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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 7, 2018

'City of Devils' review: Reliving the heady days of gangster land Shanghai

The space was bare. Except for a dirty mattress, there was no furniture. Bugs were crawling on the walls, the chamber pot reeked. Unshaved, unwashed and alone, Jack Riley had only a few benzedrine pills left to feed his addiction. Soon, he would be out and the trembling would start again. Perhaps for...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2018

‘Deep’ tourism explores the darker side of Tokyo

Hidden behind the capital's glassy high-rises and bustling shopping streets are dusty remnants of red-light districts and smoky bar alleys preserving traces of an older Tokyo — pockets of history Hisaki Kurosawa explores to catch glimpses of the other, more textured face of the slickly modern metropolis....
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2018

Recycling game rigged against U.S. consumers

Even if you put everything into the right bins, a lot of plastics will end up in landfills and the ocean. Consumers can't solve this problem.
Jun 28, 2018

TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING celebrates its centennial by publishing Archipelago Travelogue

Illuminating the charm and value of Setouchi culture through stunning visuals and profound observations of intellectuals
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jun 24, 2018

Can Japanese 'light novels' remain publishing heavyweights?

Two years ago, light novel publisher Kadokawa added Thailand to its list of foreign publishing investments, which already includes Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and the United States. Now there are signs that English-language readers are catching on.
Japan Times
CULTURE
May 27, 2018

Will digital piracy ruin the future of manga?

Author and manga translator Frederik L. Schodt once pointed out to me that many of Japan's cultural products are embraced abroad just as they are declining at home. Ukiyo-e prints became the rage in Europe in the late 19th century, nearly 100 years after they'd peaked in Edo and Kyoto. Sake sales have...
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK
May 25, 2018

Michael Socolow explores evolution of global sports broadcasting through prism of 1936 Berlin Olympics in award-winning book

With a sharp eye for detail, American author and media historian Michael Socolow combines elements of geopolitical intrigue, Olympic history and sports broadcasting exploration infused with vigorous enthusiasm for rowing in his notable November 2016 book "Six Minutes in Berlin: Broadcast Spectacle and...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 18, 2018

Study finds one-third of world's protected wildlife areas under threat from development

A third of the world's protected areas for wildlife are suffering road-building, more farms and other man-made threats that are undermining goals to safeguard the diversity of life on Earth, scientists said Thursday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 8, 2018

Hotter seas seen threatening catastrophic loss of marine life by 2100

Polar bears and other iconic animals could be extinct by the end of the century if ocean temperatures continue to rise at the current rate, marine biologists warned Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 7, 2018

Changing Indo-Pacific power dynamics

Japanese and Indian efforts to improve relations with Beijing work to China's advantage
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2018

Why Pyongyang wants a deal with Washington

Can Vietnam serve as an inspiring example for Kim Jong Un, or is it Belarus?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices
Apr 4, 2018

Readers' views on intercultural insensitivity, Japanese schooling, English gaps and an inspirational Indian

Some readers' responses to recent stories on the Community pages:
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 4, 2018

Developing nations will study ways to block sunshine to slow global warming

Scientists in developing nations plan to step up research toward dimming sunshine to curb climate change, hoping to judge if a man-made chemical sunshade would be less risky than a harmful rise in global temperatures.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Apr 1, 2018

Grass-roots involvement enhances 150-year relations

At 66 years of age, Spain's Ambassador to Japan, Gonzalo de Benito, shows no signs of slowing down. He has official and other duties — like this interview with The Japan Times — for starters.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 31, 2018

'Territory of Light' is a timely translation that sheds light on Japan's marginalized

Acclaimed novelist Yuko Tsushima spent her lifetime reflecting light on the shadowed voices in Japan, inspired by her own experiences as a single mother facing the censure of a traditionally patriarchal society. In her later years, Tsushima explored the marginalized in Japanese history, writing from...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 16, 2018

With luxury push, Japan gives Swiss watch-making industry a run for its money

In a factory surrounded by snow-covered peaks, technicians in lab coats use tweezers to assemble tiny metal parts into self-winding watches.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 12, 2018

China giving lithium batteries a second life

Repurposing lithium-ion batteries instead of recycling them is a simple idea, but it may have profound consequences.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 3, 2018

Anniversaries loom for gum producer Lotte and the Yoshiwara red-light district

In 1941, a 19-year-old Korean chemistry student named Shin Kyuk-ho traveled to Tokyo to study at a technical college. He remained in Japan following the war and, under the name Takeo Shigemitsu, founded Lotte Co. in 1948. The brand's name was inspired by Charlotte, the heroine of Johann Wolfgang von...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 28, 2018

The yen finds its sweet spot after 50 years of trying

Japan's currency is finally close to fair value, offering perhaps the healthiest configuration for businesses and investors in decades
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 24, 2018

What's to become of humanity when AI replaces us all?

Humanity is turning a corner. The signpost is marked "AI." Everyone knows what it stands for. Who knows what it means?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jan 26, 2018

Plastic waste making coral reefs sick, study finds

Billions of bits of plastic waste are entangled in corals and sickening reefs from Thailand to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, scientists said on Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2018

University entrance exam question on Moomins series leaves Japanese students bewildered

A confusing question on the annual university entrance exam featuring hippopotamus-like creatures and Nordic languages left many Japanese high school students scratching their heads.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 12, 2018

Tackle global road deaths like preventable diseases, report urges

Governments should treat road deaths as a public health issue and improve public transport, road planning and urban design to slash the injuries and fatalities that plague poorer countries, said the authors of a report.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Jan 10, 2018

Time for Japan to scrub off that blackface — for good

Oops, they did it again: offensive makeup for laughs on TV. But some Japanese viewers are far from amused.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2018

The key lesson from the Wolff book on Trump

A new book on Donald Trump's White House mostly tells us what we already knew: that Trump is unqualified to be president and incapable of staffing his administration with competent aides.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jan 7, 2018

More readers' responses to Japan Times Community articles from 2017

A selection of unpublished letters about Community stories from the second half of last year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Dec 28, 2017

Ailing Ome museum dedicated to samurai novelist Eiji Yoshikawa on the brink

A museum dedicated to Eiji Yoshikawa — famed author of the samurai epic novel "Miyamoto Musashi" — in Ome, Tokyo, is facing closure due to low attendance, it says.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji