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EDITORIALS
Dec 24, 2020

Ezra Vogel always believed in Japan’s potential

Vogel's passing leaves a great void and his death — like his life — should occasion reflection and action in Japan to honor and continue his efforts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / 2020 in review
Dec 19, 2020

Our critics’ favorite books published in 2020

As 2021 approaches, six Japan Times book reviewers look back on their top reads released in English this year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 16, 2020

‘Hold Me Back’: Listen to the voice in your head

Akiko Ohku's charming rom-com explores the inner struggles of working women in modern-day Tokyo.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 16, 2020

American rikishi recalls extremely wild times in sumo world

Details on the now 71-year-old's career had been lost to the mists of time until the California native resurfaced in sumo circles online in recent months.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 16, 2020

South Korean couriers die of overwork as pandemic spurs surge in deliveries

A string of deaths among couriers this year has caused a national uproar, drawing attention to unevenly distributed worker protections.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 9, 2020

‘Bolt’: A noirish depiction of the dark days after 3/11

Director Kaizo Hayashi's three-part film based on the meltdown disaster of 2011 at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is a mishmash of noir, sci-fi and fantasy.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 8, 2020

Chuck Yeager, 'Right Stuff' test pilot who broke sound barrier, dead at 97

Chuck Yeager, the steely "Right Stuff" test pilot who took aviation to the doorstep of space by becoming the first person to break the sound barrier more than 70 years ago, died on Monday at the age of 97.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 5, 2020

‘36 Views of Mount Fuji’: Self-discovery through shifts in perspective

Cathy N. Davidson's memoir is a thoughtful and compelling account of a woman gaining a deeper understanding of herself and Japan through her travels.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Dec 5, 2020

Ignored and ridiculed, she wages a lonesome climate crusade

Called the Greta Thunberg of China, Ou Hongyi, 17, has been ignored, ridiculed and ostracized as well as harassed by school officials and the police for her activism.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Dec 4, 2020

He escaped death as a kamikaze pilot. 70 years later, he told his story.

Kazuo Odachi hid his wartime past from almost everyone, but finally published his memoirs, which were recently released in English.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Dec 4, 2020

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai denied bail after fraud charge

Lai's fraud charge marks the latest crackdown on pro-democracy figures in the former British colony.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 4, 2020

'Tokyo Ueno Station' novelist Yu Miri magnifies the quietest voices

Japanese-born Korean writer Yu Miri won a National Book Award for her novel about the ghost of a construction worker.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 3, 2020

Thai protests target king’s billions of dollars in property investments

Thailand's royal family has long been the biggest shareholder in two of the country's most valuable companies as well as vast plots of land in central Bangkok.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 28, 2020

Anger grows at Hong Kong’s erratic COVID-19 rules as cases mount

Though the city has thus far been relatively unscathed the city has encountered more waves than most other places and is entering its fourth round of stop-start restrictions.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 27, 2020

A soaring monument to beauty in China is stirring passions. Mostly anger.

To officials, the statue of Yang Asha, a goddess of beauty, serves as a tribute to the rich culture of the local people. To many others in China, she is another white elephant.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 25, 2020

‘Tezuka’s Barbara’: A dazzlingly dull descent into madness

Macoto Tezka's adaptation of his father's racy 1970s manga is visually intoxicating, but liable to leave viewers with a hangover.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Nov 25, 2020

Japan Times 1970: Writer Yukio Mishima commits ritual suicide

100 YEARS AGO
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 24, 2020

A few tips on what to focus on in the final stretch leading to the JLPT

If you haven't started recapping for the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test yet, consider this your warning.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2020

After 23 years of Chinese rule, Hong Kong is back to square one

Hong Kong's chief executive has created a path for the city's leadership to remove legislators at will, without involvement of the legislature itself or the judiciary.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 22, 2020

Joy Jarman-Walsh: 'Japan could be a world-leader in post-COVID-19 travel'

Joy Jarman-Walsh pushes sustainable tourism in her podcasts and YouTube series, and she's optimistic about Japan's role in it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 19, 2020

Composer Dai Fujikura's new opera tackles fear and uncertainty

“A Dream of Armageddon” is based on H.G. Wells' prescient short story about weapons of mass destruction and totalitarianism.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 10, 2020

Could listening to the deep sea help save it?

Scientists have been capturing the sounds of the ocean off Japan in a bid to understand the mysteries of the world below the surface.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 9, 2020

Trump’s final days ripe for settling scores and pardoning allies

Trump's final two months in office could see a whirlwind of actions to make governing more difficult for President-elect Joe Biden.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years