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Japan Times
TENNIS
Jun 4, 2019

Kei Nishikori faces daunting challenge against 'King of Clay'

Robin Soderling. Novak Djokovic. Kei Nishikori?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 2, 2019

Higher wages key to higher productivity

A forced hike in wages is both a powerful stick and a nutritious carrot that will boost productivity, and thus the future prosperity of Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jun 1, 2019

Is disgust with the status quo now feeding nostalgia for the past?

Bulgarian scholar Ivan Krastev, in an interview with the Asahi Shimbun published in March, compared the restless discontent of the 1960s with that of today. Fifty years ago, he said, disgust with the status quo fed hope for the future. Today it feeds nostalgia for the past.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Jun 1, 2019

Japan Times 1919: Maniac believed eating brain would cure his madness

According to facts brought to light at a preliminary trial, Hori Tokuichi was first observed as possessing peculiar mental traits last October when he attempted to kill a small dog for the purpose of eating its brain in the belief that such was a certain specific for certain brain disorders he himself was suffering from.
Reader Mail
May 31, 2019

Reversing the fall in population

Regarding the story "Number of kids declined by a third during Heisei" in the May 6 edition, I'm sure the decrease in the number of children is one of the most serious issues confronting Japan. Although most Japanese know this problem should be solved as soon as possible, but as of now, even though Japan...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
May 31, 2019

Rock gardens, ryokan and rafting in Tokyo's Mitake

From the historic Kajikaen to kimono dyeing studios and the Gyokudo Art Museum, numerous institutions of traditional art and culture line the banks of the Tama River as it runs through Mitake.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 31, 2019

Proactive actions crucial to attain workplace diversity

Diversity is at the core of many of the labor and economic policies designed by the current government, including work-style reforms and promotion of women's participation in society. How much has actually changed in Japanese workplaces? Are they becoming more diverse in all aspects?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 28, 2019

All aboard: the art of sampling Japan's railways

In the rest of the world, trainspotting is something of a niche hobby, but in Japan it is much more mainstream. Combine a natural predilection for hobbies with a massive proliferation of railways and you naturally get train enthusiasts.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 23, 2019

Job seekers in their 70s could become Japan's new normal

At the age of 75, Mikiko Kuzuno found herself recently laid off and applying for a job at a factory near Tokyo. She insisted on making the application in person.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
May 20, 2019

Chadwick Boseman to play foreign-born samurai in film

The story of a black samurai known as 'Yasuke,' who served under warlord Oda Nobunaga in 16th-century Japan, will be made into a film starring African-American actor Chadwick Boseman, it was decided by May 7 [it was officially announced May 7]. The news was reported by U.S. entertainment media such as Deadline. The release date is undecided.
JAPAN / Politics
May 20, 2019

From cardboard factory to the kantei? Yoshihide Suga gets PR makeover as rumors of PM bid soar

Unsmiling, tight-lipped and at times appearing heavy-handed, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was never exactly the type of politician the public would take a shine to — let alone swoon over.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 18, 2019

TBS drama misses an opportunity to shine a light on genuine workplace issues

The most common gripe I hear from white-collar employees at Japanese companies is about the fluid meaning of "quitting time." The feeling is that even if a worker has finished their tasks for the day, it is considered bad form to leave the office before their colleagues or supervisors do. There are,...
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 18, 2019

Elementary school kids can say the darndest things online

People usually don’t take the thoughts of a 10-year-old child too seriously. Elementary school kids can say the darndest things, and only the nastiest of bullies take any notice of them saying something stupid.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 16, 2019

Despite being only 10 years old, actor Kokoro Terada is taking on tough topics

A heart-warming tale about an elderly woman's struggles with dementia as seen from the perspective of her young grandson, "Grandma is Okay" ("Baba wa, Daijobu") is the latest movie by Yokohama-born filmmaker Jacky Woo.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 16, 2019

Climate change, pollution, epidemics, quakes: Growing threats put human survival in doubt, U.N. warns

Increasingly complex, growing and related risks, from global warming to pollution and epidemics, threaten human survival if left to escalate, the United Nations warned on Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 15, 2019

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg gets 'best fight' MTV Movie award nod

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg scored nominations on Tuesday for the 2019 MTV Movie and TV awards, where she will compete for top honors with blockbuster offerings "Game of Thrones" and "Avengers: Endgame."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / SDG8.7 Dialogue Special
May 14, 2019

Advocates fighting child labor come together in Tokyo ahead of Osaka G20 summit

Empowering workers, installing social protection programs and monitoring organizations to implement those programs are key points to reducing 152 million children engaged in child labor worldwide — more than half of whom work in hazardous conditions that put their health and development at risk.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
May 12, 2019

Leon is a dog looking for a second chance

For most of his life, Leon had lived in a playpen in a room. It was his world, his life, the only thing he really knew. That world vanished when he was dropped off at the shelter three years ago at the age of 6. He had no social skills and the strain weighed heavy on this little fellow.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 11, 2019

Attempting to switch off from social media during Golden Week

As the relaxed vibe of the recent 10-day Golden Week holiday slowly fades, many commuters in Tokyo appeared to struggle last week to return to the rat race.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
May 11, 2019

Tomoko Keira's 'The Spirit of Huci': A year of living with an Ainu elder — review

One part Ainu cookbook and three parts a cultural record of Ainu values and beliefs, Tomoko Keira's 'The Spirit of Huci' offers, for the first time, the voices of Ainu women in English.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 10, 2019

Share Japan's knowledge and skills on disaster preparedness

Disaster preparedness is a pressing and common need worldwide, as is the challenge of incorporating the mindset of disaster preparedness into daily life.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / ANALYSIS
May 10, 2019

Dearth of female candidates highlights obstacles women face during India's election cycle

The men contesting India's general election are vying for female voters, but the paltry number of female candidates shows the battle women face in Indian politics — as in so much else in Indian life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
May 4, 2019

Come face to face with human mortality in Yukio Mishima's 'The Temple of Dawn' — review

A strange and uneven novel, Yukio Mishima's 'The Temple of Dawn,' the third volume in the 'Sea of Fertility' tetralogy, is an elegy to the loss of pureness in the Japanese national spirit.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 2, 2019

Report urges U.K. to adopt world's toughest targets as Parliament declares climate emergency

British people need to fly less, drive electric cars, eat little meat and turn their home thermostats down to 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit) in order to rein in greenhouse gases damaging the planet.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 1, 2019

Eiichi Shibusawa was a man of his time and ours

Eiichi Shibusawa's message from over 100 years ago is sustainability — indeed, a very important message for the new Reiwa Era.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / Age Wise
May 1, 2019

Stressing over finances? The community at RetireJapan is here to help

Ben Tanaka wanted to take more control over his finances and launched RetireJapan.com to share what he has learned.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb