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Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 13, 2013

An audience with Sylvie Guillem

There are many wonderful ballet dancers the world over, but Sylvie Guillem is undoubtedly in a category of her own — and not only because of her famously self-willed ways.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2013

Magazine seeks to counter bias toward poor

Many Japanese may regard people on welfare as not merely unfortunate have-nots, viewing them instead as contemptible slackers who don't seek work because they prefer to stay "comfortably poor."
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 11, 2013

Taiwan’s ‘White Shirt Army,’ spurred by Facebook, takes on political parties

For decades this island has been bitterly divided into blue and green, the colors of its rival political parties. But that two-toned dichotomy has been upset in recent months by a sea of youths dressed in white.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 9, 2013

Perfect match: Miyakon help singles connect

Despite being located almost a stone's throw from the historic town of Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture and establishing itself as the gyōza capital of Japan, Utsunomiya was languishing in the economic doldrums for the much of the early 2000s.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 9, 2013

U.S. insurers directed to treat mental health issues the same as physical ailments

The Obama administration issued a final rule Friday requiring insurers to treat mental health and substance-abuse problems the same way they do physical illnesses.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 7, 2013

'Abenomics' means a special holiday spread

Before anyone had a chance to shrug off their beach sandals and pack away their tank tops to make room for long-sleeved shirts and jackets, the Seibu flagship department store in Ikebukuro Station announced that it would start taking reservations for osechi ryōri — traditional Japanese New Year's...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2013

Should we outlaw hate-filled extremist parties?

The Greek government's crackdown on the country's far-right Golden Dawn party revives the vexing question of whether we should outlaw the more hateful, extremist political parties.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 6, 2013

Theater of protest boosts rising new hub

Ikebukuro boasts Tokyo's second-busiest rail station after Shinjuku, and until recently it was just a transport hub people passed through between their jobs in the city and homes in suburbs to the north.
EDITORIALS
Nov 6, 2013

Mr. Abe stacking the deck at NHK

Three of the five people named to fill vacancies on NHK's Board of Governors are close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, prompting concern that the public broadcaster's neutrality is at risk.
Japan Times
BASEBALL
Nov 5, 2013

In good or bad times, title-winning Eagles, fans share special bond throughout Tohoku

The Japan Series-winning run by the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles was one of the best feel-good stories in Japanese pro baseball in 2013.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 5, 2013

Hostess exists rather happily on the edge

With international repertoire's share of the music market down to about 15 percent, it has never been harder to break foreign acts in Japan. And given the shrinking market for non-Japanese music, it seems quixotic to set up a company specializing in bringing foreign repertoire into the country — especially...
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Oct 30, 2013

Net scalpers set off discussion of true fandom in terms of economics

If you can't afford u00a5400,000 for a ticket, can you call yourself a fan?
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 28, 2013

Online courses: Collegiate equalizer?

The latest trend in online education is taking the academic world by storm.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 28, 2013

Measure of mismeasure confounds free choice

It's important to help people think clearly about why they might choose something less desirable than what they now have to avoid the risk of getting something even worse next time.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 28, 2013

Getting published is easy; getting noticed is trickier

How can writers make themselves heard in the age of blog and self-publishing saturation? Japan-based authors offer a diverse range of views
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 27, 2013

Syrian refugee crisis pushes fragile Lebanon closer to breaking point

As you come through the military checkpoints on the way into Wadi Khaled, local mobile phones bleep with an unsolicited text: "The Ministry of Tourism welcomes you to Syria."
LIFE
Oct 22, 2013

Apathy is the real enemy in NSA affair

One of the most disturbing aspects of the public response to Edward Snowden's revelations about the scale of governmental surveillance is how little public disquiet there appears to be about it. A recent YouGov poll, for example, asked respondents whether the British security services have too many or...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2013

The face of journalism's savior?

By the time Pierre Omidyar was 31, he was, in his own words, not just regular rich but "ridiculous rich." With enough money to make an impact in pretty much any sphere he chooses, the eBay billionaire last week made a splash in an area that is increasingly attracting the attention of tech titans: news....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 19, 2013

Enough already: Can Japan settle for less?

The pua-ju016b philosophy in short: Poverty as Japan understands it is not real poverty and does not rule out happiness. In fact, it may even be conducive to it.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 18, 2013

Shōchū and the art of conflict resolution: an islander's insight

If you don't drink shochu, you're bound to have problems adjusting to island life. It's like moving to Okinawa and not partaking in awamori: It's a part of the local culture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Oct 18, 2013

Nagoya temple erects Home-for-all for guests

Aioiyama Tokurinji Temple in Tenpaku Ward, Nagoya, is currently building a guest house named Home-for-all within its premises. The house will be fitted with a solar power system and will be self-sufficient energywise.
EDITORIALS
Oct 16, 2013

Policy speech overlooks key issues

An extraordinary Diet session starts ostensibly to deal with radioactive contamination, reconstruction of disaster-hit areas and world trade, but the prime minister's policy speech misses.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Oct 16, 2013

The wonderful world of Japanese law: Yōkoso to endless discovery

Having kindly published my intermittent ramblings on Japanese law and the occasional other subject over the years, The Japan Times has seen fit to give me a monthly column.
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Oct 16, 2013

Adoption and fostering, animal homes and a tribute: readers' mail

In response to a recent story about adoption and foster parenting in Japan, one woman recounts her life of doing both.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 13, 2013

In Iraq, nothing gets built and civil war looms

Back in Iraq, nothing gets built or repaired, unemployment is 30 percent, and the Shiites and Sunnis are again lurching toward civil war.
Japan Times
LIFE
Oct 12, 2013

Kanpai! Sake through the ages

'A civilization stands or falls by the degree to which drink has entered the lives of its people, and from that point of view Japan must rank very high among the civilizations of the world.'
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 12, 2013

Apologies for the apologies: the 'dogeza boom' on steroids

Japanese people like to apologize; or maybe "like" isn't the right word. As in English, many Japanese terms that have the meaning of an apology are used for the sake of perfunctory politeness, so a sincere apology requires effort, and there's no more powerful apology than dogeza, the act of prostrating...
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 12, 2013

Google plans to put users' photos, comments in online ads

Google has made a fortune selling ads. Now it is trying to put its hundreds of millions of users to work as company pitchmen, using the profiles, pictures and recommendations of ordinary people to endorse products and services across the Web.

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