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COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2015

Paris' bloody sequel to provocative past

French novelist Michel Houellebecq couldn't have foreseen such a horribly swift real-life sequel to his latest literary provocation, 'Submission,' out this week. With the killings in Paris, he finds himself in the cross hairs again.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2015

Most read domestic news stories for 2014

Ranging from scandal to tragedy to celebration, here are some of the most read Japan news stories from 2014.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Dec 29, 2014

Discussing sex crimes and Japan's 'safety myth'

A selection of responses to Rachel Halle's recent column, 'Foreign student's account of treatment in rape case points to gaps in Japan's safety myth.'
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2014

'STAP cells' claimed by Obokata were likely embryonic stem cells

An investigative panel at Riken says the debunked “STAP” cells generated by one of its scientists were likely created instead from embryonic stem cells.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Dec 26, 2014

Sanrio's 'Nutcracker' offers visual experience in 3-D

For anyone raised in the West, the year-end holidays in Japan can be a jarring experience, at least for the uninitiated. Decorated trees, illuminated boulevards and carols in convenience stores coincide with Colonel Sanders statuettes remade into Santa Claus and mini-skirted chorus girls in reindeer...
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2014

Vexed Riken halts Obokata's bid to prove stem cell discovery

Discredited scientist Haruko Obokata's quest to prove her stem cell discovery comes to an end as Riken halts a monthslong attempt to verify the “STAP cell” phenomena.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Dec 17, 2014

Japan and others gain from Jamaican brain drain

In the last part of this series on Jamaicans in Japan, Baye McNeil speaks to a teacher, author and poet in Yokohama and an attorney in Tokyo.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2014

No excuse for tolerating torture

Already 'torture' is fading from the headlines. Anti-torture Americans have been way too polite the past 12 years. They should have shouted down the torturers and apologists, ridiculed them, locked them away.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Dec 6, 2014

Obscenity arrest may be hiding dirty politics

What constitutes obscenity in Japan? The term, both legally and morally, has different meanings in Japanese, just as it does in English. In a strictly legal sense, the Japanese word for obscenity, waisetsu, refers to something that maliciously stimulates sexual desire in an inappropriate and immoral...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 29, 2014

Crafting words with Osamu Dazai's translator

Two of the most successful Japanese novels of the past few years that have been translated into English are Hiromi Kawakami's "The Briefcase" and Fuminori Nakamura's "Last Winter, We Parted." Both were translated by Allison Markin Powell, a literary translator and editor based in New York.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Nov 25, 2014

Jordan's global impact transcended racial, economic boundaries

The Japan Times will be running excerpts from Hall of Fame writer Sam Smith's new book "There Is No Next: NBA Legends on the Legacy of Michael Jordan" over the next few months. This marks the first installment.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Nov 22, 2014

Climate change versus solution aversion

No doubt you are relieved to hear that climate change is no longer a concern. At least that's the consensus of powerful Republicans who will lead the newly elected majority soon to take control of both houses of the U.S. Congress.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2014

The trouble with the genetically modified future

Scientists are being irresponsible if they judge the safety of GMOs based on the scattered experience of the past couple decades.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Nov 8, 2014

Zen and Japanese Culture

This is one of those books you read to the last page without ever finishing; you keep going back for more — and finding it.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Oct 22, 2014

Another island nation, idolized and imitated: Jamaica and I

Only in my 30s did I learn that I, too, had roots, or at least branches aside from my mother's, which only extended to some cotton plantation south of the Mason-Dixon line.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2014

Do some citations rank academic stupidity?

The admonition 'cite your sources' rings in the ear of every slapdash undergraduate and corner-cutting postdoc. But have we taken the emphasis on citation so far that we've ended up ranking academic stupidity?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Oct 18, 2014

The Great Wave

The phrase oyatoi gaikokujin refers to foreigners hired by the Meiji Era government and various educational institutions to impart their skills to Japanese eager to advance in the modern world.
OLYMPICS / ROBERT WHITING'S 1964 OLYMPICS RETROSPECTIVE
Oct 17, 2014

Schollander, Hayes were spectacular at Tokyo Games

The 1964 Tokyo Olympics had a profound impact on the capital city and the nation. In the third installment of a five-part series running this month, best-selling author Robert Whiting, who lived in Japan at the time, looks at some of the stars who emerged during the competition.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 17, 2014

Relax, Ebola's not going to cause 'World War Z'

Author Max Brooks explains why the current outbreak of Ebola is nowhere near as bad as a real-life incarnation of his 2006 novel, 'World War Z,' about a fictional plague.
Reader Mail
Oct 15, 2014

No justification for Islamic State

I am shocked that The Japan Times published the Oct. 10 AFP-Jiji article "Ancient prophecies of apocalypse give Islamic State jihadists hope." The article contains implied praise for Islamic State — the most horrifying terror group in the world. Carefully read, the article reflects a desperate attempt...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2014

Lebanon as a Mideast model for moderation

The Islamic State recently could not find a single Lebanese to volunteer to be an emir. Lebanon must be able to continue inspiring its regional neighbors, and to provide a template for effective pluralism in the Middle East.
BUSINESS
Sep 26, 2014

Famed bedroom trader Takashi Kotegawa reveals his wealth secrets as he guns for $1 billion

It was six minutes after the opening bell on Feb. 4, and dozens of big-name stocks were still untraded in Tokyo. Telecommunications giant SoftBank Corp. was among those that hadn't budged. The offer price fell 5 percent, then more, and still there were no takers.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 20, 2014

Lafcadio Hearn: 'Japanese Thru and Tru'

A small cage was opened at Lafcadio Hearn's funeral, setting birds into the air, the soul of the deceased presumably taking flight with them. His coffin was draped in chrysanthemums and fragrant olive, adorned by a laurel wreath. Seven Buddhist priests read the sutras at Kobudera (now Jishoin Enyuji...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2014

Canceled Tottori mascot makes controversial comeback in manga

A Tottori mascot that was ditched by the city three days after its July debut due to its depressing appearance has made a surprising — if somewhat controversial — comeback.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 10, 2014

Nagatsuka probes into Pinter's 'Betrayal'

"During the 2010 Tokyo run of my play 'Anti-clockwise Wonderland,' I held a reading workshop of 'Betrayal.' That set me thinking I'd like to act one of the men in the love-triangle drama. So now at last I find myself doing that — and directing as well," Keishi Nagatsuka said in a recent interview with...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 2, 2014

Asia's best friends shape an axis

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's watershed visit to Japan, and the bear-hug welcome from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, have added concrete content to a relationship embodying Asia's emerging democratic axis.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 22, 2014

Hiatus in global warming is due to Atlantic currents, study says, but will end in 2030

The Atlantic Ocean has masked global warming by soaking up vast amounts of heat from the atmosphere, but that process is likely to reverse from around 2030 and spur fast temperature rises, scientists say.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 9, 2014

The Crane Pavilion

The 12th full-length novel by German-born author I.J. Parker to feature crime-solving government official Sugawara Akitada, "The Crane Pavilion" takes place in Kyoto in the latter part of the Heian Period (794-1185).
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2014

Haiku with pacifist message sparks war of words in Saitama

An unpublished haiku about a group of women protesting against efforts to reinterpret war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution has triggered an outpouring of words in its defense.

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