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Japan Times
JAPAN
May 21, 2020

Paperwork-heavy Japan trailing tech-savvy South Korea on cash handouts

Lee Jong-chul, a 57-year-old truck driver who lives just south of Seoul, says it took little more than a minute to access his 400,000 won ($330) cash handout from the South Korean government earlier this month.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
May 20, 2020

The struggles of homeschooling in the world’s tiniest apartments

Tao Xiaorong spent a month’s rent to buy her 12-year-old son a used laptop in February, a few weeks after schools in Hong Kong closed and classes went virtual. But their internet service is so spotty that he’s had trouble participating in online classes.
JAPAN
May 4, 2020

Japan school closures reignite debate on shifting academic year to September start

The pandemic has created an opening to put Japan's students back in sync with their global counterparts, but resistance remains.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 2, 2020

Japan’s top artisan bakeries are delivering from dough to door

Japan is blessed with a growing number of artisan bakeries around the city that can fill that pain de campagne-sized hole in our diets.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2020

A cut above: Tokyo barber launches 'telecut' service as COVID-19 hits business

Mr. Brothers Cut Club of Harajuku has launched what could be the industry's first online haircut service.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 19, 2020

What we’ll miss when bookstores disappear

Nothing can fully replace holding a real book in your hands.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 5, 2020

In graying Japan, the market for home shopping is still maturing

The suit-clad television presenter makes breathless promises about the qualities of the Hitachi rice cooker he is pitching, describing how the induction heating steam pressure system allows the aluminum pot to produce the perfect batch of Japan’s staple food with a fluffy yet firm texture and a sweet...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Feb 21, 2020

Overwhelmed Chinese hospitals turn away patients without virus

Liu Zi'ao was awaiting surgery in a Wuhan hospital to treat the tumor pressing on his spinal cord when, suddenly, he was told to leave. The novel coronavirus had plunged the central Chinese city's health care system into crisis, and all resources were being diverted to contain it.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2020

COVID-19 takes toll on students' job-hunting in Japan

While job-seekers are enjoying a seller's market due to severe labor shortages, many firms are busy coming up with measures to deal with the virus situation, including switching to online briefings.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Feb 15, 2020

COVID-19 reveals fractured moral impulse of social media

The outbreak of a new coronavirus in China, now officially named COVID-19, has sparked plenty of concern online — some valid, others more hyperbolic in nature. Like many global events in the social media age, the outbreak has also resulted in no shortage of fake news and racism. Both elements have...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 10, 2019

'Fangirls' defend China from Hong Kong protesters and the world

For Li Mo, the footage of black-clad people clashing with police and vandalizing storefronts proved the final straw. The images of Hong Kong protesters fighting for greater autonomy from Beijing incensed the mainland-born postgraduate student and she could no longer remain on the sidelines. So, she joined...
EDITORIALS
Dec 1, 2019

Address gaming addiction among the nation's youth

Gaming disorder poses a threat to the nation's internet-obsessed youth.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / 2010s: Decade in Review
Nov 23, 2019

Social media became part of the mainstream conversation in Japan during the 2010s

Internet culture has changed significantly over the past decade. In the 2000s, sites such as 2chan and Nico Nico Douga sat comfortably on the edges of the world wide web, offering a form of alternate reality from traditional media. The 2010s, however, saw social media platforms such as Twitter and YouTube...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 12, 2019

Fake news is stoking violence and anger in Hong Kong's continuing protests

Soon after Alex Chow Tsz-Lok fell off the edge of a parking garage in Hong Kong, the allegations began spreading online.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Sep 14, 2019

Frustrated travelers at Narita Airport in wake of Typhoon Faxai spark joy on social media

Choirs full of Swedish children typically don’t break into song at Narita Airport. That’s precisely what happened last Monday night, however, when a youth group called Nova Cantica found itself stranded at the transport hub and decided to pass the time by singing in front of some empty check-in counters....
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2019

Cornering e-commerce market: Amazon squeezes sellers that offer better prices on Walmart

Amazon.com Inc.'s determination to offer shoppers the best deals is prompting merchants selling products on its marketplace to raise their prices on competing websites, a testament to the company's growing influence over the e-commerce market.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 20, 2019

Candidates struggle to navigate difficult waters of social media ahead of election

A good summary of how the 2019 House of Councilors election has played out online comes via Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of the cartoon “Yu-Gi-Oh!” During his promotion of a new art book, he shared an illustration on his Instagram page that was meant to encourage young people to vote. However, it...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 2, 2019

Oh no, another kimono scandal

A more secure, internationalized future for kimono may lie with those innovative designers who are taking it down from its high pedestal and unburdening it from its more restrictive cultural symbolisms.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 22, 2019

Embracing social media to protect others from danger in Japan

Japan has developed a reputation for being a safe country, an image bolstered by recent record lows in reported crime. The reality, though, is that life in Japan can be just as dangerous as it is overseas.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2019

Silicon valley battered as Washington turns up antitrust heat

Technology giants are bracing for sweeping investigations into their business practices as top U.S. antitrust officials and lawmakers carved out a battle plan targeting Silicon Valley's best-known names — sending shares tumbling and raising the prospect of a drawn-out fight with the government.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 22, 2019

Short Shorts 2019: Short on time, but never short on creativity

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, whose 21st edition takes place from May 29 to June 16 at venues around Tokyo, is one of the largest festivals of its type in Asia. And, starting this year, four winners of its competitions will be eligible for an Academy Award in the short film category, up from just...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2019

Long-form journalism is the future of print

'Creative destruction' will erase the dinosaurs and in their place will arise a new generation of print outlets dedicated to long-form analysis and commentary.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 18, 2019

Amazon to close domestic marketplace business in China, say sources

Amazon.com Inc. plans to close its domestic marketplace in China by mid-July, people familiar with the matter said, focusing efforts on more lucrative businesses selling overseas goods and cloud services in the world's most populous nation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 10, 2019

Start up, burn out: Services support Japan entrepreneurs' mental health in ultracompetitive culture

Rising entrepreneurs are often treated like heroes, with the media lionizing the way their startups lure sizable investments and how their innovative products might change the world.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 23, 2019

Denki Groove campaign reveals what Japan truly thinks of celebrities embroiled in drug scandals

It doesn’t take much for a celebrity drug scandal to be picked up by domestic news outlets in Japan, so when TV personality Pierre Taki was arrested on suspicion of cocaine use on March 12, it’s perhaps not surprising that TV and print media jumped on the story. Segments featured on morning shows...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 5, 2019

The real threat to your children isn't Momo

What's fundamentally wrong with the hoaxes is that they establish a false link between internet use and suicide where plenty of real links exist.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan