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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 26, 2017

North Korea says U.S. has 'declared war,' warns it may shoot down warplanes as risk of miscalculation grows

North Korea's foreign minister said Monday that the U.S. had "declared war" on the isolated nation, pinning the blame on President Donald Trump's incendiary words days earlier while also threatening to shoot down U.S. bombers — even if they are not in the country's airspace.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Sep 16, 2017

The prosaic state of ancient Confucianism

"Confucianism," says historian Hiroshi Watanabe, "is perhaps the most powerful political ideology yet conceived by the human race."
EDITORIALS
Sep 15, 2017

End Russian election meddling

If Russia insists on taking active measures to subvert the political systems of other countries, it must face consequences.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 9, 2017

Michael Drzmisek Sozui: 'Come share a bowl of matcha'

A tea master explains the comforts of a three-tatami-room teahouse.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 26, 2017

Definition of happiness in Japan remains a mystery

Try defining "happiness." "A state of well-being and contentment," says Merriam-Webster's dictionary, unhelpfully. It's like saying happiness is happiness.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Aug 20, 2017

Educator calls for better understanding of black history in Japan

On occasion, I still get asked this question: Of what value is a column dedicated exclusively to black issues — particularly here in Japan?
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 20, 2017

On inheritance tax, net banking and retiring in Japan

This week, Lifelines plays catch-up with some useful tips that have come in from readers over the past few months. However, we start off with a follow-up question from reader S.S. in response to last month's column on recent changes in Japan's inheritance tax laws (bit.ly/jtinheritax) It seems S.S. spends...
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Aug 5, 2017

Japan Times 1967: 'Iconic Ginza streetcars are on their way out'

The streetcars that have tootled along Ginza, Tokyo's most glamorous shopping center for the past 56 years, will bow out by the end of the year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 3, 2017

Tips for nailing that Japanese interview

You've found the right job, sent off your u5c65u6b74u66f8 (rirekisho, resume) and now it's time for the u9762u63a5 (mensetsu, interview).
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 26, 2017

Asking questions to the Japanese internet

The website Yahoo! u77e5u6075u888b (Chiebukuro, literally 'bag of knowledge') is a great resource for language learners and for anyone interested in observing Japanese interact online.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Jun 18, 2017

Japan? The land of opportunity? Really?

The most common question you'll likely be asked upon making a new Japanese acquaintance is "Why did you come to Japan?" In 13 years here I've been asked this question by our hosts hundreds of times.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 8, 2017

How Trump might avoid criminal prosecution for obstruction

Did President Donald Trump obstruct justice? That is the question that will animate Thursday's Senate testimony by ousted FBI Director James Comey.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2017

Tsukiji fiasco heads to powerful investigative committee

The time is drawing near for Tokyo's lawmakers to use a powerful investigative tool in a bid to seek answers about the Tsukiji fish market relocation fiasco.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2017

Is Beijing outflanking U.S. in South China Sea?

Beijing's military buildup is part of its strategy to dominate many disputed territories in the South China Sea — and push America back.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 11, 2017

The names of the deported are ... the U.S. won't say

The U.S. government just won't answer a seemingly simple question: Who was detained at U.S. immigration or deported in the wake of President Donald Trump's executive order barring entry to refugees and citizens of seven mostly Muslim countries?
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 10, 2017

Appeals court tells Trump it won't back down

The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upholding a nationwide freeze on Donald Trump's immigration executive order is a powerful rebuff to the administration — and to the president personally.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 4, 2017

Trump card: Japan casts a wary eye on future with new U.S. president

"Japan has a snake in her bosom. That snake is namely flatterers. What led Japan to defeat is neither army nor government, but the snake in Japan's bosom, the flatterers."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / DAVOS SPECIAL 2017
Jan 17, 2017

A future of promise and pitfalls as AI technology advances

On a Sunday afternoon in 2035, a man in Tokyo is consulting a robot as to what he should eat for dinner.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Jan 16, 2017

Nintendo takes big gamble with Switch's split personality

Nintendo Co.'s new Switch gaming console won't be in stores until March 3, but the machine is fully baked and ready to play. The press got a chance to try out the new machine at an event in Tokyo last week, and events will be held in Japan and North America to let people experience the product before...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 25, 2016

Will Trump's foreign policy push Japan to go nuclear?

Japan is dancing with the devil in thinking of an arms race or the nuclear option to make up for lack of Donald Trump's support.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 7, 2016

Pearl Harbor was a sneak attack but hardly a surprise

In truth, the outbreak of war between the United States and Japan astonished very few at all.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2016

President Trump: Japanese-Americans, Japanese in U.S. weigh in

People of Japanese ancestry speak up about their impressions of President-elect Donald Trump.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 6, 2016

Consensus rule blunts ASEAN's effectiveness

Although the requirement that all decisions be made by consensus enables disparate member states to unite while protecting their national interests, it also limits ASEAN's effectiveness in dealing with emerging security threats.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Oct 27, 2016

Katakami preps teams for media

Credit the B. League for making an earnest effort to raise the professional reputation of men's basketball in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 19, 2016

Islamist violence will steer Europe's destiny

The greatest question facing Europe is who, Establishment or populace, will steer the continent's future.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 9, 2016

Trump's groping tape threatens Republican's plan to retain control of Congress

One lewd tape of Donald Trump bragging 11 years ago about assaulting women and getting away with it has upended a year of carefully laid Republican strategy to keep control of Congress.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Sep 26, 2016

The deeper meaning of the Emperor's video message

The main theme of Emperor Akihito's August message to the nation was not about abdication but succession of the postwar regime — which is synonymous with the continued existence of the Imperial family.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 20, 2016

How to teach moral education in a relative age?

The wartime moral ideal was blind obedience and self-sacrificing devotion to the nation. Could the upgrading of moral education be a first step on the road back to that?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jul 27, 2016

What to expect when applying for college overseas

In a few weeks, my daughter, an American-Japanese dual national born, raised and mostly educated in Japanese in Japan, will begin her first year of higher learning at her dream school — Middlebury College, one of America's oldest liberal arts institutes.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.