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JAPAN / History
Jul 11, 2015

Chiune Sugihara: man of conscience

Chiune Sugihara, Japanese consul in Kaunas, Lithuania, awoke on the morning of July 18, 1940, to a disturbing sight. He peered through the curtains of his bedroom window just before 6 a.m. Sugihara and his wife had been living in the consulate building since their arrival at the end of August 1939, just...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 11, 2015

The ogres of Oga are not as frightening as they may appear

Although surely one of Japan's most scenic areas, the Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture is off the beaten track and retains an unhurried vibe, still relatively untouched by commercial tourism. Here, it is still possible to see small fishing hamlets as you drive round the coast, rewarded with stunning...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 11, 2015

Steve Spencer Baker: 'No one in their right mind gets on a frantic elevator'

Freelance company director on science fiction, social media and early incarnations of Simply Red
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jul 9, 2015

A cute and cuddly place to stay; low-carb course menu by the bay; fine French cuisine from local fare

A cute and cuddly place to stay
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 8, 2015

Japan accepts U.S. robot duel challenge

Japan's mega-robot creator is up for a battle of the bots after being challenged by a rival maker of the behemoths in the United States.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 7, 2015

Beijing's chilling new national security law

China's new national security law is worrying on several levels, both because of what it says and because of what is left ambiguous.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2015

Mediterranean boat people are refugees, not migrants

People fleeing to Europe to escape violence in the Africa and the Middle East should be viewed as refugees, not migrants.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 6, 2015

Tropical storm closes Manila schools, floods Philippine towns

All shipping was ordered to remain in harbor and some flights were canceled in the northern Philippines, while schools were closed in the capital, Manila, on Monday due to flooding and landslides from a tropical storm, disaster officials said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 4, 2015

Nothing is too bright for Ikuchijima Island

Islands can quickly lose their charm when they become attached to land masses. This, mercifully, has not happened to Ikuchijima Island in Japan's Geiyo archipelago, a cluster of islets in the Seto Inland Sea that, despite its two connecting bridges, feels defiantly detached.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 4, 2015

Filmmaker wants Japan to remember the 'comfort women'

NHK recently aired a documentary that touched on the 50th anniversary of normalized relations between South Korea and Japan. The main theme was how after World War II Japan prioritized state-to-state relationships with countries it had invaded during the war. Individual victims were sacrificed to expedience,...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jul 4, 2015

Sausages fire up venison campaign

These days, deer in Japan cause tremendous damage to fields, paddies, pastures, orchards, woodland and even wasabi water gardens. They are also wiping out many rare wild plants. Since the last known Japanese wolf was killed in Nara Prefecture in 1905, deer on these islands have had no natural predators....
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 4, 2015

Like early astronauts, SpaceX won't give up

The explosion of a SpaceX rocket Sunday won't deter the company's pioneering spirit.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2015

METI eyes label-reading smartphone app for tourists

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Friday that it is planning to introduce a system for smartphones that allows visitors to Japan to get information in several languages on products they want to buy simply by scanning them.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jul 2, 2015

Luxury at new Hyatt Regency Naha; love is in the air at Ritz Carlton, Tokyo; Imperial Hotel offers Indian delights

Luxury at new Hyatt Regency Naha
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 2, 2015

Melting sea ice to cause polar bear population to plunge, U.S. study finds

Imperiled polar bears will see a population crash in most parts of the Arctic Ocean if global greenhouse gas emissions continue at current rates, causing accelerated melting of the sea ice the bruins depend on for survival, U.S. scientists said on Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 28, 2015

South Africa and the AU vs. the ICC

South Africa's readiness to reject the International Criminal Court's mandate deprives both it and the ICC of credibility.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 28, 2015

Keep up the hunger to find new music

Have you heard or had this conversation recently?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 26, 2015

Consumer prices inch higher as Kuroda pumps stimulus

Consumer prices rose fractionally in May, as Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda tries to generate inflation with unprecedented monetary stimulus.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 26, 2015

EU leaders agree initial steps on migrant crisis

Fractious European leaders argued into the early hours on Friday over how to handle a migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, agreeing a plan to share out the care of desperate people fleeing war and poverty in North Africa and the Middle East.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 25, 2015

Julianne Moore takes on a role that her peers would avoid in 'Still Alice'

Julianne Moore says she was surprised to learn that people in some parts of the world have mistaken "Still Alice," her film about Alzheimer's disease, as "science fiction" and even "horror-comedy."
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jun 25, 2015

Art fair at Hotel Granvia Osaka; summer BBQ at Hilton Tokyo Narita; fine French fare at Cerulean Tower

Art fair at Hotel Granvia Osaka
WORLD
Jun 23, 2015

Australian IS militants who displayed severed heads reportedly killed in Iraq

Australia is close to confirming the reported death in Iraq of two home-grown militants who shot to infamy last year after being photographed holding the severed heads of Syrian soldiers, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 22, 2015

For Mie, 2016 summit chance to enhance area's tourism appeal

Mie Prefecture sees next year's Ise-Shima Summit as the best opportunity to build infrastructure and nurture human resources to welcome more foreign tourists, hoping to achieve sustainable regional growth beyond 2016, Mie Gov. Eikei Suzuki said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 20, 2015

Dive into the culture of Minamiboso

It is just after sunset and hundreds of people have gathered around the docking bays of Minamiboso on the southern edge of Chiba Prefecture. As men bang away on taiko drums, dozens of women emerge from a hilltop shrine. Dressed head-to-toe in white outfits and wearing goggles on their heads, they carry...
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jun 20, 2015

Can #socialmedia boost music sales in Japan?

Last week, Line Corp.'s, the operators of Japan's most popular messaging app, launched an in-app music streaming service called Line Music. Japan is the second-largest music market in the world after the United States, but its consumers have so far been global outliers, clinging to physical products...

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami