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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 19, 2017

Ultra stakes a claim on Japan's music festival throne with help from Chainsmokers, Tiesto and more

Security tugs a woozy-looking man toward the exit of Odaiba Ultra Park after he got in a scuffle with another festivalgoer. His opponent, only steps behind, has bright red bumps on his face. He approaches a guard and, with a smile, snaps a selfie.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Sep 17, 2017

Japanese professor studies U.S. 'birth of a nation' and finds common humanity

Understanding racial issues is key to knowing America's history and, through that, modern Japan's, says Keiko Shirakawa.
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 16, 2017

Cristiano's late strike gives Reysol draw against Marinos

Kashiwa Reysol striker Cristiano scored an 88th-minute equalizer to salvage a 1-1 draw against Yokohama F. Marinos on Saturday in a result that did little for either side's J. League title ambitions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 16, 2017

'Bushido and the Art of Living': Lessons from Japan's 'way of the warrior'

What we learn by the end of this urbanely written, empirically tested book is that Bushido is not merely a set of strategies for combat but a system of thinking eminently suited to preparing us for life and all its concealed hazards.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 16, 2017

'The Book of Five Rings': The text that showed many a Japanophile 'the way'

Legendary 17th-century swordsman Miyamoto Musashi authored this book in the last years of his life, expanding his 'two heavens as one' double-sword strategies into a complete life philosophy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Sep 16, 2017

The prosaic state of ancient Confucianism

"Confucianism," says historian Hiroshi Watanabe, "is perhaps the most powerful political ideology yet conceived by the human race."
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 16, 2017

Ruling bloc says extraordinary Diet session to kick off Sept. 28

A package of bills related to work-life reforms, including one aimed at rectifying long working hours, are expected to be a key issue during the session.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 15, 2017

Views both old and new of Aomori's Tsugaru

Cut off by the Ou Mountains to the south and far removed from any center of power, Aomori Prefecture's remote Tsugaru Peninsula was largely left to its own devices until the Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1573-1603).
Reader Mail
Sep 15, 2017

The importance of perspective when it comes to disabilities

Regarding Mark Schilling's Wide Angle column headlined "Filming disability from a new angle" in the Sept. 8 edition, as a fellow wheelchair user I want to thank activist and documentary filmmaker Mizuko Yamaoka for bringing attention to the small things that affect the lives of people with disabilities...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 12, 2017

Modern lacquer recalls past splendor

Celebrated domestically and internationally for tea ceremony caddies in lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlay, as well as rather more substantial fittings such as kimono display hangers, artisan Tatsuaki Kuroda (1904-82) has finally been honored with the first Kyoto retrospective exhibition of his work....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 9, 2017

'The Abundance of Less': New edition revisits Japanese who live with the land

Way before Marie Kondo taught us how to clean out our closets, American Andy Couturier was learning how to live without extra stuff from folks in rural Japan.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 9, 2017

State panel to brainstorm lifestyle solutions for Japan's demographic ills

Japan is waking up to the need to think outside the box to tackle a spate of economic and social challenges posed by its declining birthrate and aging society.
Reader Mail
Sep 8, 2017

Humans can — and should — learn much from the tortoise

The article headlined "After two-week escape, tortoise on the run no more" in the Aug. 17 edition made me ponder not only the lifestyle of tortoises but also our way of life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Sep 7, 2017

Mizuko Yamaoka takes a different approach in documentary about people with disabilities

Disability presents different challenges for everyone but wheelchair users share a common dilemma: Their mode of locomotion stands out, while they often struggle with social isolation. That was my takeaway from "The Lost Coin," a 2016 short by Mizuko Yamaoka, a filmmaker who has been using a wheelchair...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Taking the Lead
Sep 3, 2017

Line CEO Takeshi Idezawa hears voices guiding smartphones evolution

Since its messaging app debuted in June 2011, Line Corp. has shaken up the online communications landscape in Japan and morphed into a player in smartphone communications infrastructure.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 3, 2017

China's invisible influence on global economics

China may be an even bigger economic deal than we thought.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Sep 1, 2017

Halilhodzic praises team's resolve, responds to critics after Japan clinches spot in World Cup

National team manager Vahid Halilhodzic took a swipe at his critics after guiding Japan to a place at the 2018 World Cup with a 2-0 win over Australia on Thursday night, before revealing that an unspecified issue in his private life almost forced him to miss the game.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Sep 1, 2017

North Korea sentences South Korean reporters to death in absentia over review of book on hermit state

A North Korean court sentenced two South Korean journalists and their publishers to death for "seriously insulting the dignity" of the country by reviewing and interviewing the British authors of a book about life in the North, its state media said on Thursday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Aug 31, 2017

Princes mark 20th anniversary of Diana's death with garden and charity visit as Britain pays respects

Princes William and Harry paid a quiet tribute to their mother Princess Diana on Wednesday, a day before the 20th anniversary of her death that has reignited interest in one of the world's most famous women.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Aug 30, 2017

Readers pay tribute to longtime Japan Times columnist Jean Pearce

A selection of readers' — and writers' — tributes to Jean Pearce, who for decades helped Japan's foreign community feel more at home in their adopted country.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Aug 27, 2017

Game industry vamps up classics

The 'Sonic' boom
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 26, 2017

Koike tests possibilities and perils of populism in Japan

Abe occupies Koike's ideological comfort zone, so she needs to cannibalize his base to get any traction. It is thus imperative that she presents an alternative policy agenda to highlight their differences and tap into simmering dissatisfaction with the status quo.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 26, 2017

New honor for Olympic legend Mills

Legendary distance runner Billy Mills, whose performance at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics catapulted him to global fame, is receiving a special honor close to home.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2017

Drop-dead beautiful: Japan undertakers show their skill on preparing bodies for the 'other world'

A 23-year-old undertaker won a contest at Japan's biggest funeral expo on Thursday that tested ancient skills in the ritual dressing of the dead.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 23, 2017

'Wonder Woman': A superhero blockbuster that stands apart from the crowd

The "Wonder Woman" comic was created by William Moulton Marston in 1941, an unlikely year for a female superhero. World War II was in full swing, and in the DC Comics world, Batman and Superman reigned supreme — then along she came, fighting with "love, instead of hatred," according to Moulton Marston....
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 22, 2017

The dark side of China's technology boom

China's ruling party is on the cusp of exercising unprecedented control over its citizens, and it's been made possible with the cooperation of tech companies.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 19, 2017

Gachapon: Tracing the evolution of Japan's colorful toy capsules

Where else but Japan could you buy a miniature version of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" figure crouching over a squat toilet, horror-struck? It's one of thousands of ingeniously designed trinkets you can buy for a pittance from toy machines across the nation. They're subversive, beautifully crafted and...
EDITORIALS
Aug 18, 2017

Decision deferred on Kake Gakuen's plan

The education ministry should make public the discussions its panel held on Kake Gakuen's plan to open a new veterinary science school.

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