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Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 30, 2016

British envoy, Japan Times turn tide in NHK history drama

Japanese love watching historical dramas, and one of the most popular times portrayed is the final years of the Edo Period (1603-1868), when the nation went through dramatic change politically, diplomatically and socially with the fall of the shogunate.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2016

Thailand in 2016: The end of the Bhumibol era

Concerns over the future are running high in Thailand amid the change in monarchs.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Dec 4, 2016

Japan's Board of Audit: unlikely guardians of the Constitution?

On Nov. 7, an annual ritual of government occurred: The Board of Audit delivered its report on the results of its audit of government accounts for the previous fiscal year (April 1, 2015, to March 31, 2016) to the Cabinet. The 1,123-page paper brick handed over to His Abe-ness identified billions of...
Reader Mail
Nov 25, 2016

Method for killing dolphins is inhumane

We were interested to see the article 'Taiji's dolphin hunters have a new voice' (Media Mix, Oct. 23) exploring some of the social issues and controversy surrounding the hunting of dolphins in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture. Nevertheless, we are concerned that while the article explores the social issues...
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Nov 21, 2016

Let's discuss what Trump means for Asia

The billionaire businessman represents uncharted waters, a situation that could undermine the Japan-U.S. alliance and upend regional security in Asia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 21, 2016

Nagoya restaurant's guiltless, gluten-free cake finds fans overseas

A new vegetable dish invented by a restaurant in Nagoya is whipping up a media frenzy overseas, where it is being marketed as a sponge cake.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 12, 2016

Poverty coverage reinforces prejudice

In the middle of August, NHK ran a feature on its evening news show about a high school girl as part of its coverage of child poverty. The girl's name and face were revealed in the report, which described how her educational future was at risk because of her financial situation. In one scene, she was...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2016

Girl group's Nazi-like costume draws online backlash

The idol group Keyakizaka46, a branch of Japan's top-selling girl band AKB48, has sparked outrage on social media over their Halloween costume, which resembled the uniform worn by Nazi SS officers before and during World War II.
COMMENTARY / World / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Oct 21, 2016

Anthem refuseniks, and ancient legends

Japan knows all about people taking a public stand by refusing to rise for the national anthem.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Oct 9, 2016

9/11: the day Japan's Supreme Court went (slightly) postal

How the Supreme Court dealt with its mail problem says much about the way the law works in Japan.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 3, 2016

Britain's May to trigger EU divorce by end of March

Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would trigger the process to leave the EU by the end of March, offering the first glimpse of a timetable for a divorce that will redefine Britain's ties with its biggest trading partner.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Sep 18, 2016

'Same work, same pay' principle doesn't stop at 60

Recently, the Tokyo Public Law Office has seen a surge in inquiries similar to the following:
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 17, 2016

Renho and the 'pure blood' mythos

Despite the best efforts of certain individuals on Twitter, lawmaker Renho became the head of the Democratic Party last Thursday. Of course, those loosely linked online individuals that are sometimes referred to as netto uyo (internet right-wingers) don't really care about the DP, but they were undoubtedly...
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Sep 12, 2016

Let's discuss helping foreign residents and tourists in natural disasters

Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, enterprises in the public and private sectors are taking steps to make sure foreign residents and tourists will know what to do in the event of natural disasters.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Sep 10, 2016

Pricing system offers scant protection as Amazon Japan hacks away at bookstores' benefits

Japan's saihan seido system may not be enough to save the country's remaining bookstores, whose advantages Amazon.jp has systematically worked to nullify over the years.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Sep 5, 2016

Let's discuss ANA's dog-friendly flights

All Nippon Airways Co. is considering launching tours that allow pet dogs to travel in the cabin with their owners.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Sep 4, 2016

JBC marks 100 columns and a million page views

Column has been shining a critical light on issues affecting Japan's foreign residents since 2008.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Aug 29, 2016

Let's discuss the men's 4x100 relay at Rio

Japan came close to sabotaging Usain Bolt's bid for Olympic immortality but settled for a first-ever silver medal in the men's 4u00d7100-meter relay at the Rio Games.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 23, 2016

Risking political suicide, LDP veteran Funada challenges Abe over Constitution

Like other Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers, Hajime Funada is a strong proponent of amending the postwar Constitution, but not the way Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 20, 2016

How to teach moral education in a relative age?

The wartime moral ideal was blind obedience and self-sacrificing devotion to the nation. Could the upgrading of moral education be a first step on the road back to that?
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 10, 2016

Reform elected membership of the U.N. Security Council

Expanding the U.N. Security Council's elected membership and increasing their terms could make the body more effective.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Aug 8, 2016

Let's discuss the Emperor's possible abdication

Emperor Akihito does not necessarily intend to relinquish the throne early but has indicated he is prepared to abdicate if he becomes unable to fulfill his duties.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2016

Emperor signals wish to abdicate in near future

Emperor Akihito expresses concern about how his advanced age is affecting the performance of his public duties.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jul 31, 2016

For Abe, it will always be about the Constitution

Nobody here on the Community page has weighed in on Japan's Upper House election last July 10, so JBC will have a go.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 30, 2016

Commuters fight back against groping

Takako Tonooka's life at high school did not start out the way she had anticipated. On the very first day she attended class, she was groped on the train — and that was only the beginning of her nightmare. For a year and a half, she was the victim of persistent groping attacks during her commute to...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 30, 2016

Crimes that imperil Japan's safe image

On July 22, The Japan Times ran an article with the headline, "Crime set to hit postwar low this year, first-half data shows." In it, the National Police Agency reported that the number of criminal offenses is on track to fall below 1 million for the first time since World War II ended, down from the...
COMMENTARY / World / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jul 29, 2016

Terror, terror on the wall, who's the biggest of all?

The word 'terrorist' can and should be applied to a wider range of killers.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past