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COMMENTARY / World
Jan 26, 2014

War appetite outlasts an era

If there is no longer a British Empire and the American effort to sustain Europe while creating a new, balanced, Israel-friendly greater Middle East has failed, does the continued appetite for war and conquest mean that Darwin was wrong?
Japan Times
JAPAN / DAVOS SPECIAL 2014
Jan 23, 2014

YGL program inspires, educates

Oisix Inc. President Kohey Takashima's ambition has transformed his online food retail startup into the leading player in the industry in just over a decade, but his nomination as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum has awoken in him another mission: to contribute to society.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 15, 2014

'Kaz' Kumagai brings tip-top tap to town

"Anyone can enjoy being be a tap dancer in their daily life; all you have to do is casually make a rhythm with your feet when you're walking down the street," Japan's leading exponent of the art, Kazunori Kumagai, insists — seemingly oblivious to the gulf between him and most of the rest of clod-hopping...
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 12, 2014

'Architect of 9/11' exchanges letters with pen pal

Details from an extraordinary exchange of letters between a care worker from Nottingham, in England's East Midlands, and the alleged architect of the 9/11 attacks were revealed Saturday, offering an unprecedented insight into the mind of one the world's most notorious Islamic militants.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Jan 5, 2014

Rebuilding hope, one stitch at a time

Most of the 19 women from the tsunami-hit city of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, who work for Tamako Mitarai's knitwear company had no professional experience as knitters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jan 4, 2014

Kenya Hara: the future of design

Sitting at a plain white table in a meeting room high up on the 12th floor of a narrow building in central Tokyo, product designer Kenya Hara asks me to picture a shallow plate in my mind. "Now imagine a slightly deeper plate," Hara says, "that gets deeper and deeper and eventually becomes a bowl."
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 29, 2013

Syrian civil war tests borders drawn less than a century ago in Mideast

That half of his farm lies in Syria and half in Lebanon is a source of mystery and inconvenience for Mohammed al-Jamal, whose family owned the property long before Europeans turned up and drew the lines that created the borders of the modern Middle East.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 23, 2013

Can social media boast an antidote for bragging?

Social media has conquered the world, racking up more than a billion users and even helping to unseat governments. The one thing it can't topple, though, is human vanity.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 13, 2013

In search of Himalayan Yetis and global citizens

The educated 'global citizen' is like the Himalayan Yeti: a figment of the imaginations of a few, not a living member of the political fauna of the world. It isn't something we should try to create.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 12, 2013

HIV/AIDS cases rising in Mideast, North Africa

Although the Mideast and North Africa has just 2 percent of the world's HIV caseload, it is one of two regions with the fastest growing HIV/AIDS infection rate.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 10, 2013

Mandela's final step to freedom

Nelson Mandela's life had many parallels with that of Mahatma Gandhi. Above all, Mandela was an eternal optimist who believed in the possibility of improvement and progress by appealing to the better angels of our nature.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 4, 2013

Kiryu reflects on special year

It feels like track phenom Yoshihide Kiryu has been in the spotlight longer than he has been. But his breakout year was 2013, which is, of course, this year.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 25, 2013

Israel, Gulf states and many U.S. lawmakers share deep unease about Iran nuclear deal

The signing of a short-term nuclear accord between Iran and six world powers Sunday left ardent critics of the Islamic republic — most vocally the Israeli government and many U.S. lawmakers — deeply worried that the Obama administration and its partners were making a historic mistake.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2013

The refugees deserving of tolerance

The belief that 'charity begins at home' is used by many to justify their opposition to immigration and is reinforced by allegations that immigrants to Europe take jobs from locals.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 3, 2013

Eyes everywhere: 9/11 attacks transform once underfunded NSA into an all-seeing technological powerhouse

The National Security Agency gathers intelligence to keep America safe. But leaked documents reveal the NSA's dark side — and show an agency intent on exploiting the digital revolution to the full.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 17, 2013

TIFF's programming director explains the festival's direction

Since 2007, when he took over as programming director of the Tokyo International Film Festival's Competition section, Yoshihiko "Yoshi" Yatabe has been a point person in TIFF's drive to elevate its status in the region and the world. A former film distributor, publicist and producer, Yatabe joined the...
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Oct 16, 2013

Adoption and fostering, animal homes and a tribute: readers' mail

In response to a recent story about adoption and foster parenting in Japan, one woman recounts her life of doing both.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 10, 2013

Japan's 'brand' as good as the people behind it

Japan should engage its citizens in a seven-year path of public diplomacy leading up to the 2020 Olympics — and to a worldbeating show of cultural history and hospitality.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 10, 2013

TIFF is your chance to catch up with Japanese film

The Tokyo International Film Festival, now in its 26th edition, has had its share of detractors, dissing it for everything from competition lineups of major festival castoffs (no longer true since TIFF stopped insisting on world premieres) to a Special Screening section that is essentially a PR showcase...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2013

Leadership vacuum begs for a Sino-U.S. accord

A comprehensive Sino-U.S. economic partnership — which is what the world really needs — will be impossible unless the U.S. recognizes China as an equal partner.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Sep 30, 2013

Triumph of Tokyo Olympic bid sends wrong signal to Japan's resurgent right

International events undermine Japan's democracy. Shame on the International Olympic Committee for being a party to it.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2013

New Zealand may have the fix for asset bubbles

As the world's biggest economies search for ways to let the air out of giant asset bubbles, they might find a fix that discourages leverage in tiny New Zealand.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Sep 24, 2013

'Grandma export' exposes Germany's struggle with care

Sonja Miskulin has forgotten her beloved cat, Pooki. She can't remember whether she has grandchildren and has no memory of her nine-hour journey one recent Sunday to forever leave behind her home in Germany.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2013

Replying to Iranian 'prudence and moderation'

It would be a fatal mistake for the United States to perceive Iran's adoption of 'moderation and prudence' as a sign of Iranian weakness, fear, a concession.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 12, 2013

Chemical arms: fact and fiction

Technological advances have made conventional weapons capable of leaving a greater trail of death and destruction than any poison gas.
BUSINESS / Economy / 'SUMMER DAVOS' SPECIAL 2013
Sep 10, 2013

Advising visitors to truly see Japan with their own eyes

Last summer at age 66, Seiichi Kondo climbed Mount Fuji for the first time in his life. Friends warned it wouldn't be an easy expedition, and it wasn't. But conquering Japan's highest mountain was essential for what he was about to do next.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 9, 2013

Filmmaker revisits the children of Fukushima's 'Grey Zone'

Ian Thomas Ash has won acclaim and awards at film festivals around the world for 'A2-B-C,' the second of a pair of documentaries about children living in towns a stone's throw from Fukushima No. 1.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 6, 2013

Meet the journalist who calls Mexico's drug war 'a big lie'

During January 2011, Anabel Hernandez's extended family held a party at a favorite cafe in the north of Mexico City. The gathering was to celebrate the birthday of Anabel's niece. As one of the country's leading journalists who rarely allows herself time off, she was especially happy because "the entire...

Longform

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