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JAPAN
Mar 8, 2017

Japan's border islands to get ¥5 billion boon for tourism, defense

The government has earmarked ¥5 billion in increased economic assistance to 71 islands off the coast of eight prefectures, as concerns over declining populations are compounded by recurring intrusions into sovereign territory by foreign vessels.
BASEBALL
Mar 8, 2017

China aims for incremental improvements on global baseball stage

China manager John McLaren starts each day by having his players remember their team motto: "Get better every day." He'll then pick out a player, who will then belt out a tune of his choice for the room, "they're lacking there a little bit," McLaren said with a grin.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 7, 2017

A gently explosive 'Blossom Blast'

Beware the loan word "feminizumu." If you ask accomplished, educated and gainfully employed Japanese women whether they are feminists, the adverse reaction can be confusing. I first came up against this in a seminar of women art-history students, who unanimously, and vehemently rejected the idea of being...
CULTURE / Art
Mar 7, 2017

'10th Anniversary of the National Art Center, Tokyo: The Year of Czech Culture 2017 — Alfons Mucha'

March 8-June 5
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 7, 2017

Abe's nationalism hurts Japan

Shinzo Abe spends too much time thinking about 1940 rather than making Japan great again in 2040.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Mar 6, 2017

South Korean prosecutor paves way for charges against Park if impeachment upheld

South Korean President Park Geun-hye colluded with a friend to take bribes from Samsung Group aimed at cementing Samsung Chief Jay Y. Lee's control of the conglomerate, the special prosecutor's office said Monday, paving the way for Park to be prosecuted if removed from office.
EDITORIALS
Mar 6, 2017

A heavy hand in Xinjiang

China is quick to argue that the best way to fight terrorism elsewhere in the world is to address root causes; it is not exempt from that same diagnosis.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 5, 2017

Liberal democracy in retreat?

Having already come under siege in many of its outposts around the world, is liberal democracy now at risk of losing its citadel, too?
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 5, 2017

Demands for return of land block German effort to atone for African genocide

Namibia's Herero people are heartened that Germany is keen to atone for the genocide of their ancestors, but they expect something that Berlin says it cannot give.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 4, 2017

Learning to stand up to domestic violence in Japan

Satoru Tanaka tentatively pulls from his briefcase a well-thumbed sheet of plain paper, onto which has been sketched three smiling faces along with a simple but astute message: "Daddy's promise," it begins. "Always smile, and if you feel the urge to fight, take a deep breath."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Mar 4, 2017

Will we ever see no obstacles in our way?

Infrastructure in Japan is up to world standards in most areas, and in terms of public transportation it often surpasses those standards — but there's one field it falls way behind: utility poles and overhead cables that carry electrical power and telecommunications.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 4, 2017

'Comfort women' in South Korea who serviced U.S. forces seek justice

Historical 'comfort women' cases involving Japanese and U.S. forces should be mutually reinforcing and underscore the ongoing need to hold Tokyo, Seoul and Washington accountable in ways that address the traumas and indignities endured.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 3, 2017

Japan's culinary professionals rank high at Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards

On the evening of Feb. 21, chefs from nine of Japan's top restaurants ascended the stage to receive honors at the fifth Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony in Bangkok.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 1, 2017

Purity Ring is bringing some interesting instruments on its return to Japan

Purity Ring is sorry for not coming to Japan since 2012.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 28, 2017

Why Dutch sentiment has turned against immigrants

Soon after she moved into her new neighborhood, Ijburg, on the eastern outskirts of Amsterdam, in 2005, Xandra Lammers started a blog about it. Ijburg is a curious place, an architectural wonder, built in the middle of a lake on reclaimed land and partly on water. She still keeps the blog alive, but...
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Feb 27, 2017

Falling in line and expressing change with 'shitagatte'

Introducing the phrase Xu306bu5f93(u3057u305fu304c)u3063u3066 (following/in line with X) and its related expressions.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 26, 2017

Japan has no room to criticize U.S. refugee ban

Donald Trump's America isn't the only country turning its back on refugees. Japan is just as guilty.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 25, 2017

Is Abe attempting to fuse the church and state?

It was morning in the land of the gods. "The mountains and the waters serve our sovereign," wrote a seventh-century poet. "And she (Empress Jito), a goddess, is out on her pleasure-barge upon the foaming rapids."
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NEIGHBORHOOD HOP SPORTS
Feb 24, 2017

Koenji's alehouses and brewpubs put the craft back in beer

Often touted as Tokyo's apex of cool, Koenji is a maze of narrow mixed-use streets, where the city's trendsetters, en route to hip cafes, cross paths with pensioners browsing cheap vegetables and various knickknacks.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 22, 2017

For over three years, Kim murder suspect lived mystery life in Malaysia

Ri Jong Chol, a North Korean arrested in the probe into last week's murder of the half-brother of the isolated state's leader, lived in Malaysia for more than three years without working at the company registered on his employment permit or receiving a salary.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 21, 2017

Trump taps military strategist McMaster as national security adviser to replace ousted Flynn

President Donald Trump on Monday named Lt. Gen. Herbert Raymond McMaster as his new national security adviser, choosing a military officer known for speaking his mind and challenging his superiors.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Feb 20, 2017

Let's discuss the flu season

The influenza season is in full force, with an estimated 2.01 million people across the nation seeking treatment during a single week recently.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2017

Japan's buckling health care system at a crossroads

U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to repeal “Obamacare” has left many people here wondering: How does Japan compare?
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 19, 2017

Urawa determined to turn 'moral victory' into real triumph

Urawa Reds manager Mihailo Petrovic has vowed to use the pain of last season's J. League championship collapse to fuel his players' fire in 2017, but still believes his team was last year's "moral winner."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Feb 18, 2017

'Edo and Paris: Urban Life and the State in the Early Modern Era': Essays on growth and bureaucracy

"Edo and Paris" compares the development of these two great cities of the early modern era. It compiles 19 essays by American, European and Japanese academics, edited by James L. McClain, John M. Merriman and Kaoru Ugawa, professors of history at Brown, Yale and Rikkyo universities, respectively.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan