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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jun 3, 2015

Pregnancy and birth in Japan: a cultural primer for foreign mothers

Some aspects of Japanese prenatal care may leave foreign women bemused, bewildered — or even belligerent.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 3, 2015

Should Adam Sandler be slapped for 'The Cobbler'?

There have been times when I've thought that the reason I was put on the Earth was to keep a strict watch on Adam Sandler. There he was, being his rude, crude, fidgety self with bad posture, and there I was in the screening room, ready to jump into the movie to smash him over the nose with a fly swatter....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 2, 2015

Painting women of Japan

Ask an art lover to name Japanese women artists active before the 20th century, and chances are they'll draw a blank, despite the fact that many highly accomplished women were painting in far-earlier times.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
May 31, 2015

Beijing gets tough anti-smoking laws

Beijing will ban smoking in restaurants, offices and on public transport from Monday, part of unprecedented new curbs — though how they will be enforced remains to be seen.
Reader Mail
May 30, 2015

Shikoku pilgrim says 'thank you'

Thank you Shikoku. Spent the month of October last year on the Shikoku pilgrimage walk. Want to say "thank you" to the people of Shikoku for their friendliness and hospitality.
Japan Times
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
May 29, 2015

Arsenal favored to give Wenger sixth F.A. Cup victory

Arsenal has already suffered one setback ahead of Saturday's F.A. Cup final against Aston Villa.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 29, 2015

Expressive emoji win over Merriam-Webster's wordsmiths

From tsunami to head honcho, English boasts no end to Japanese loan words. Artsy chefs now talk of umami and revelers belt out karaoke, so it is no surprise to see the Merriam-Webster dictionary honoring another new arrival: emoji, familiar to mobile users worldwide.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 29, 2015

Ex-House Speaker Hastert charged with dodging banking law to make payoffs, lying to FBI

Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Dennis Hastert was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he evaded currency-reporting requirements and lied to the FBI as part of a hush-money scheme.
COMMENTARY / World
May 28, 2015

Why U.S. 'believes' Pakistan's bin Laden story

Why do allies sometimes pretend to believe one another's lies?
COMMENTARY / Japan / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
May 28, 2015

President Park Geun-hye's Japan stance in perspective

Where does South Korean President Geun-hye Park's open antipathy toward Japan come from?
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 28, 2015

Nakamura set to take over in Niigata; Togashi in plans

After a season away, Kazuo Nakamura, now 74, is launching the next chapter in his long head coaching career. He will become the Niigata Albirex BB's new head coach, multiple sources have told The Japan Times.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 26, 2015

Will 'King' Watanabe be the first Japanese actor to win a Tony?

When this year's nominees for the top honors in U.S. theater, the annual Tony Awards, were announced on April 28, the new musicals "An American in Paris" and "Fun Home" led the field after each being listed in 12 categories.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 26, 2015

Texas governor: Deadly flooding had 'tsunami-type power'

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday described the flash flooding that had killed at least three people in his state as "a relentless wall of water that mowed down huge trees like they were grass."
ASIA PACIFIC
May 25, 2015

China lodges complaint with U.S. over Spratlys spy plane flight

China said on Monday it had lodged a complaint with the United States over a U.S. spy plane that flew over parts of the disputed South China Sea in a diplomatic row that has fueled tension between the world's two largest economies.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 22, 2015

Queen of Japanese media; king of singer-songwriters; CM of the Week: P&G

Queen of all Japanese media, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, will celebrate the 10,000th installment of her long-running daily talk show, "Tetsuko no Heya" ("Tetsuko's Room"; TV Asahi, Wed., 12 noon), with two very special guests, Masahiko Kondo and Noriyuki Higashiyama, considered, respectively, the No. 1 and No....
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 21, 2015

Title aspirations collide for Final Four teams

This time, there's a new look on the grand stage.
CULTURE / Film
May 21, 2015

The must-see list is long at Short Shorts film fest

When it comes to getting a movie fix these days, more people opt for their computer screens than venturing outside to a theater. Hollywood has countered this trend with a slew of 3-D blockbusters and cinematic largesse, but how does the short film fare?
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
May 21, 2015

Mother seeks a groom for her son in India's first gay marriage ad

A 57-year-old mother has placed India's first gay matrimonial advertisement, seeking a groom for her son in a country where homosexuality is illegal.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
May 20, 2015

YouTuber Ken Tanaka tweaks the nose of our obsession with identity

The best way to talk to (and about) the entertainer and artist Ken Tanaka is to discuss his YouTube videos, of which there are many, and which vary wildly in terms of popularity, production and themes. But first, some biography:
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2015

Effort to revive Soviet glory backfire on Putin

Failed attempts by Vladimir Putin to reclaim glory for Russia in areas where the Soviet Union once excelled may present a bigger threat to his regime than falling living standards.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 18, 2015

Let's discuss inbound tourism in the news

Japan came ninth on the World Economic Forum's list of the most tourist-friendly countries for 2015, rising from 14th place in the previous 2013 rankings, the WEF said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2015

Why self-driving cars will always need oversight

Self-driving cars are incapable of making moral decisions so they will always need human oversight.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 16, 2015

Are forces of darkness gathering in Japan?

Certainly it's worse in China, South Korean security recently beat demonstrators and Spain faces a blanket gag rule, but are concerns about the anti-democratic forces of darkness in Japan unduly alarmist? How bad can it be if protestors in Hibiya Park can carry placards depicting Prime Minister Shinzo...
Reader Mail
May 16, 2015

Buraku issues still resonate

It was a pleasure to encounter Stephen Mansfield's review of my recent book, "Working Skin," in the May 3 edition of The Japan Times. Buraku issues continue to be of broad public import in contemporary Japan and deserving of more discussion.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
May 16, 2015

South Korean spy agency under scrutiny after reporting execution by Pyongyang

The South Korean spy agency's assertion that North Korea purged its defense chief and executed him with anti-aircraft fire is one of its boldest claims ever and, given the agency's checkered history, has come under growing scrutiny.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’