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COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Jan 20, 2016

Hatoyama dreams of a Japan anchored within a united Asia

Former leader apologizes for his failures as PM and shares his views on Fukushima, Tokyo 2020 and his hopes for Okinawa, Japan and the wider region.
EDITORIALS
Jan 20, 2016

Fatal bus crash raises alarm bells

The Karuizawa bus crash should prompt the industry and authorities to reconsider whether current safety regulations are adequate and being properly followed.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 20, 2016

J-horror master Yoshihiro Nakamura returns to form

Yoshihiro Nakamura entered the film world on a well-trodden path. After making 8 mm films while studying at Tokyo's Seijo University and winning a prize at the 1993 Pia Film Festival — a famous incubator for young Japanese filmmakers — he worked as an assistant director for Juzo Itami, Yoichi Sai...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2016

The conflict between Islam and modernity

The Quran, like any religious text, must be interpreted — and those interpretations can change over time.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2016

Five years after the Arab Spring

democracy is still just as suitable for Arabs as it is for any other people. It's just going to take a little longer than we thought in 2011.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 18, 2016

Sizing up America's presidential election so far

At this point in the U.S. presidential election campaign, with both major parties set to choose their nominees in state-level primary elections, predictions are impossible.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 16, 2016

Travesty of justice: legal reform unlikely despite erroneous convictions

Two elderly men fighting for decades to clear their names are poised to receive high-profile retrials in 2016 and yet their ordeals are unlikely to trigger wide-ranging reform to the country's justice system, experts say.
EDITORIALS
Jan 16, 2016

Is Japan using the right data?

If the government is going to help the economy, it needs to improve the quality of its statistics.
EDITORIALS
Jan 16, 2016

Coming of Age Day reflections

Coming of Age day should be an opportunity for everyone in Japan to reflect on the meaning and importance of adulthood.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 15, 2016

On election eve, Taiwan front-runner says she seeks peace with China

Taiwan presidential front-runner Tsai Ing-wen said Friday she will seek peaceful relations with China if she wins Saturday's election, and Beijing again warned the self-ruled island against any moves toward independence.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / David Bowie in Japan
Jan 15, 2016

15 minutes more

One day in 1996, when I was working as an editor/writer on the features desk, I arrived at work and was told as I walked in the door that an unnamed person had called. They were looking for someone at The Japan Times to do a one-on-one interview with David Bowie.
CULTURE / Music / David Bowie in Japan
Jan 15, 2016

The Voice that stayed with me

It's That Voice. I suddenly realized it today when I saw a YouTube montage of clips from his concerts. No matter the song, the style, the era, David Bowie's voice rings out clear and soars over the music, from a rich fruity baritone to heart-rending falsetto bends, grabbing me like no other singer has....
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 15, 2016

Cruz rips up truce with Trump in Republican presidential debate

The long and awkward truce between anti-establishment favorites Donald Trump and Ted Cruz blew apart at the Republican debate Thursday as the two men battling for first place in the Iowa caucuses tore into each other over Cruz's eligibility to be president.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / David Bowie in Japan
Jan 14, 2016

Like some cat from Japan: A tribute to David Bowie

The late David Bowie's appreciation of Japan and its culture was strong. Following his recent death, The Japan Times asked five people who share that connection with the country, and who witnessed the decade-spanning trajectory of this starman, to recall what his sound and vision meant to them.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2016

Don't believe all the myths about North Korea

Before figuring out what can be done about North Korea and its seemingly crazy dictatorship, we mustn't fall prey to four common myths about the hermit kingdom.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2016

Wrong way to show resolve

When it comes to North Korea, the United States and South Korea fundamentally misunderstand what it means to demonstrate resolve.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2016

Win or lose, Taiwan's women gain a victory

If Tsai Ing-wen is elected Taiwan's next president as expected, the achievement will stand in stark contrast with how the Chinese Communist Party keeps women out of its top posts.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 13, 2016

North Korea turns more erratic as Kim's inner circle shrinks

Days after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test, its official television network showed the No. 2 man in the regime, 60-something Gen. Hwang Pyong So, kneeling and covering his mouth to address leader Kim Jong Un, who nodded in his seat as he turned his face away.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2016

How using Facebook makes people dumber

Facebook reinforces people's tendency to seek out information that confirms their beliefs, and to ignore contrary information.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 12, 2016

MSDF ready to 'police' incursions near Senkaku Islands, Suga says

The Abe administration is ready to mobilize the Maritime Self-Defense Force for "a maritime policing operation" if a foreign warship enters Japanese territorial waters and its navigation does not constitute "innocent passage" under international law, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tuesday....
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 12, 2016

Mayoral candidates in Okinawa face off over U.S. base

Less than two weeks remain until a local election that may influence both the planned relocation of the Futenma military base and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's effort to secure a two-thirds majority in this summer's Upper House election.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2016

Can the Republican Party survive its civil war?

The clash of values and policies among Republicans goes beyond Donald Trump.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2016

The five stages of reacting to a North Korean nuke test

Despite Washington's bluster, there's not much it can do about North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 11, 2016

Kim Jong Un calls for better bombs, uses nuke test to boost propaganda

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called on his scientists to do more to boost the country's arsenal after the regime conducted its fourth nuclear test last week in defiance of neighbors including China and South Korea.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Jan 10, 2016

A year in the life of Japan's Supreme Court

Grand rulings hogged the headlines in 2015 while the Petty Benches sweated the small stuff and big issues were kicked down the line.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jan 10, 2016

Treaty obligations and severity of crime key in extradition cases

Although the number of fugitives extradited from Japan is small, this does not mean that the crime concerned has to be particularly grave for an extradition to go ahead.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’