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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 8, 2022

These are not the most expensive cities — unless you are an expat

Lists of the world's priciest urban centers assume you're a tennis-playing, vermouth-drinking expat paid in dollars with a maid and a car.
Director Koji Fukada and actor Kyoko Saito pose during a photocall for Fukada's new film, "Love on Trial," in Cannes, France.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 25, 2025

At Cannes, Fukada spotlights J-pop’s ban on idol romance

Director Koji Fukada’s new film, "Love on Trial," explores Japan’s idol industry and the contracts that ban young women from dating.
A mining machine at the Bayan Obo mine containing rare earth minerals in Inner Mongolia, China, in 2011
WORLD / Politics
Jun 3, 2025

China’s rare earths grip gives Xi leverage in U.S. trade duel

For years, Washington was believed to have the advantage over China in the fight for technological dominance thanks to its grip on semiconductor supply chains.
America's reluctance to provide air defenses sought by its European partners highlights how the western allies are at odds over how to deal with Russian aggression in Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 5, 2025

U.S. said to deny air cover to Europe force in postwar Ukraine

The U.S. reluctance to provide the backup sought by its European partners highlights how the allies are at odds over the way to deal with Russia.
The BYD Han full-size luxury sedan. EV industry analysts say a combination of weaker demand and extreme overcapacity will slice into profits at the strongest brands and force feebler competitors to fold.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 9, 2025

BYD unleashes an EV industry reckoning that alarms Beijing

The price war engulfing China’s electric vehicle industry has sent share prices tumbling and prompted an unusual level of intervention from Beijing. The shakeout may just be getting started.
Goldin Auctions CEO Ken Goldin speaks to a collector in Ikebukuro on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 17, 2025

Ken Goldin brings his sports memorabilia from Netflix to Tokyo

Goldin Auctions CEO Ken Goldin brought some high-end sports memorabilia for the public to see on his first trip to Japan.
Tottori Gov. Shinji Hirai (right) with Executive Chef Shinsuke Nakajima and Executive Chef Sommelier Nobuhide Tani
ESG CONSORTIUM
Jun 23, 2025

Tottori Wagyu and other delights offered at Hotel New Otani Tokyo

A special event featuring the rich sweetness and umami of juicy Tottori Wagyu-brand beef in a variety of dishes has kicked off once again at the Hotel New Otani Tokyo. Held annually since 2018, this promotion consistently highlights the charm of Tottori’s viands through innovative ideas and cooking...
A WE League Cup championship match between Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina and INAC Kobe takes place on Dec. 29 in Tokyo. A healthy increase in gross revenue has highlighted the WE League’s newfound growth potential.
SOCCER
Jun 24, 2025

WE League finally sowing seeds of growth under new stewardship

Yoshikazu Nonomura, who took the helm a year ago, oversaw improved attendance and financial numbers during his first season as chairman.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greets Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting in Wonsan, North Korea, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 14, 2025

Ukraine denies North Korea planning to send 30,000 more troops to Russia

Kyiv's military intelligence agency said Pyongyang will instead send 6,000 personnel for reconstruction operations in batches of 1,500 to 3,000 personnel this month and next.
Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
BASEBALL / Longform
Jul 26, 2025

With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear

Across his 28 seasons of professional baseball, Ichiro grew to become a superstar — first in Japan and then in North America — and then an icon.
Radwimps lead singer Yojiro Noda threw himself into the rock band’s Green Stage performance ahead of headliner Vampire Weekend.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 4, 2025

Fuji Rock's weekend of surprises was one of its best yet

Thousands braved crowds and slow-moving lines, but unexpected guest appearances by Mariya Takeuchi and Atarashii Gakko! made this year’s event one of the all-time greats.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade delegation, comprising Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, meets with Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Li Chenggang and Vice Premier He Lifeng in Geneva on May 10 to discuss tariffs and trade issues.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 12, 2025

Trump’s transactional approach shapes U.S.-China rivalry

There are intense debates about how the U.S. can prevail in that struggle but there are no signs that a single strategy guides the administration.
An explosion of a drone lights up the sky over Kyiv during a Russian drone strike, on July 30. Moscow has dispatched military specialists to train the Korean People’s Army on how to use combat drones and air-defense systems.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 13, 2025

Ukraine war has transformed North Korean military: Kyiv’s military intel chief

Pyongyang’s alliance with Moscow gives it critical battlefield experience and access to advanced weapons, at the same time making it more unpredictable.
Sakurazaka46, the idol pop outfit formerly known as Keyakizaka46, wrapped up an an 11-night nationwide tour this month.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 29, 2025

Sakurazaka46 wants the world to dance along

The 33-member idol group takes its spectacle-heavy performances on the road — and abroad.
Chinese People's Liberation Army troops attend training ahead of a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on Aug. 20.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 30, 2025

Defying West, China's Xi gathers 'Axis of Upheaval' for military parade

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un will attend the "Victory Day" parade on Sept. 3 — the first time they have appeared in public alongside Xi.
A Philippine Navy sailor looks at a China Coast Guard vessel just off the coast of Pag-asa Island in the disputed South China Sea last month.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Sep 1, 2025

Surrounded by Chinese bases, a tiny Philippine island stands firm

Pag-asa Island — population 400 — sits on the front line of a simmering territorial dispute between Beijing and Manila in the flash point South China Sea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smokes a cigarette before departing Pyongyang by special train to China in this image released Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 2, 2025

North Korea’s Kim arrives in Beijing for debut on multilateral stage

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to join Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a military parade on Wednesday.
Actor and World Athletics special ambassador for the local organizing committee Yuji Oda (front, fifth from right) poses with athletes at Tokyo's National Stadium during an open practice on Sept. 4.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Sep 11, 2025

Broadcaster TBS taps Hello Kitty and Yuji Oda in bid to sell World Athletics

TBS has provided televised coverage of the World Athletics Championships since the 1997 event in Athens.
A stay at Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is one of Bali's priciest choices — but also one of its most uncompromisingly luxurious.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 13, 2025

In Bali, the Ritz-Carlton’s ultraluxury Mandapa hotel marks 10 years

One of just nine “Reserve” properties around the world, Mandapa offers a delightfully unsanitized take on a rainforest retreat.
One of Singapore Design’s Week’s lighter exhibitions is the “Unnatural History Museum of Singapore,” where levity and engineering combat anxieties over ecological crises.
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 20, 2025

‘Pluriversal’ Singapore Design Week brings solution-oriented works

Running through Sept. 21, the design fair in the island city-state grapples with issues especially common in Japan.
Bartender and raconteur Shingo Gokan wants his new Tokyo bar, Sangai, to tell the story of Japan's terroir.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Kanpai Culture
Sep 23, 2025

With new Tokyo bar, Shingo Gokan's bartending journey comes full circle

After a nomadic career, a charismatic bartender now finds home to be a vibrant source of tippling inspiration.
A group of U.S. foreign policy veterans has warned Congress that Donald Trump’s erratic and hostile approach to allies is eroding America’s global credibility.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2025

America’s friends will never trust the U.S. again

A group of U.S. foreign policy veterans has warned Congress that Donald Trump’s erratic and hostile approach to allies is eroding America’s global credibility.
Takatoshi Ito, professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University, speaks during an interview in Tokyo in July 2017.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 24, 2025

Takatoshi Ito, Japanese inflation target advocate, dies at 74

Ito died on Sept. 20 from an unspecified illness, according to a statement on his personal website.
Ed Sheeran's marketing team has taken over a shop in Tokyo's Ichigaya Station.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 26, 2025

Oh, Ed(o)! Where have all the vowels gone?

Japan’s playful “Magica spellings” drop vowels and swap consonants, blending Japanese and English into crafty puns.
The Kyoto International Entrepreneur Community brings together local and global professionals from a range of industries, backgrounds and ages and collaborates with government-sponsored entities and nonprofit organizations.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Sep 24, 2025

Stirred, not shaken: Kyoto business platform blends local and global

Since its launch in 2018, the Kyoto International Entrepreneur Community has amassed a diverse membership and built solid relationships with local organizations.
People work at an automotive parts factory in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, on April 11. Export powerhouse Japan saw manufacturing activity shrink in September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 1, 2025

Asian factories struggle as soft China and U.S. demand takes toll

Export powerhouse Japan and global tech hub Taiwan saw manufacturing activity shrink in September, leaving businesses in Asia on fragile footing.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (left), former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi (center) and agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi arrive at a news conference for the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Sept. 23. The three are the front-runners ahead of Saturday's vote.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 2, 2025

No matter who wins the LDP presidential race, prospects for change are dismal

The key for the LDP is whether the once-proud party can win back its traditional supporters who have abandoned it in recent elections and shifted to opposition parties.
Anshul Chauhan’s Japanese film “Tiger” won the Hylife Vision Award for independent films at this year’s Busan International Film Festival.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 4, 2025

Japanese films win crowds but few prizes at Busan festival

From art house cinema to commercial hits, 24 films showcased Japan’s range at the 30th edition of the Busan International Film Festival.
Shohei Ohtani lacks the advantages that made NBA legend Michael Jordan a global icon: a unified mass media landscape, broad commercial appeal and a sport built to show off individuality.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 24, 2025

Why can’t Shohei Ohtani truly be like Michael Jordan?

The challenge begins with baseball itself. The game is played at a high level throughout the Americas and parts of Asia-Pacific, but remains a niche sport elsewhere.
The traditional naginata is a long wooden pole with a curved blade at the end. Though the naginata used in the dojo were entirely bamboo, they nonetheless made for striking displays of power and agility.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Oct 27, 2025

Wielding a weapon of yore at a community dojo

An American in Tokyo embarks on a thrilling course in Japanese weaponry after noticing an advertisement in her ward newspaper.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes