Search - tokyo-2020-latest-news

 
 
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 20, 2021

How could the storming of the U.S Capitol have even occurred?

The motto of the worldwide Boy Scouts and Girl Guides movement is, “Be Prepared.” It is clear that there were not many Boy Scouts around on Capitol Hill in Washington on the fateful day of Jan. 6.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Dec 15, 2019

Major issues loom as Kansai looks ahead to the new year

It was a busy 2019 for Kansai, particularly in the days leading up to the June Group of 20 leaders summit in Osaka. While the Tokyo Olympics will be the focus of much of the nation's attention in 2020, here are some major issues that will impact Kansai next year:
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 3, 2017

Abe declares 2020 as goal for new Constitution

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he hopes to see a revised Constitution take effect in 2020, revealing the clearest goal yet of his long-held ambition to amend the national charter.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2014

TV news should have English subtitles, panel says

Japanese TV broadcasters should introduce English subtitles in news programs by 2020 in light of an expected increase in the number of foreign visitors ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, according to an expert panel at the communications ministry.
JAPAN / Explainer
Jan 14, 2021

Japan bars entry for new arrivals and business travelers due to new COVID-19 strains

Authorities will name and shame returnees who breach quarantine restriction, and rescind the residency status of foreign nationals if they fail to adhere to controls.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 3, 2021

Coming of age in Japan during COVID-19

This year's new adults are on the precipice of missing out on their seijinshiki, a time-honored tradition noted for its formality and formalwear.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 21, 2020

Japan could face year-long slump if 'cursed' Olympics canceled

A canceled or postponed Olympics would likely result in Japan's economy shrinking for the longest stretch since the global financial crisis, according to some economists.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 26, 2015

Tokyo digs: It's hosteling, but not as we know it

A line of around 30 people queueing for snacks snakes around the inside of Izakaya Bunka, a Japanese-style pub, during its packed opening night on Dec. 14. Staffers at the Asakusa Ward spot have laid out an impressive buffet-style spread for all in attendance, set in front of a stack of nihonshu (Japanese...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2023

Ukraine’s envoy to Japan goes all in as a wartime ambassador

Sergiy Korsunsky finds little time to rest as he works to support evacuees, assist the war effort and plan for what comes after peace is achieved.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 26, 2021

Meet Olympic surfing’s wave whisperer

Kurt Korte, a professional surf forecaster, is tasked with predicting when the best waves will reach the shore of Tsurigasaki Beach.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 6, 2021

Finding the right measure of Olympic success in Japan

Does academic success lead to happiness? Weekly magazine Shukan Gendai offers a cautionary tale u2026
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2020

Japan urges urbanites to tour country, sparking fear of virus's spread in countryside

A central government campaign to spur domestic tourism has drawn both enthusiasm and ire, with some social media users telling urbanites to stay away from rural areas.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 6, 2020

As coronavirus cases mount, is it still safe to travel to Japan?

Practical information for travelers about the outbreak of coronavirus in Japan and what to do if you're planning on visiting.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
May 17, 2019

With its recent revamp, Japan's B. League could make the Reiwa Era its own

After decades of stagnation and instability, Japan men's basketball is finally headed in the right direction.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2022

One more time? Sapporo, like Tokyo, wants to host its second Olympics

It is hoped that plans to make use of existing facilities will allay fears over costs, but nonetheless local support for a bid for the 2030 Winter Games looks to be on the wane.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Nov 16, 2019

Kepco's gift scandal casts shadow over Kansai and 2025 Expo

Earlier this fall, it was revealed that 20 Kansai Electric Power Co. officials, including the chairman and president, received nearly ¥320 million in cash and presents between 2006 and 2018 from a powerful, and now deceased, former deputy mayor and political fixer in Takahama, Fukui Prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 5, 2017

In the shadow of Yuriko Koike's rise, some insiders see an isolated populist

Koike appears to have carved out a position as the most popular politician in Japan, but insiders see a starkly different image of the media-savvy leader.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 3, 2016

Battles over history, the media and the message scar 2015

A rundown of the top 10 human rights issues of the past year as they affected non-Japanese residents.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: ARCHITECTURE
Aug 29, 2014

Checking in on Tokyo hotels old and new

The news that the Hotel Okura in Tokyo will be redeveloped in time for the 2020 Olympics has been greeted with dismay by surprisingly far-flung and influential group of admirers — an indication of the status of clientele that has patronized the hotel since it opened in 1962, U.S. President Barack...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Feb 26, 2012

Gloom, doom — and Lester Brown's 'Plan B'

Anyone who has read any of the 50-plus books that Lester Brown has authored or co-authored (in any of the 40-odd languages into which they've been translated) might easily imagine him to be another gloomy environmentalist.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 30, 2021

Back from injury, sprinter Ryota Yamagata aims for 'extremely great year'

The 28-year-old, who experienced a collapsed lung in 2019 and knee injuries last year, has his sights set on this summer's Olympics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 5, 2020

Summer's Fuji Rock Festival postponed due to COVID-19 concerns

Smash Japan announced today that the 2020 edition of Fuji Rock Festival will be postponed until August 2021 due to ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Jul 4, 2019

Anime's aging but active artists: Mamoru Oshii on his latest project, 'Vladlove'

Writer and director Mamoru Oshii is best known for creating sci-fi thrillers that challenge orthodoxy with their philosophical musings and provocative, often nutty, imagery. His most famous film, the 1995 anime epic "Ghost in the Shell," features a stone-cold cyborg heroine who dives nude off a skyscraper...
Onosato pushes out Hoshoryu during the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo last month.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 30, 2024

Onosato hogs spotlight, but there are big changes in latest sumo ranks

With his name writ large as ozeki on the latest banzuke, sumo’s hottest ticket took another step toward what looks like a procession to yokozuna.
Twenty-three Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 26, 2024

WADA asks 'independent prosecutor' to examine its handling of China case

The United States Anti-Doping Agency branded WADA's announcement of an independent investigation "self-serving."
Kohei Saito, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Tokyo, in a "common forest" in Hachioji, Tokyo, in July
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2024

Slow down to save the planet, says Japanese philosopher Kohei Saito

Capitalism is the root cause of climate change, and we need to stop chasing growth, Saito argues.
A popular dinosaur exhibit at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno, Tokyo
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 9, 2023

Crowdfunding success at Japan science museum sends mixed message

While such initiatives provide much-needed cash, they are also a sign of limited government funding for science.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji