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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Jan 12, 2020

Steadfast commitment to hard work, cultural roots

Ambassador of Norway Inga Nyhamar is delighted to be in Tokyo. Yet there are times when the Trondheim native, who grew up with swathes of forest on her university-town doorstep, itches to escape 'civilization' and reconnect with the great outdoors.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2020

What my younger self never expected

At the start of a new year and a new decade, it is both humbling and illuminating to reflect on major global developments that no one saw coming just a few decades ago.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Jan 10, 2020

New milestone for Ted Barton with broadcasts from Russia

For the past several years, announcer Ted Barton's goal has been to help globalize figure skating by providing free video streams of the sport to skaters, fans and media.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 10, 2020

Were the 2010s a return to the 1930s?

The last decade saw the framework of the long postwar period start to crumble.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2020

Where does Gulf crisis go after limited Iran strikes?

Faced with a confrontation, Trump was clearly willing to countenance more aggressive direct action than almost any of the U.S. foreign policy community would have embraced.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 10, 2020

House votes to curb Trump's power to strike Iran without Congress OK

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to limit President Donald Trump's authority to strike Iran, a mostly symbolic move Democrats say defends Congress's constitutional powers but Republicans say endangers national security.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 7, 2020

First female on century-old Komatsu's board calls on women in Japan to lean in

Kuniko Urano is the first, yes, the very first woman board member of Komatsu Ltd., a 98-year-old company that is the world's No. 2 construction and mining equipment maker.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Jan 7, 2020

YouTuber reporter targets Japan's tech-savvy youth as print media withers

It's a quarter past 11 p.m. and Mainichi Shimbun political reporter Kenta Miyahara, having just wrapped up his nightly informal chat with a politician he covers closely, begins to set up his smartphone, tripod and lighting in a cluttered office devoid of any of his colleagues.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 7, 2020

Possible snap election Japan's top political issue in 2020

Whether Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will call a snap election is expected to be the biggest issue in Japanese politics in 2020.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 7, 2020

Harvey Weinstein charged with sex crime in Los Angeles as trial on separate charges starts in New York

Los Angeles prosecutors indicted Harvey Weinstein on Monday on sex crime charges just hours after the former film producer appeared in a New York court for the start of his rape trial, which has become a focal point for the #MeToo movement.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 6, 2020

The ominous killing of Soleimani

The rules of the global games are changing and Tokyo must face this reality.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2020

The assassin's false creed

History shows that targeted killings do little to either deter war or minimize it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2020

The half-century miracle of Asian resurgence

To turn optimistic long-term forecasts into reality, Asian states will have to overcome the major challenges of mass poverty, jobless growth, rising inequality and the middle-income trap.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2020

For the 2020s, it's time to go back to the drawing board

Like W.H. Auden in 1939, we must accept the possibility that things could become far worse than they already are.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 4, 2020

Japan's bureaucrats take top news honors in 2019

A year ago, the big news story in Japan was former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn languishing in a jail cell while the media discussed whether he should be there, thus sparking an overdue discussion about the country's so-called hostage justice system. It was a nice discussion while it lasted. 
CULTURE / Books
Jan 4, 2020

The books and translations about Japan to watch out for in 2020

A new decade brings a whole host of translations from prize-winning Japanese authors and books about Japan, from detective fiction to geopolitical studies.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 4, 2020

Books to get you in the mood for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

In this grand year of Olympic celebration, here are the books that view sport authentically, acknowledging both the very best and worst of humanity.
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
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2020

The U.S. Supreme Court's past decade could be liberals' last gasp

A shift to the right in the 2020s could last for a generation.
Reader Mail
Jan 3, 2020

Japan falling short in green effort

As Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi spoke at the recent U.N. climate conference in Madrid, "Japan faced a barrage of criticism" over the continuous use and support for coal-fired power, writes Eric Johnston in his Dec. 13 article "Koizumi confronts coal criticism." Koizumi seemed fairly concerned...
WORLD
Jan 2, 2020

Iran-backed paramilitary forces in Iraq under focus after U.S. strikes

The most powerful paramilitary groups in Iraq:
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 2, 2020

U.S. chief justice who will preside over Trump's trial prefers to fly under the radar

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts will be a central figure in the ongoing drama of the Donald Trump presidency in the coming months. He is due to preside over a Senate impeachment trial, while the Supreme Court he leads will rule on a titanic clash over the president's attempts to keep his financial records...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 30, 2019

Beacons in the stormy seas of 2020

Japan should focus on major currents and not be misled by less important events or episodes in the coming year.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2019

Christmas is over, but the 'quinceaneras' just roll on

A dazed parent ponders a Latin American coming-of-age ritual that knows no bounds.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 29, 2019

LDP and Komeito mark 20th anniversary of alliance as policy clash on Constitution awaits

In a partnership that stretches back two decades, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, have deepened their reliance on each other.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / 2019 in Review
Dec 26, 2019

2019 served as a reminder of the importance of community in music

As music scenes fragmented, the year showed a renewal in community events for alternative music in Japan, with festivals and gigs taking to new venues and battling the weather

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo