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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Oct 5, 2014

Daughters tell stories of 'war brides' despised back home and in the U.S.

Three daughters of Japanese 'war brides' plan to capture on film the struggles endured by this shunned and largely hidden immigrant group.
Japan Times
JAPAN / AT A GLANCE
Oct 5, 2014

Parasite museum aside, you won't be saury for visiting Meguro

When Japanese hear the word Meguro, some might recall the old "rakugo" comedy "Meguro no Sanma" ("Meguro's Saury"), about a samurai lord in the Edo Period who fell in love with the taste of saury, the fish that was considered humble fare for peasants and others on the lower rungs of Japan's social ladder....
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 5, 2014

Islamic State group continues to pound key Syrian border town

Islamic State forces shelled the Syrian border town of Kobani on Saturday and its Kurdish defenders said they were expecting a new assault to try to capture it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Oct 4, 2014

Jidai Matsuri: Sad-eyed lady at the festival of the ages

The young lady sitting on the bench nearby straightens her wig and applies the finishing touches to her makeup — face porcelain-white, lips blood-red and heart-shaped. She is wearing multiple kimono, one on top of the other, and must be boiling. It's only 10.30 a.m., but already it feels like a stifling...
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 4, 2014

Unburdening oneself of life's possessions

Japanese often cite an old aphorism that goes, "Tatsu tori ato wo nigosazu" ("It is a foolish bird that defiles its own nest"). This can be taken to mean that a departing person should not leave behind a mess.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 4, 2014

As Hong Kong protests turn violent, rival camps square off in gritty Mong Kok neighborhood

More than a thousand rival protesters, some wearing helmets, faced off in a densely populated, gritty district of Hong Kong on Saturday, fueling concerns that the city's worst unrest in decades could take a more violent turn.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 4, 2014

Tourists may not warm to Japan's welcome

A former colleague of mine always made it a point to tell people coming to Japan for a visit to bring lots of handkerchiefs because the public restrooms didn't have towel dispensers. I always took a more positive view and emphasized that public restrooms in Japan were everywhere and open to everyone,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 4, 2014

Inner-city life, and the banal mystery that is other people

Beautifully banal. Perhaps not the most positive-sounding turn of phrase, but the one that best summarizes the appeal of Shuichi Yoshida's interwoven narrative of five young adults and their struggles living in an overcrowded Tokyo apartment.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 4, 2014

Ancient pits reveal origin of peach domestication

Peaches fresh from the tree or in treats like pie, jam and ice cream have been enjoyed by people for a long, long time. But, until now, it was not clear just how long it has been.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 4, 2014

U.S., not the EU, needs to tackle Apple's taxes

Apple, the world's most valuable company, receives much of its profit in Ireland but pays taxes on a fraction of it. The U.S. primarily has the power to make Apple and other offshore companies pay more.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 4, 2014

U.S. defends response to Ebola case; about 50 people under observation

U.S. officials Friday broadly defended the response to the country's first case of Ebola, although one acknowledged that while the government is confident of containing the virus, it had been "rocky" in Dallas where the patient is in serious condition.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2014

Hong Kong's luxury retailers lose sales as protests mar 'Golden Week' holiday

Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have disrupted business and hit share prices of luxury goods companies, ruining what is normally one of the busiest shopping weeks of the year.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 4, 2014

Islamic State beheads second British hostage, issues video

Islamic State militants beheaded British aid worker Alan Henning in a video posted on Friday, triggering swift condemnation by the British and U.S. governments.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 4, 2014

Japanese officials silent on drama unfolding in Hong Kong

'The future of Hong Kong is extremely important to the future of Japan,' but Tokyo is officially staying tight-lipped about the pro-democracy protests there.
TENNIS
Oct 3, 2014

Nishikori books spot in Rakuten Japan Open semis

Kei Nishikori continued his march toward the Rakuten Japan Open final on Friday afternoon with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over unseeded Jeremy Chardy of France in the quarterfinals.
EDITORIALS
Oct 3, 2014

What's with the Alibaba IPO?

The 38 percent price gain in the shares of Chinese Internet conglomerate Alibaba at its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange last month was a vote of confidence not only in the company but also in China.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 3, 2014

Former Google exec primed to lead SoftBank's Hollywood invasion

SoftBank Corp.'s investment in a Hollywood movie studio represents the coming out party for two new players in the U.S. entertainment industry — the Japanese telecommunications company and Nikesh Arora, the former Google Inc. executive running a new media and Internet company.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 3, 2014

Pope Francis favored to win Nobel Peace Prize for poverty focus

Pope Francis, who has made the fight against poverty a focus of his tenure, and Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege are among the top contenders for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 3, 2014

Cuban doctors, nurses head to West Africa to help in Ebola fight

Cuban President Raul Castro has dispatched the first group of 165 Cuban doctors and nurses to West Africa to help combat an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, official media reported on Thursday.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2014

North Korea envoy says door is open on nuclear issues, rights, abductees

North Korea is ready to resume six-party talks on its nuclear program but must maintain its readiness in the face of joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, a senior envoy in Geneva said on Thursday.
BUSINESS
Oct 3, 2014

Exxon sees some disruption from Ebola outbreak

Exxon Mobil Corp has seen some of its oil and gas activities in West Africa disrupted by the Ebola outbreak, including plans to drill offshore Liberia, the company's chief executive officer said on Thursday.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Oct 2, 2014

Key questions entering 10th season

Japan's first men's pro basketball circuit tips off its 10th season with 10 games on Saturday.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Oct 2, 2014

Nishikori beats Young to reach Japan Open quarterfinals

Kei Nishikori advanced to the quarterfinals of the Rakuten Japan Open with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) victory over unseeded American Donald Young on Thursday afternoon at Ariake Colosseum.
CULTURE / Art
Oct 2, 2014

'Willem de Kooning From the John and Kimiko Powers Collection'

As one of the pioneers of post-World War II abstract expressionism, Willem de Kooning (1904-1997) used the unusual method of action painting, also known as gestural abstraction. This style often resembled Jackson Pollock's (1912-1956) method of dripping paint, but Kooning preferred aggressive brushwork,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 2, 2014

'Theo Jansen: Strandbeest'

Dutch artist Theo Jansen first started creating his signature "Strandbeest" ("Beach Animal") works in 1990. These huge objects, a combination of art and science, are made mostly out of plastic tubes and can walk by themselves using the power of the wind.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 2, 2014

Ditch U.N. temperature target for global warming, study recommends

A temperature goal set by almost 200 governments as the limit for global warming is a poor guide to the planet's health and should be ditched, a study published in the journal Nature said on Wednesday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 2, 2014

Scientists find potential way to treat cold-triggered asthma

British scientists have identified a sequence of biological events that could trigger life-threatening asthma attacks in people suffering from colds — a finding that holds the potential for developing more effective medicines.

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person