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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 31, 2019

Tired of army rule, Thai youth are a rising force ahead of March election

Standing atop the stairs outside his university auditorium, 20-year-old activist Parit Chiwarak led a protest of hundreds of people calling for an end to Thailand's ruling military junta.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 30, 2019

Renewable energy surge in power-hungry Africa faces a short-out: Not enough trained workers

In sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 600 million people still lack access to electricity, off-grid renewable power is seen as one of the fastest ways to get energy where it's needed, particularly to remote and rural areas where many Africans live.
Japan Times
SATOYAMA CONSORTIUM
Jan 27, 2019

Programs aim to keep youth in rural areas

A two-day event on topics related to satoyama (mountains and woods shared and maintained by residents of the adjacent rural communities) was co-hosted by the Japan Times Satoyama Consortium, the Chugoku Region Governors Association and the town of Jinsekikogen in Hiroshima Prefecture at the Jinseki Kogen...
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 26, 2019

Another dam owned by Vale bursts at Brazil mine; 200 missing

Brazilian rescuers were searching for some 200 missing people after a tailings dam burst on Friday at an iron ore mine owned by Vale SA, the second major dam disaster involving the company in just over three years.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 21, 2019

From pariah to demi-god: Transgender leader becomes a star at India's massive Kumbh Mela festival

In a desert tent guarded by armed police and a well-built bouncer, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is blessing a constant stream of pilgrims, who garland her with marigolds and kneel to touch her feet.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2019

How will AI change domestic politics?

Political stability and economic prosperity in the future seems likely to depend on who can control the anger and frustration of the critical mass of the unemployed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Jan 21, 2019

Factory night views of Yokkaichi a tourist draw and a bitter legacy of pollution

Factory night view cruises in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, are recently attracting visitors from across the nation. While the city's tourism association hopes the tour will help make the city become a major tourist destination, people who suffered from industrial pollution in the 1960s say they don't want...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 20, 2019

Be it ever so graying, there's no place like home

On a recent bus trip in Indonesia, I struck up a conversation with the man sitting next to me who told me he was Malaysian but living in Australia, which prompted me to admit that I was American but living in Japan. This seemed to pique his interest as he next said, "I am very interested to see how Japan...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 20, 2019

Nonprofit groups help find safe homes for Japan's abandoned pets

Life hasn't been easy for Stella.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 19, 2019

Tolerant attitudes make Japan a drinker's paradise

If any doubts existed that Japanese people are exceptionally tolerant toward the imbibing of alcohol, those were erased in 2014, when the Pew Center, as part of its Global Attitudes Project, surveyed people's views on drinking in 40 countries.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Jan 15, 2019

Takahiko Kozuka aiming to enrich skating

When a skater's career comes to an end, they are often faced with a difficult choice about how to proceed with their life.
Japan Times
SATOYAMA CONSORTIUM
Jan 13, 2019

Many chances for success across rural areas

The Japan Times Satoyama Consortium, the Chugoku Region Governors Association and the town of Jinsekikogen in Hiroshima Prefecture co-hosted a two-day event at the Jinseki Kogen Hotel on Oct. 20 and 21.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 13, 2019

New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger: 'Following the truth, wherever it leads'

In the spring of 2014, a low rumble could be felt deep in the media landscape. An in-house report about the need for digital innovation at The New York Times was leaked by competitors, and what it revealed was a major news organization clearly struggling to overcome internal stasis and catch up with...
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 12, 2019

Maezawa's offer of prize money for retweets sets Twitter abuzz

Yusaku Maezawa has accomplished an awful lot in his life. He has founded a number of successful companies, including online fashion retailer Zozotown. He’s worth billions of dollars. He’s secured a trip to space to address one of humanity’s biggest problems — a lack of art inspired by being...
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 11, 2019

In 2019, how hungry is Japan for whale meat?

Japan is currently the object of criticism for its decision to leave the International Whaling Commission, and resume commercial whaling in territorial waters and its own exclusive economic zone. People who support the move cite either cultural reasons — Japan traditionally, they assert, is a whale-eating...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 5, 2019

Internet rightists' strategy of provocation gaining traction in Japan

Popular TV personality and model Rola recently tweeted her opposition to new U.S. base construction in Okinawa. The comment was immediately derided by people who said celebrities like her had no business in political debates. Although these critics may support base construction, they didn't engage Rola...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 5, 2019

Survey on commuting gripes in Japan spurs wider societal complaints

Nothing unites Tokyoites together quite like complaining about daily commuting by train. And it’s a worthy gripe — morning and evening rides practically dispose of the idea of personal space altogether. Being packed tightly with other people also exposes us to all sorts of oddball and annoying behavior,...
JAPAN / New Year Special 2019
Jan 1, 2019

Former astronaut Naoko Yamazaki hopeful for commercial space travel

The year 2019 marks 50 years since the first humans landed on the moon in 1969 as part of NASA’s Apollo 11 lunar mission. In an interview with Managing Editor Sayuri Daimon, former Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki shares her experience in space in 2010 and her views on space development in the coming...
Japan Times
SATOYAMA CONSORTIUM
Dec 30, 2018

Outdated ideas a heavy burden on society

A two-day event on topics related to satoyama (mountains and woods shared and maintained by residents of the adjacent rural communities) was held at the Jinseki Kogen Hotel in the town of Jinsekikogen, Hiroshima Prefecture, on Oct. 20 and 21. The event was hosted by the Japan Times Satoyama Consortium,...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 28, 2018

Invest in education and save the economy

Giving birth to dynamic companies in Japan will require nothing but education that values and nurtures extraordinary individuality.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2018

From a harrowing experience in Iraq to youth mentorship: Noriaki Imai dedicates his life to helping at-risk teens

When freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda returned to Japan in October after being held captive by a militant group in Syria for over three years, 33-year-old Noriaki Imai was confounded and disappointed by the muted reception he received from the public, with many blaming the journalist for his own abduction....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Dec 24, 2018

2018 in science in Japan: Climate change, space exploration and water bears

In casting an eye back over memorable science and environment stories from Japan in 2018, it is impossible to ignore the extreme weather that hit the country.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 24, 2018

Ahead of 2019 Indian election, supporters of Modi in U.S. set to blitz networks with phone calls in re-election drive

On a chilly Sunday morning in this quiet American suburb, IT consultant Madhu Bellam scoured a spreadsheet with contact details for over 1,500 Indian voters. He punched numbers into his phone and rang his hometown of Hyderabad, a tech hub in southern India about 8,800 miles (14,000 kilometers) away....
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Dec 22, 2018

Defining the Heisei Era: When communication in Japan went mobile

The launch of a pager known as the Pocket Bell marked the birth of texting and mobile communications in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 22, 2018

Ayako Minase can put a song in your heart

Singer-songwriter Ayako Minase's 'mature pop,' with its fun retro-influences and contemporary sensibilities, comes from the heart.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 19, 2018

Passion and technology behind English sumo coverage

Sumo fans around the globe are spoiled for choice these days when it comes to following their favorite sport.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 18, 2018

YouTube in 2018: Controversy, contributors and (allegedly) child-friendly content

YouTube in Japan had an identity crisis in 2018. The video-sharing site only grew in importance this year, as the top creators associated with the platform achieved acceptance by the country's mainstream media gatekeepers while famous names migrated over.
EDITORIALS
Dec 15, 2018

Admit the error of eugenics law

Lawmakers working on a relief measure for people forcefully sterilized should include a clear statement of government responsibility for a terrible policy.

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