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Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 7, 2016

Japan's resident Koreans endure a climate of hate

Later this month, the Diet's Upper House will pass a bill submitted by the ruling coalition addressing the problem of hate speech, specifically directed at non-Japanese. As sociologist Takehiro Akedo explains in his article for the Web magazine Synodos, the Liberal Democratic Party isn't enthusiastic...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 7, 2016

The vagina, in all its 'obscene' glory

You've probably heard of Japanese artist known as Rokudenashiko ("good for nothing girl"), who was arrested in 2014 for sending the 3-D data of her genitals to patrons of her successful crowdfunding campaign to create a vagina-shaped kayak.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 7, 2016

Matthew Ireton: 'Continuation is the key to success'

Radio/TV show host on calligraphy, singing shirtless and waking up ridiculously early.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 6, 2016

Tokyo's best artisanal sandwiches

It's the season for being outdoors. Head for the hills, the beach, the nearest park or perhaps just a deck chair on your veranda. There's only one question: who's making the sandwiches?
COMMENTARY / World / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
May 4, 2016

The complexities of 'they' versus 'xe/him/xir'

The long search to find a way to refer to people in English without relying on gender won't be ending anytime soon.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 4, 2016

Foreign priests find a spiritual home in Shinto

Though few and far between, a handful of non-natives are blazing a trail in Japan's ancient native faith.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 4, 2016

Beijing rock dies before it gets old with latest club closure

Mao Live House, a legendary live rock music venue in Beijing, shut its doors on the weekend, the latest closure to hit China's music scene.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 1, 2016

Jobs help sink Japan's sub bid

In the end the government was not prepared to pay the biggest political cost of all, which is domestic electoral consequences of any decision that laid waste to still more manufacturing jobs in the state of South Australia.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 1, 2016

Ahead of rare North Korea Congress, money trumps party for most

Kim Dan-bi's brother is the model of the establishment North Korean: an army veteran and member of the ruling Workers' Party, he is now a manager at a state enterprise.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 30, 2016

Idols put Band-Aids on fragile male egos

Two cities in Tottori Prefecture have set up a facility called the Tottori Deai Support Center, which is a kind of matchmaking service for young residents. In December it published a pamphlet to help people looking for mates better understand what the opposite sex wanted.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 30, 2016

Hakone in hot water: Romance, gimlets and raunchy 'onsen'

"I think they're having an affair," murmurs my companion, the ever-observant Megumi. She nods at a middle-aged couple sitting next to us on the "Romance Car," the limited express train that links Tokyo and the hot-spring resort of Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 30, 2016

Japan's meek media kowtows to the government

Last week I compared the Catholic Church in Boston and Japan's "nuclear village" of atomic-power advocates — two powerful institutions that stifled embarrassing revelations for some time. The Oscar-winning film "Spotlight" depicts the comeuppance of the church hierarchy after investigative reporters...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Apr 30, 2016

Our picks from Salone del Mobile Milano 2016

As always, Japan was well-represented at Salone del Mobile Milano last month, with Sou Fujimoto creating a forest of spotlights for clothing retailer H&M's COS brand, Panasonic's "Kukan — The Invention of Space" installation, as well as separate exhibitions, including the Experimental Creations showcase...
EDITORIALS
Apr 29, 2016

A bold new vision for Saudi Arabia

Can Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman end Saudi Arabia's economic addiction to oil?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 29, 2016

Why Japan lost Aussie sub bid

The botched bidding process for a contract to build submarines for Australia's navy was an important lesson for Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2016

The next nuclear disaster may be intentional

Nuclear reactors are likely terrorist targets and not enough is being done to protect them.
Reader Mail
Apr 28, 2016

In defense of Japan's moral standards

Popular TV personality Becky and Diet member Kensuke Miyazaki were both recently caught in cheating scandals. Both cases involved the breaking of marital vows and in both instances the public figures involved suffered harsh consequences.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 28, 2016

House husbands gaining acceptance in Japan as gender stereotypes ease

One weekend afternoon in March, some 30 single men and women gathered at a matchmaking event in Tokyo's Yotsuya district in the hope of meeting their future partner. What was unusual was that the participants comprised men willing to become stay-at-home house husbands and women looking for such a partner....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 27, 2016

Van Sant plots a bleak hike through Aokigahara

At least Arthur Brennan didn't want sushi, an AKB48 concert or a night out on the town with a maiko (trainee geisha) on his arm. As Japan's ranking soars on the international travelers' destination lists, the more cliched their itineraries seem to get. But Matthew McConaughey's Brennan of Gus Van Sant's...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 27, 2016

Clinton dominates in Hollywood endorsements and cash

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' positions on fracking, free tuition and breaking up big banks wouldn't sound out of place in an Oscar winning-actor's acceptance speech.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 25, 2016

Hayao Miyazaki's films provide inspiration for You Say Party music video

You Say Party has a knack for getting pop culture references into its music videos. Past works have given visual nods to both "Twin Peaks" and "Little Red Riding Hood," and the four-piece's latest pays homage to Japanese animator and Studio Ghibli co-founder, Hayao Miyazaki.

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