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COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 4, 2016

Abenomics failure explained

It's taken two Nobel laureates to point out how Abe has squandered a rare opportunity to shake up Japan Inc.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 4, 2016

Australian foreign minister says Britain should stay in EU

Australia wants Britain to stay in the European Union, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said, weeks before Britain holds a referendum on EU membership.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 3, 2016

Seeking Japanese courses for mature students; reconnecting with a lost mother

A British reader is keen to come to Japan and learn the language, and a woman in the U.S. hopes to get in contact with her Japanese birth mother.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 2, 2016

Finding the locus of David Mitchell

David Mitchell's world is always growing. Raised in England's West Midlands, Mitchell lived in London for a time before moving to Japan in 1994 — while he was in his 20s — to work as an English teacher. After eight years in Hiroshima, he returned to the U.K. to launch his career as a novelist.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2016

Mammoth burger? Ghostbuster device? Japan enjoys a range of April fools

Japanese firms served up lots of fun on April Fools' Day for those sharp enough to spot the joke.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 31, 2016

Ryuichi Sakamoto offers his thoughts on politics, Japan and how his music will change 'post-cancer'

"The Professor" is back in town. Last weekend, Ryuichi Sakamoto took the stage at Tokyo Opera City for the debut concert of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, a 105-strong ensemble of young musicians from Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, which counts him as its musical director.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 31, 2016

North Korea in 'top-speed dash' for May congress, Kim's nuclear policy

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is poised to declare his signature ruling policy during a rare party congress in May and, despite tough new U.N. sanctions, it is likely to be the twin pursuit of nuclear prowess and economic development.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 29, 2016

How Sharp is denting the Japan brand

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should use his bully pulpit to shakeup corporate Japan and bolster competitiveness.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 29, 2016

Review: Gwen Stefani at Zepp DiverCity

It has been almost 10 years since Gwen Stefani's last solo album, "The Sweet Escape" (December 2006). But the woman who bounded on stage to "Wind it Up" at Zepp DiverCity on March 16 exuded just as much energy as she did the last time she performed in Tokyo in 2007.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 28, 2016

Virgin America's vision of decency can't compete

Virgin America is finding out the hard way that Americans prefer lower airline fares to good service.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 26, 2016

Tepco executives get a taste of citizens' wrath

Three Tokyo Electric Power Co. executives are now facing criminal prosecution for negligence in failing to anticipate a monster tsunami that cut off electricity and inundated back-up emergency generators, causing a cessation of cooling in the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant reactors that precipitated three...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Mar 26, 2016

Andrea Pompilio: 'Keep wearing fashion the way you want to'

Name: Andrea PompilioAge: 42
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Mar 25, 2016

March 26, 2016

Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 24, 2016

Pop star Carly Rae Jepsen really, really, really likes Japan

Carly Rae Jepsen has a major crush on Japan. Proof of this came last summer when she released her latest album, "Emotion" (rendered "E• MO• TION"), in this country a whole two months before anywhere else in the world. That kind of exclusive isn't common for an album as anticipated as "Emotion"...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 24, 2016

Marketing push for Hokkaido Shinkansen blasts off

As Japan gets ready for the start of the new Hokkaido Shinkansen on March 26, many companies are launching marketing tie-ups — with some odd results.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 23, 2016

Sincerely, Little Nigeria: A reporter signs off

After five years of covering Japan's African community, a writer reflects on progress since 3/11 and speculates about the future.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 22, 2016

Gomes expands horizons with Japan move

Yomiuri Giants reliever Tetsuya Yamaguchi, for some reason, thought he could get away with a first-pitch, 128-kph slider over the outside of the plate against Jonny Gomes.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2016

As Cuba rises, Puerto Rico falls

As the resumption of diplomatic ties with the U.S. opens new possibilities for Cuba, Puerto Rico's current status as a U.S. commonwealth has turned into an ugly dead end.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 22, 2016

Damascus love songs can't drown out the destruction of Syria

At the Damascus opera house, youths in jeans, old gentlemen in suits and ties and women in long-sleeved dresses and headscarves cheer and applaud the two performers of Arabic love songs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Mar 21, 2016

Ise Shrine becomes social media savvy ahead of G-7 summit

Photos of a dimly lit Uji Bridge at night, sacred horses walking on the front approach to the shrine, artists performing court music and dance.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2016

How $5-a-night hostels led to Japan's first $1 billion startup

In 2012, Shintaro Yamada was 34 years old, single and frustrated with his job. So he quit a comfortable position in Tokyo and set out to see the world.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2016

Tencent taps ninja Naruto to chase China's $31 billion anime market

A blue-eyed ninja with spiky blond hair and whisker marks is leading Tencent Holdings Ltd.'s campaign to capture the eyes and wallets of China's anime fans.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 18, 2016

Irking Turkey, Assad, Kurds declare north Syria federal autonomous zone

Syria's Kurdish-controlled northern regions voted to seek autonomy under a federal system on Thursday, angering both the Damascus government and neighboring power Turkey with a move that could complicate new U.N.-backed peace talks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 17, 2016

Issey Miyake invites us to see his material world

Issey Miyake, designer of some of the world's most distinctive clothing and international symbol of modern Japanese craftsmanship, received France's Legion of Honor on Tuesday at the opening of a major exhibition of his work at The National Art Center, Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 17, 2016

The Japan-U.S. alliance and robotics diplomacy

Tucked inside the 2017 U.S. defense budget request is about $15 billion to place relatively small research bets on over-the-horizon technologies that can help the U.S. military maintain a leading edge over any competitor over the long term. Close allies like Japan have an interest in seeing this effort succeed.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 16, 2016

The transformative power of Japan's 'magical girls'

There is one surprising thing about Japan's male-dominated — some may say rabidly misogynistic — society: manga and anime support women. True, there are plenty of examples to the contrary (take a short stroll through any Akihabara anime shop if you need proof). But at the same time, the modern Japanese...
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2016

Sanctions eased but Japan Inc. treads warily in return to Iran

Optimism prevailed when United Nations sanctions against Iran were lifted in mid-January. Since the historic nuclear deal was reached last July between Iran and six global powers, companies, including those in Japan, had been vying for economic opportunities in a Middle Eastern market rich in natural...
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Mar 15, 2016

Choreographer Wilson regrets 'transformative' Kim's early retirement

When Yuna Kim retired after her controversial second-place finish at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, many felt it was too abrupt an end to a brilliant career for the 23-year-old.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2016

Sanctions won't stop Pyongyang

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's grim fate reinforced North Korea's believe that the only way to deter an outside attack would be to have nuclear weapons.

Longform

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The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan