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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.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 24, 2016

Famed African musician Papa Wemba dies during Cote d'Ivoire festival

Congolese rumba music legend Papa Wemba died after collapsing on stage in the Cote d'Ivoire in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to the private morgue where his body was taken.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 23, 2016

Ebb tide for press freedoms in Shinzo Abe's Japan

A perfect storm is descending on freedom of the press in Japan: The country just sank to No. 72 in the global press freedom ranking issued Wednesday by Reporters Without Borders, down from No. 11 in 2010. And David Kaye, the U.N. special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Apr 22, 2016

Kawaguchi developed unique training skills overseas

Masafumi Kawaguchi is not interested in the past. Not even in his brilliant American football career.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2016

Scientists give the tree of life a brand-new look

Humans are the only animal that has the power to choose which limbs of the tree of life survive.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 21, 2016

China eyes deeper military ties with Afghanistan

China wants to have deeper military ties with Afghanistan, including counterterrorism intelligence cooperation and joint drills, a senior Chinese officer told a visiting Afghan envoy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 20, 2016

Dispatches from the Kumamoto quake zone

Personal accounts relate tales of kindness and resilience after the initial confusion and panic of last week's deadly temblors.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Apr 20, 2016

Loeb's pick to run 7-Eleven operator faces next task: boosting margins

The head of 7-Eleven convenience stores in Japan survived an attempt by his boss to remove him and emerged as president at Seven & I Holdings Co. His next hurdles: turn around weaker units and navigate a leadership transition at the country's largest retailer.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2016

Electric cars take a back seat to SUVs in China

The Chinese government is determined to make the smog-choked country a leader in eco-friendly electric cars, but consumers prefer big gas guzzlers.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2016

Histories that shouldn't be secret

U.S. President Barack Obama should release classified documents on the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba in 1961.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2016

Time to take sides in the war within Islam

We must acknowledge that two Islams are locked in a fight to the death, and that because the battlefield is the planet and the war threatens values that the West embraces, the fight is not solely the Muslims' affair.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Apr 17, 2016

Baby sitter option gains little traction amid parental reluctance

Nearly half of parents in Japan who responded to a recent survey by The Japan Times have considered using baby sitters but have not done so, with many citing lack of know-how on finding the right sitters as well as financial constraints.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 16, 2016

Donald Richie: The legacy of an entrenched view

The late Donald Richie lived at apartment number 804 in a block directly facing Shinobazu Pond in Tokyo's Ueno Park. The writer would lead visitors through his home's dimly lit entrance area — crammed with bookshelves — and his minuscule living room to the balcony, beneath which a vast lotus pond...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 16, 2016

Minimalist family 'camping' in the foothills of Mount Fuji

The birds are singing, the wind is rustling in the forest and sunlight is filtering through the treetops. So far, so idyllic — until my 3-year-old releases a primal bird-scattering shriek as she thrusts an axe into a piece of wood.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Apr 16, 2016

Anime biz sings the praises of shows

The first time I attended AnimeJapan, the industry's annual spring showcase in Odaiba, Tokyo, it was called the Tokyo International Anime Fair. Members of the public couldn't enter during the first two days, amateur cosplay (costume play) was prohibited, and while there were some presentations, most...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 14, 2016

Is 'Abeggedon' approaching?

As the yen heads to 100 against the dollar, economists are fretting over Japan's $10 trillion debt monster.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 14, 2016

Japan human rights improve but problems persist: U.S. State Department

Human rights in Japan have improved in some areas, the U.S. State Department said Thursday in an annual survey of nations worldwide, but it listed a slew of failings that remain unaddressed.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2016

Record 33 percent of Japanese put individual interests first

A record 33.9 percent of Japanese people believe that individual interests should be given priority over the interests of the entire public, a Cabinet Office survey showed Saturday.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Apr 8, 2016

April 9, 2016

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Apr 8, 2016

Tokyo bartender revives a 19th-century cocktail ingredient

The unsung hero of traditional Japanese cuisine is mirin, a deliciously sweet liquor made from sticky rice. Mirin is an essential cooking ingredient, used to balance the salty sharpness of soy sauce and to add luster to glazes. But prior to becoming a common fixture in the kitchen, the sugary beverage...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / EVENTS AND INFORMATION
Apr 8, 2016

Ritz-Carlton, Osaka, expands menu with Japanese restaurant re-opening

The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka's Japanese restaurant Hanagatami reopened its doors to the public after completing renovations on March 4, welcoming guests on a new culinary journey.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 7, 2016

Exoskeleton suit mimics life's creaks, weaknesses at 85 to boost awareness

With the push of a button, a perfectly healthy 34-year-old museum-goer named Ugo Dumont was transformed into a confused 85-year-old man with cataracts, glaucoma and a ringing in his ears known as tinnitus.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2016

Turkey's President Erdogan gambles and loses

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's personal ambitions are causing Turkey incessant, avoidable problems.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2016

Chinese firm wants to turn the world's lights on

The idea of an electricity 'supergrid' that can power the world is now technically feasible and the chairman of the world's wealthiest power company wants to make it a reality.

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