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Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 23, 2018

What would you pay to live in Minato Ward?

It was in 2001 when my friend, Chikako Sakamoto, paid ¥9.8 million for a six-tatami-mat apartment in Tokyo's central Minato Ward. The apartment was inside a 長期滞在者用 (chōki taizaisha-yō, long term resident's) wing of an old hotel in Roppongi, with a very low ceiling and no kitchen. Chikako...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2018

America's new threat is an axis of autocracy

Russia and China had a vicious split in the 1960s; now they are in a budding bromance.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 21, 2018

Sumo incident in Kyoto rekindles gender debate in the ring

In Japan's ancient Shinto religion, purity comes before morality. Indeed, purity is morality. Women are impure. They menstruate and bear children. The exclusion of women from certain religious and ceremonial functions went unquestioned for millennia. It no longer does — but it is not extinct either....
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 21, 2018

Could jealousy link the Financial Ministry scandals together?

Although not directly related, the allegation that former Administrative Vice Minister Junichi Fukuda was a sexual harasser was initially reported as a sideshow to the ongoing Moritomo Gakuen influence scandal that is dogging both Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the Finance Ministry. Fukuda was the top...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Apr 21, 2018

Naoyuki Kawahara: Helping Sudan heal with medicine and more

Naoyuki Kawahara quit his job as a medical attache for the Embassy of Japan in Sudan to set up a non-profit organization, Rociantes, and provide much-needed medical care in Sudan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 20, 2018

Inflation slips as yen’s rise complicates Bank of Japan’s 2% goal

Japan's key price indicator slipped in March after hitting 1 percent in February, yet the underlying trend is seen remaining intact as Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda begins his second term vowing to achieve 2 percent inflation.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 20, 2018

Judge questions Trump ex-campaign chief's bid to dismiss all charges

A U.S. judge expressed skepticism on Thursday toward a bid by President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman to get a raft of charges dismissed, while a prosecutor said Paul Manafort was suspected of being a campaign "back channel" to Russia.
Apr 20, 2018

PLAID Inc., Raises 2.7 Billion JPY in Funding

PLAID Inc., creator of CX platform "KARTE", raised 2.7 billion JPY for further marketing investment, hiring, and development framework.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 19, 2018

Shizuoka stage festival aims to engage its audiences the old-fashioned way

This hasn't been a great year for social media. Internet addiction has been a hot topic, as have privacy issues, and there has even been a movement to #DeleteFacebook.
Japan Times
LIFE / EVENTS AND INFORMATION
Apr 19, 2018

Global ceremonies honor birth of Buddha

With Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni in attendance, the birth of Buddha was commemorated on April 8 at Sampozan Muryojuji Temple, the head temple of the Nenbutsushu Buddhist Sect of Japan, in Kato, Hyogo Prefecture.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Apr 19, 2018

BTS is big, let's hope the hype helps other Asian acts

Earlier this month, an album sung mainly in Japanese landed on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart at No. 43. That's a rare accomplishment for any Japanese artist — and an even less frequent one for a non-Japanese outfit to pull off.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2018

Orix starts new free information services in various languages for inbound tourists

Orix Corp. officially announced the launch Wednesday of its new free information service for foreign tourists that enables the accessing of local information websites translated into other languages through the scanning of specially designated placards using smartphones.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 18, 2018

'Inuyashiki': It's a bird, it's a plane ... it's salaryman!

Fantasizing about instantly acquiring superpowers is something you do as a kid — or when you're late for an appointment and imagine flying to it like Superman. But what if your power-up comes when you're creaky in the joints and counting the days to retirement?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 18, 2018

Beauty giant Shiseido snaps up technology startups to draw young shoppers

Shiseido Co., the Japanese firm that sells Laura Mercier cosmetics and Dolce & Gabbana fragrances, sold ¥1 trillion ($9.3 billion) worth of beauty products last year, mostly in traditional stores where customers can sample brands in person.
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2018

U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Kraken to leave Japanese market

Kraken, one of the longest-operating cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, will end its trading services for Japanese residents.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 17, 2018

Why Germany didn't join the missile strikes on Syria

Chancellor Angela Merkel's line on the latest Syrian crisis is a smart compromise between domestic stability and loyalty to the U.S.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Apr 17, 2018

Italian court releases migrant rescue ship seized last month, justifies vessel's actions

An Italian court on Monday ordered the release of a Spanish charity ship that was seized after prosecutors said it was helping to ferry migrants illegally from Libya.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 16, 2018

Russia may have tampered with chemical attack site, U.S. envoy says

Russia may have tampered with the site of an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria's Douma, the U.S. envoy to the global watchdog said Monday, urging the body to condemn the continuing use of banned chemical weapons.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan