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JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 17, 2015

Councilors get loud on library revamps

As testimony to their characteristically low profile, Japan's public libraries seldom make the news, although two recent exceptions come to mind.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 16, 2015

Tokyo 2020 organizers launch fresh search for Olympic logo

Tokyo 2020 organizers on Friday launched their search for a new Olympic logo with a call for the public to reclaim the games after the original design was scrapped last month following accusations of plagiarism.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 15, 2015

Mayor of London urges Japan Inc. to upgrade payments systems, draw on his city's fintech sector

The mayor of London on Thursday urged Japan to embrace more financial innovations such as mobile payments as it prepares for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 15, 2015

New education minister vows to promote LGBT rights and use Olympics to push social issues

A human rights advocate, former teacher and professional wrestler, and now the newly appointed head of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, said Wednesday he plans to promote support for sexual-minority students at schools.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 14, 2015

Photographic portal to a secret, bygone world

'The things happening on Tokyo's streets are always fascinating to me," Nobuyoshi Araki told me during an interview in 2012. Though best known for being the maestro of Japanese erotica, Araki has retained a particular love for street photography. Now 75, he still loves to prowl around the streets of...
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 14, 2015

Brave Blossoms determined to capitalize on rugby boom

Around 500 fans were waiting for the Brave Blossoms at Haneda airport on Tuesday, dousing them in a flood of camera flashlights.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 11, 2015

Albino Sound explores angles on 'Cloud Sports'

When musicians from around the globe gathered in Tokyo last autumn for the 2014 edition of the Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) — an intensive series of lectures, gigs and studio sessions that aims to nurture promising artists — many of the participants had already found a foothold within the music...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Oct 11, 2015

Japan’s Constitution won’t protect revolting foreigners

It's worth bearing in mind that the most prominent case concerning the constitutional rights of foreigners involved an American who got kicked out of the country for participating in antiwar protests.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Oct 10, 2015

Saitama's 'Little Edo' is big on Japan's colorful history

As my smartphone clock flashes from 11:59 a.m. to 12 p.m., I watch the visitors to Kawagoe, in Saitama Prefecture wipe the sweat from their foreheads and direct their attention toward a more primitive form of time keeping — the Toki no Kane (Bell of Time) tower in the middle of the town square.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 10, 2015

'Omotenashi' comes up short on humility

A Japanese friend who used to travel a lot for work told me of a funny thing that once happened to her in a Tokyo hotel. She was checking in when a bellhop came up and, without saying anything, picked up her bag. She resented the presumption and tried to yank it out of his hand. A silent tug of war ensued....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Oct 10, 2015

Soren Bisgaard: 'There is more to chadō than meets the eye'

Danish tea master on philosophy, tranquility and leaving everything behind
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 10, 2015

Sons and gun lovers, a tragic combination

Yet another deadly shooting in America, but the gun fetishists still refuse to acknowledge the need for even a minimal dose of common sense.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 9, 2015

Chips are down but Taco Bell unwraps plan to expand in Asia

Taco Bell's five-year effort to sell its Mexican-American food in India has been a slog. For one thing, "quesadilla" roughly translates in Hindi to "how much?" Sales never took off. Initially people in the U.K. and Japan didn't cotton to the taste, and many locations there were closed.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 7, 2015

Australians should follow India's presidential model

As Australia grapples with whether to become a republic, it should look to India for guidance.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 6, 2015

Misunderstood male-female ratio in education

An analysis of data underscores the importance of avoiding generalizations about the gender gap in education.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 6, 2015

Hiroshi Hamaya: images of an inner war

Most active in the mid-20th century, the photographer Hiroshi Hamaya (1915-99) is best known for his folkloric images of rural life in Niigata Prefecture — images that some consider to be symbolic of his passive resistance to militarism, but for more critical voices are advocacy of a retrograde cultural...
Japan Times
JAPAN / AT A GLANCE
Oct 6, 2015

Tokyo's Imperial Palace grounds are peaceful oasis amid concrete jungle

Adjacent to modern high-rises in the Otemachi business district, just a 10-minute walk from JR Tokyo Station, visitors can step into nature, peace and beauty in the grounds of the historic Imperial Palace. The area is a fine place to stretch out on the grass and enjoy a picnic or simply breathe in the...
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 5, 2015

Japanese microbiologist Satoshi Omura shares Nobel Prize for medicine

Japanese microbiologist Satoshi Omura on Monday shared this year's Nobel Prize in medicine for his work on a therapy for debilitating diseases caused by parasitic worms.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 5, 2015

In India, meat and murder threaten Modi's inclusive agenda

The murder by a Hindu mob of a Muslim man rumored to have slaughtered a cow has thrown a spotlight on the hard-line, polarizing agenda of some followers of Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi, undermining his promise of development for all.
SPORTS
Oct 4, 2015

Biracial athletes making strides in changing Japanese society

This summer, a pair of young biracial Japanese athletes drew widespread attention, an indication that the nation's sports scene has entered a new era.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 4, 2015

In lieu of taking in refugees, Abe opens up checkbook

While Japan has not been open to accepting refugees amid the current world crisis, it has at least increased its financial contributions to addressing the problem.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Oct 3, 2015

Germans at Kurume 'getting arrogant'; Throne Assistance body meets; hope abandoned for 208 missing fishermen; Kaifu congratulates unified Germany

100 YEARS AGO
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Oct 3, 2015

Who's responsible for the Fukushima disaster?

The International Atomic Energy Agency released its comprehensive — but mostly ignored — final report on Fukushima on Aug. 30.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 2, 2015

m-flo's Taku Takahashi talks about Japan's music scene, K-pop and that controversial tweet

Taku Takahashi wants you to know, he's a positive person.

Longform

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