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EDITORIALS
Jun 20, 2014

Meeting the 100 million goal

The Abe administration is poised to set a target of keeping the nation's population from falling below 100 million by 2060 in order to sustain economic growth and the social security system.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jun 19, 2014

Abe's 'third arrow' misses the mark

Economists pan the revamped 'third arrow' of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's growth plan for lacking critical details on how he will achieve the jumble of bold reforms proposed.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2014

Mitsubishi Materials bets on U.S. to up cement profit

Mitsubishi Materials Corp., the nation's second-biggest cement maker, plans to reopen its U.S. import terminal for the first time in seven years and seek acquisitions to expand in the world's biggest economy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 19, 2014

Paul Haggis: Spinning reality into a web of fiction

"Today, too often, we've gotten used to telling the audience things in bold, in all-caps or underlined, and solving everything for everybody." So says Paul Haggis, the screenwriter and director who won Oscars back-to-back with "Million Dollar Baby" in 2004 and "Crash" in 2005. His new film, "Third Person,"...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 19, 2014

Yokohama's French connection

Around 150 years ago, silk traders from Lyon in France went all the way to Yokohama to buy silkworm eggs that they heard could resist an epidemic disease that was ravaging the French silk industry. Since then, the two cities have built a strong business variegated relationship and friendship.
EDITORIALS
Jun 19, 2014

Political earthquake in Virginia

The primary election defeat of the second-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives by an unheralded economics professor upends the conventional wisdom that the tea party had slid into oblivion.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 18, 2014

Buffaloes' Italian pitcher Maestri keeps track of Azzurri's World Cup progress

When Mario Balotelli headed Italy into a second-half lead over England at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Italians around the globe rejoiced. That included Alessandro "Alex" Maestri, an Italian relief pitcher for the Orix Buffaloes who was watching in Osaka and had a game to suit up for later in the day....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 18, 2014

The Uemuras were not quite like mother, like son

Shoko Uemura (1902-2001) was born to Shoen Uemura, the most revered and financially successful female painter of the early modern period, who arguably did more to popularize the bijinga genre (pictures of beautiful women) than any other. Artistically, however, his mother is said to have taught him nothing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 18, 2014

'Treasured Masterpieces from the National Palace Museum, Taipei'

The National Palace Museum, Taipei, is one of the world's largest collections of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks, housing more than 696,000 items, many of which are outstanding masterpieces.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 18, 2014

'Koji Suzuki'

"Where the Wild Things Are," "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "Where's Waldo?" — these world-renowned children's books feature some of the most vivid and unforgettable illustrations that retain places in the hearts of readers all the way into adulthood.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 18, 2014

Japan facing early exit if mistakes go unheeded against Greece

Japan must beat Greece on Thursday to stand any realistic chance of surviving at the World Cup, but a repeat of Saturday's performance in a frustrating defeat to Cote d'Ivoire will bring nothing but an early ticket home.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 17, 2014

Left Right Arms makes a bedroom escape

Sleepy solitude is a frequent theme in the dream-pop songs made by Tokyo-based artist Left Right Arms. The solo artist's first EP, self-released last year, was titled "A Sleep," while his second EP out a few months later included delicate songs such as "Out Of Bed" and "Cocoon," the latter of which is...
EDITORIALS
Jun 17, 2014

Reforming Riken

The government-affiliated Riken research institute should heed the recommendations from an expert panel to undertake concrete reforms aimed at preventing the recurrence of a scandal that recently cast doubts on the credibility of scientific research in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Jun 15, 2014

True confessions of a bijogā (beautiful jogger)

This is the story of a 39-year-old female runner who works in advertising and runs six times a week.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2014

Developing nations reversing the brain drain

Something remarkable is happening in some developing countries. The brain drain has reversed its flow, and there is reason to be optimistic that the vicious cycle of migrating talent can be broken.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2014

Japan needs tougher laws to end illegal timber imports, NGO says

Japan, the world's fourth-largest buyer of timber products, needs to introduce laws and stricter oversight to stamp out imports of illegally logged wood, according to the activist group Environmental Investigation Agency.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jun 12, 2014

International Tokyo Toy Show allows a peek at Christmas hits

It's that time of year again. Children erupt with joy as they see their favorite anime characters come to life, and tech-savvy young adults scramble to figure out the latest cutting-edge gadgets. It's not Christmas, but the International Tokyo Toy Show runs a close second.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 12, 2014

'The Host'

At the heart of this sci-fi thriller is a long, probing look at the relationship between a girl and ... herself. "The Host" combines real romance with a philosophical approach to the familiar premise of Earth being invaded by aliens. Most of the time, it works. Other times, the hormonal confusion and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 11, 2014

David Bintley bows out with a 'Pagoda' set in Japan

Challenge is intrinsic to artistic creation, but David Bintley relishes it so much that he specializes in conceiving the unlikely.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 11, 2014

Top young dramatist urges theater toward key role in nation's cultural life

Fifteen months ago, when I interviewed Takahiro Fujita as the most prominent newcomer in Japan's contemporary theater world, the playwright and director declared, "I'm always looking for something new, and I suppose I will always carry on doing that."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 11, 2014

Nature prevails at the Hakone Open Air Museum

The Hakone Open Air Museum, located on the slopes of Mount Hakone in Fuji Hakone Izu National Park, is built in a beautiful natural setting of over 70,000 sq. meters. It is perfect for a day trip from the city or an extended weekend excursion, and its expansive grounds showcase more than 100 monumental...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 11, 2014

'Vallotton: Fire Beneath the Ice'

In 1914, Swiss artist Felix Vallotton (1865-1925) was rejected by the French army because of his age. Unable to fight, he chose to express his feelings about World War I in what became one of his most-famous works, the wood-print series "This is War." Vallotton's paintings often had similar dark and...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Jun 9, 2014

Algae underfunded in energy hunt

Could algae power your car? In the search for new energy sources, scientists are turning the green goo into oil.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2014

The irony of Putin's appearance at Normandy

The embarrassing presence of President Vladimir Putin on the Normandy beaches for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings was a useful reminder of the fact that Russia is not some Asiatic tyranny on Europe's eastern borders. It is a European country that has played a major role in the continent's affairs for centuries.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 7, 2014

'Battle Royale' wins the game for hungry fans

I should probably start this review with somewhat of a disclaimer. About 10 years ago — not long after Kinji Fukasaku's film adaptation of Koushun Takami's controversial novel "Battle Royale" became a cult hit overseas — I bought a screen-printed poster from a London-based design studio called Airside....
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jun 6, 2014

Fans go nuts for Shiga banana carver

An electrician by day and banana artist by night, Keisuke Yamada has attained renown at home and abroad for his banana sculptures.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 5, 2014

'Godfather of ecstasy' dies at 88

Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin, a biochemist and former Dow Chemical Co. researcher who introduced psychologists to the drug MDMA and became known as "the godfather of ecstasy," has died. He was 88.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 5, 2014

'Balancing Act'

It's a sad, anxious world when a hard-working dad has no choice but to sleep in his car and eat at a soup kitchen. Such is the fate of 40-year-old Giulio (Valerio Mastandrea), whose act of infidelity (sex with a colleague in the archives room of the Rome city office where he works) causes a deep, irreparable...

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear