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 20, 2020

Gezan's Mahito The People says music won't be beaten by a virus

These are trying times for gigging musicians. As COVID-19 continues its relentless spread, tours are being cancelled and artists and promoters are having to adjust to a brutal new reality, in which the activities that livelihoods depend on are suddenly rendered taboo. When I meet the members of alternative...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 19, 2020

Hotels in Japan roll out unusual bids to woo tourists in COVID-19 crisis

With tightening border controls and social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic limiting nonessential travel, hotels in Japan have been offering unconventional plans to attract guests.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 19, 2020

Plastics had been falling out of favor. Then came the coronavirus

It took one week after the first U.S. case of COVID-19 with no overseas connection for Starbucks Corp. to temporarily ban customers from bringing in reusable coffee mugs.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 18, 2020

Episode 43: The no-plastic challenge isn't easy in Japan

Japan uses more single-use plastic per capita than any other nation besides the U.S. To see how difficult it is to live a life without it, JT staff writer Andrew McKirdy spent a week trying to avoid single-use plastic. Also on this episode, Mona Neuhauss of No Plastic Japan. Hosted by Oscar Boyd.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 17, 2020

Vanishing YouTube videos: Google expects AI errors as coronavirus empties offices

YouTube could see a jump in videos erroneously taken down for content policy violations as the company relies more on automated software during the coronavirus pandemic, Alphabet Inc's Google warned on Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2020

Nine years after Fukushima, Japan can't quit its coal habit

A return to coal has left Japan with long-term climate goals that are unambitious — and increasingly, the subject of international censure.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 17, 2020

Let's discuss NHK's new web service

NHK plans to offer broadcasting on the internet, though the organization has had to scale back its goals.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 15, 2020

'Social distancing' in a pandemic: What does it mean in practice and for society?

As fears over COVID-19 grow and health authorities worldwide urge or even force people to isolate themselves, "social distancing," or shakai kyori senryaku in Japanese, has become a buzz phrase online.
Reader Mail
Mar 13, 2020

Chellaney blinded by his ideology

Brahma Chellaney should remove his ideological blinders before writing. In his opinion piece "The China factor behind Trump's India visit" in the March 7 edition, he writes: "Sections of the American media ... lampooned" President Trump, and he cites a New York Times headline, "New Delhi Streets Turn...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 12, 2020

Teams regroup after long layoff for season's stretch run

The revamped playoff format, which was revealed on Tuesday, created a different reality for teams in the hunt for the 2019-20 title: a smaller margin of error.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 11, 2020

Let's discuss emergency school closures

A Kyodo article looks at the government's latest effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Japan Times
SUMO
Mar 8, 2020

Lightweight Terao defied odds in long career

Sumo is an extremely physical sport with injury an ever-present risk for its participants.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 7, 2020

Planet Earth is a giant cruise ship

Fear of disease can change everyday habits. Sometimes that's a good thing.
Reader Mail
Mar 6, 2020

The importance of Hawaii's history

The opinion piece "Japan and the former Kingdom of Hawaii" in the Feb. 11 edition led me to ponder the history of Hawaii.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 6, 2020

Sri Lankan Tamil women fight for land a decade after war's end

Chandraleela Jasinthan was a school teacher in a northern Sri Lankan village when, in the last days of the civil war, she and her neighbors were forced by the army to flee their homes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Mar 5, 2020

Japanese corporate culture explains why experts given back seat in virus response

Organizations in Japan tend not to rely on specialists when it comes to solving in-house problems, which may be a consequence of fostering a workforce of generalists.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 4, 2020

The financial fight against COVID-19

Fiscal, not monetary measures, should be when disasters and epidemics strike.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Mar 3, 2020

With the coronavirus canceling classes, what are English teachers to do?

ALTs and English-language school employees are reporting confusion over what role their employers should play in a possible pandemic.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Mar 3, 2020

Trump's COVID-19 response bedeviled by missteps, raising risks

The Trump administration's response to global outbreaks of the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has been riven by missteps.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 3, 2020

Let's discuss whether you want to go to the Olympics

An article reports that Japanese are not as enthused about attending the Games as organizers would like.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Mar 2, 2020

A three-legged calico brings joy to an Osaka couple's home

After being featured in The Japan Times Adopt Me! column in October 2018, a beautiful calico cat named Leggy has now found a home with Shiori Hamasako and her husband, Morgan Ruler.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Mar 1, 2020

Birhanu Legese wins Tokyo Marathon title as Suguru Osako sets new national record

Reigning champion Birhanu Legese successfully defended his title while local star Suguru Osako got closer to securing the final spot on Japan's Olympic team with a national-record-setting performance in the men's race at the 2020 Tokyo Marathon on Sunday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Feb 28, 2020

Ep. 34 'Case of The Bottled Beer Incident'

Our newsfeeds lit up this week about something rather sickening. Was it COVID-19? No. We’re talking about the titular “Bottled Beer Incident.” But before we dive into that, we have to welcome some new faces.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 27, 2020

One day he was teaching English in Japan, and the next day, he was blind

'If you start to feel disoriented, you're getting it,' is how one writer describes the process of losing his sight at the age of 29. And after the disorientation comes the process of rebuilding a life in a foreign country.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Feb 25, 2020

Let's discuss a drug scandal

Singer-songwriter Noriyuki Makihara is in hot water for alleged drug possession. What do you think needs to be done to deter people from using drugs?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 22, 2020

Fake news rears its ugly head amid COVID-19 outbreak

Fake news times fake news is fake news squared — which is to say, it goes viral. It multiplies like a virus, which multiplies like fake news.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight