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Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Nov 26, 2013

Despite Obama's plan to shift drone campaign, CIA still behind strikes

When missiles fired by CIA drones slammed into Yemen and Pakistan last week, the attacks ended a period of relative quiet for the Obama administration's lethal counterterrorism program. They also served as a reminder that the CIA is not ready to relinquish its role in the drone war.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2013

Cool Japan Fund launches to help spread products overseas

Aiming to enhance the strength of Japan's brand overseas, Cool Japan Fund, an entity run by the government and the private sector to promote Japanese culture, products and services, launched operations Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 25, 2013

The Emperor's new goal

The Imperial couple's weeklong visit is likely to mark a defining moment in Indo-Japanese relations, fostering closer economic and security ties between Asia's two leading democracies as they seek a pluralistic, stable Asian order.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Nov 25, 2013

Lions and dragons of Japan's islands

When I arrived at the workshop of Setsuko Oshiro in August, the sky was a clear blue and the heat like the inside of a kiln, but there were storm clouds gathering, dark thunderheads over the East China Sea.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 25, 2013

National Stadium plan hit as too grandiose

The new National Stadium planned for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has come under the spotlight due to its huge size and massive costs, and for a design critics say doesn't fit in with its surroundings.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2013

Space industry faces choice for next direction

The air is so clear the mountains in the distance look almost fake, as if added digitally. The desert floor is runway-flat, with a few Joshua trees popping up randomly, like lost cowboys. The dominant feature is the sky, preposterously vast, beckoning test pilots, rocketeers and would-be space travelers....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 24, 2013

Language-learning app mixes study and manga

For those who came to Japan for the anime but are stuck instead studying flash cards for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), an Osaka-based company has made it possible to kill two birds with one app.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2013

Don't blame Dallas for Kennedy assassination

John F. Kennedy was an extraordinary president at an extraordinary moment in history.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 24, 2013

'The Stranger': Nobel Prize-winning author Camus an outsider in France

It is a century since French Nobel Prize-winning author Albert Camus was born — and more than 50 years since he died in an accident on an icy road — yet the polemics over his legacy and "mysterious" death rumble on.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 23, 2013

Re-engineering Shinto

Japan's ancient, indigenous religion, premodern Shinto, was considered one of the world's least dogmatic, laidback belief systems. Many of its earthy, animist rituals were tied to a love of nature and tradition, anchored around festivals and ceremonies honoring kami (gods) found in all aspects of life....
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Nov 23, 2013

Sendai Charter to aid conservation across Asia

Sendai is lovely at this time of year, its tree-lined streets alight with autumn colors.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 23, 2013

Obamacare shows Americans are growing callous

The challenge Democrats face is finding a way to convince people that helping their neighbors is still worthwhile even as the median voter becomes less likely to agree.
Reader Mail
Nov 23, 2013

Do China's needs justify its actions?

We all know Tibetans are not Chinese. They have their own written script, language and culture. What we all have to ask ourselves is: Does China's want for land and resources warrant its land grab of Tibet enough to destroy a people and their language?
Reader Mail
Nov 23, 2013

Tepco's actions are not honorable

The fact that the totally immoral, corrupt, monstrosity called Tepco is not recompensing the people of Fukushima does not surprise me. In a time when the samurai culture was still strong in Japan, the leaders of Tepco would have been pushed to commit hara kiri. In those former, glorious days, people...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 23, 2013

Ukraine puts brakes on historic EU deal

Stuck between Russia and the European Union, and chafing at the need to choose between them, the Ukrainian government faltered Thursday as threats from its big Slavic neighbor mounted.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Nov 22, 2013

Putting down roots with Ryukyu Underground

Keith Gordon, the English half of the Okinawan fusion duo, has found his 'spiritual home' on the southern island.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2013

Hollywood: a peddler of U.S. political propaganda

It's unforgivable for Hollywood to promote America's we're-the-good-guys party line at the expense of the victims of the system.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2013

Kennedy showed how U.S. can contain Iran threat

The Cold War crises that U.S. President John F. Kennedy faced hold important lessons for the nuclear impasse with Iran.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 21, 2013

Who says you're lonely just because you're alone?

When "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" was published in 1999, some schools in the United States banned it from their libraries and reading lists for its depictions of graphic sexual scenes, drugs, homosexuality and teen pregnancy — the usual suspects. Of course, this only increased its street cred....
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 20, 2013

Kennedy's legacy endures latest re-evaluations

s historians and journalists downgrade the legacy of U.S. President John F. Kennedy on the 50th anniversary of his death this week, ordinary citizens around the globe will remember a cherished figure.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 20, 2013

The Charles in Charlie Brown

The advertising surrounding "Ever and Never: The Art of Peanuts" focuses on the cutest character from the classic American comic strip. So much so, promotions for this exhibition at the Mori Arts Center Gallery has been dubbed the "Snoopy Exhibit," a title that also graces the Twitter and Facebook accounts...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 20, 2013

'Ding Ware: The World of White Elegance — Recent Archaeological Findings' (Ceramics)

Subtle and creamy-white in coloration, Ding Ware has a refined aesthetic. It was created during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and became one of the most highly desired pottery forms of the Song (960-1279) to Jin (1115-1234) dynasties.
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Nov 20, 2013

Tokyo: Could — and should — mass immigration save shrinking Japan?

A path to a prosperous, innovative society or the multicultural road to ruin for Japan? Vote here to have your voice heard.
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN WEB WATCH
Nov 19, 2013

Homegrown social networks struggle with how to get rid of redundant staff

Social-network services that once led the domestic Web-industry are now facing a downturn and they are finding that IT companies are not immune to labor toubles.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / NOTES ON A SCORECARD
Nov 19, 2013

Mizuno best man to lead Tokyo organizing committee for 2020 Games

It is amazing how often the answer to a question can be right in front of you.
MORE SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Nov 19, 2013

A tale of passion for football and Southern hospitality

It took a bad break — a flat tire and bent rim — to open a window for MAS to view both Southern hospitality AND a classic intrastate football rivalry — Alabama vs. Auburn.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: TECH
Nov 18, 2013

New and old ways to take snapshots, plus other gadgetry for adults and kids

A 'natural' way to lifelog?
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2013

Thai amnesty bill stirs a new round of unrest

The possibility of political violence will compel the Thai government to shelve an amnesty bill that would allow former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to return home.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?