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Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 7, 2021

Sumo's greatest comeback story could end in white rope for Terunofuji

The ozeki will find himself in one of the most exclusive clubs in all of sport if he manages to get the championship — or equivalent — needed to earn yokozuna promotion.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2021

In Japan, anti-vaccine movement threatens to make widespread hesitancy worse

“Zero-risk worship” in Japan has made experts concerned about the impact that a fringe community of outspoken vaccine opponents could have on the public.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Mar 22, 2021

Martin Holman: A pioneer in Japan's puppet theater tradition

Martin Holman knew early on that he had a passion for puppets. What he didn't know, however, is just how far that passion would take him.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 28, 2021

Top 5: The sweetest of Tokyo's wagashi offerings

A traditional confectionery, sweet Japanese 'wagashi' pair exquisitely with green tea and are definitely a sight to behold.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 27, 2021

'Wages must be paid': In southern India, age-old custom banned as slavery

India outlawed bonded labor — or debt bondage — in 1975, but it continues to be the most prevalent form of slavery.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 18, 2020

Miyavi meets the reality of the moment

The musician, also known as the samurai guitarist, learns to roll with the punches in the era of the coronavirus with virtual reality performances.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Sep 1, 2020

Whether or not you'll succeed in Japanese is up to 'ka dōka'

The 'ka du014dka' structure helps to explain that there's a choice between one option or the other and is quite convenient in conversational Japanese.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Aug 22, 2020

Global furor over TikTok security alarms users in Japan

TikTok's rise represents something of a divide in how people use the internet in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 25, 2020

‘A Whisker Away’: Don’t catnap on some feline fun

“A Whisker Away” milks the cuteness of animated cats to bring lighthearted fun to a story about loneliness and heartbreak.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2020

Debunking the myth of ‘helicopter money’

What does Modern Monetary Theory actually say about financing government borrowing and spending?
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 23, 2019

Galvanized Arab voters display their newfound influence in Israeli politics

Israel's long-marginalized Arab minority is throwing around its newfound weight.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 22, 2019

Short Shorts 2019: Short on time, but never short on creativity

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, whose 21st edition takes place from May 29 to June 16 at venues around Tokyo, is one of the largest festivals of its type in Asia. And, starting this year, four winners of its competitions will be eligible for an Academy Award in the short film category, up from just...
A TikTok creator and advocate wears a button showing support outside of the U.S. Court of Appeals on Sept. 16 in Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 9, 2024

‘It’s for real this time’: TikTok creators react to potential ban

Many of TikTok’s users seemed to have only just begun to grasp that the app could be on its last legs in this country.
Incumbent Mayor Shuhei Azuma announces the opening of applications for a possible successor at a news conference on Sept. 25.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 11, 2024

City in Osaka Prefecture looks for new mayor using job search site

The idea is to encourage more people to get involved in local government in Japan, but questions have emerged about the project and its implications.
A pedestrian shares the sidewalk with a food delivery robot in Los Angeles.
COMMENTARY / World / The Year Ahead
Dec 31, 2024

The world needs a pro-human AI agenda

It is both technically feasible and socially desirable to have AI that complements workers, improves our information ecosystem, and strengthens democracy.
Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after winning the Brisbane International final on Sunday.
TENNIS
Jan 9, 2025

Aryna Sabalenka set to take center stage again at Australian Open

Sabalenka has reached at least the semifinals in nine of her last 12 Grand Slams.
The "madman theory" in foreign policy, which some apply to Donald Trump, relies on perceived irrationality to intimidate adversaries and generally fails to achieve its goals, leading to dangerous miscalculations.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2025

There is no place for ‘madmen’ in international diplomacy

Historians root the madman theory in Machiavelli, who wrote that “at times it is a very wise thing to simulate madness.”
Alberto "Beto" Carrasco" (center) and his compatriots in Namnam Space
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Jan 20, 2025

Namnam reborn: A queer, anarchist space resettles in Tokyo's Koenji

After previous incarnations in Shinjuku Ni-chome and Kawasaki, Namnam is bringing art, music and camaraderie to a new neighborhood.
A statue of the founder of the International Olympic Committee, Pierre de Coubertin, at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland
OLYMPICS
Feb 5, 2025

The closed-door battle to lead the Olympics

For such a consequential election, much of it is taking place in the dark, away from any form of public or private debate.
Excess sugar intake — especially of sucrose, or table sugar — can lead to ailments such as obesity and diabetes.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 17, 2025

Researchers discover bacteria that can limit body’s sugar absorption

Researchers hope the findings will contribute to developing a new treatment method for obesity and diabetes.
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe (left) celebrates with Jude Bellingham after completing a hat trick against Manchester City during their Champions League match in Madrid on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Feb 20, 2025

Kylian Mbappe wants to make history with Madrid after Champions League hat trick

Kylian Mbappe's hat trick against Manchester City propelled Real Madrid into the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday and saw the French superstar reach a new personal high with Los Blancos.
Noonoo, a chihuahua dressed in a T-shirt that reads "BRAT," takes part in the Halloween Dog Parade in New York last year.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 28, 2025

Brats, rebels and rascals: Finding the right word for mischievous kids

Charli XCX’s idea of “brat” doesn’t translate neatly into Japanese, but there are other words for playful rebellion.
Taiwanese comic artist Rishiazao and interpreter Yun-wen Huang greet an attendee at the 2025 Angouleme International Comics Festival in France.
CULTURE / Books
Mar 1, 2025

Taiwan comics on the rise: Local storytellers, global aspirations

A supportive ecosystem and eager audiences — both domestic and global — are boosting the soft power of illustrated narratives from Taiwan.
According to the Nippon Bonsai Growers Cooperative, there were about 30 cases of bonsai theft last year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 14, 2025

Bonsai thefts sweep Japan as miniature trees grow more popular

About 30 cases of such theft occurred last year, according to the Nippon Bonsai Growers Cooperative.
An employee works at a production line of 155 mm artillery shells at the plant of German company Rheinmetall, which produces weapons and ammunition for tanks and artillery.
BUSINESS
Mar 22, 2025

Europe is short of gunpowder and TNT when it needs them most

European governments dug into their munitions stockpiles to arm Ukraine, exposing how shallow their reserves were.
Pieces of gum arabic, a natural emulsifier, displayed in a warehouse of an exporting company, in Port Sudan, Sudan.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 22, 2025

A genocidal militia in Sudan controls a key ingredient in Coke and Pepsi

Gum arabic acts as an organic emulsifier in consumer goods around the world — in candy, medicine, soda and cosmetics.
Christian worshippers take part in a Good Friday procession as they carry a cross with a Jesus statue in the town of Klayaa, in southern Lebanon, on March 29, 2024.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2025

Can the Jesus of history support the Christ of faith?

I would not expect a non-Christian writer to simply embrace the thesis that events in the New Testament did mostly happen as related.
Signs advertising the upcoming World Expo in Osaka have proliferated in the city's different neighborhood for the past few years.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 11, 2025

I’ve only just come back from Osaka, but I’m ready to hit the Expo

The term “bakari” can be used in several different ways to emphasize and define the limit of a range.
People visit the Osaka Expo on the first day it opened to the public, in the city of Osaka on Sunday.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2025

Osaka Expo throws open its doors as mega-event kicks off

A steady rain failed to dampen the spirits of organizers and expo early-birds as 160 countries, regions and organizations showed off their best tech and culture.
On the surface, "Wildcat Dome" tells a personal story of damaged children — now adults — bound together by tragedy. Underneath, there’s a constant undercurrent of political consequence, invisible and pervasive like radioactive particles.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 26, 2025

‘Wildcat Dome’ challenges Japan's historical narratives

Prolific writer Yuko Tsushima explores themes of militarization, colonialism and occupation through the identities of mixed-race orphans in postwar Japan.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami