Search - community

 
 
BUSINESS
May 22, 2015

Abe announces $110 billion in aid for 'high-quality' infrastructure in Asia

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced $110 billion (¥13 trillion) in aid for "high-quality" infrastructure development in Asia over the next five years, in an apparent move to counterbalance the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
JAPAN / Society
May 22, 2015

First Japanese bill outlawing racism and hate speech submitted to Upper House

A group of lawmakers made history Friday by submitting a bill to the Upper House that would outlaw racism and hate speech.
CULTURE / Music
May 22, 2015

Budamunk's 'The Corner' makes a play for local hip-hop heads

Back in 2008, a beat-making competition called Goldfinger's Kitchen was held in Tokyo's Shibuya district. In each round, contestants had 15 minutes to chop and flip a given sample on an MPC sampler as the crowd watched. When the 15 minutes were up, the contestants played back what they had created to...
BUSINESS
May 22, 2015

Thailand, Vietnam seek more Japan investment in medical, other fields

Senior government officials of Thailand and Vietnam urged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday to encourage Japanese investment in their growing industries, including in the medical and farming sectors, on top of existing railway and infrastructure development projects, Japanese officials said.
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2015

Rohingya refugee crisis shames Southeast Asia

ASEAN members are failing to adequately address the humanitarian crisis involving the Rohingya Muslim boat people.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 21, 2015

Syrian forces, civilians flee as Islamic State storms ancient city of Palmyra

Islamic State insurgents stormed the historic Syrian city of Palmyra on Wednesday, fighting off pro-government forces who withdrew after evacuating most of the civilian population, state television said.
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2015

The conversion of America's China doves into hawks

U.S. experts on China are taking an increasingly hawkish view toward Beijing.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 20, 2015

The AIIB has little to offer Japan and the U.S.

Japan is wise not to join China's Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which could end up merely as a policy instrument for Beijing.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
May 20, 2015

YouTuber Ken Tanaka tweaks the nose of our obsession with identity

The best way to talk to (and about) the entertainer and artist Ken Tanaka is to discuss his YouTube videos, of which there are many, and which vary wildly in terms of popularity, production and themes. But first, some biography:
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2015

Islamic State's war on art

The Islamic State's destruction and sales of ancient artifacts is a crucial piece of its recruitment and financing strategies.
EDITORIALS
May 19, 2015

U.S. moves forward with Gulf states

If the Gulf states prove to be more accommodating of U.S. foreign policy objectives than Israel, then that could be a geopolitical shift that rivals the return of Iran to regional politics.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 19, 2015

Yosemite parachute jump claims noted extreme BASE athlete Dean Potter

Rock climber Dean Potter and another man died while attempting parachute jumps from a 3,000-foot-high (900-meter) cliff in California's Yosemite National Park, officials said on Monday, the latest in a string of deaths nationwide in the extreme sport of BASE jumping.
EDITORIALS
May 18, 2015

Tensions rising in South China Sea

Beijing should exercise self-restraint to help dispel concerns over its perceived attempts to secure its interests in the South China Sea at the expense of other states in the region.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 18, 2015

Aichi's oldest pathologist sees society in flux

The oldest police pathologist in Aichi Prefecture retired in March, after performing autopsies on more than 4,000 bodies in his 50 year career.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
May 17, 2015

Black filmmakers 'find their edge' in Japan

This month's green-tinged Black Eye focuses on black filmmakers in Tokyo — a group of brothers forging their dreams into reality, getting it done here in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
May 16, 2015

Anime oasis of the Midwest flourishes

The 18th annual Anime Central (ACen), North America’s third largest anime convention, is underway this weekend in Rosemont, near Chicago. Last year's event drew a record 29,000 unique attendees, tallying 81,000 in total over its three full days. Organizers expect to breach those figures again in 2015....
EDITORIALS
May 16, 2015

Heritage means responsibility

Should Japan win World Heritage status for its early industrial sites, it should take steps to ensure visitors are aware of both the positive and negative aspects of their histories.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
May 16, 2015

Backed by green advocates, some U.S. conservatives push for solar

When Debbie Dooley, a tea party firebrand from Woodstock, Georgia, makes the case for solar power, she doesn't rely on the usual environmental talking points. She speaks of property rights, national security and competition in the free market.
Japan Times
SPORTS / NOTES ON A SCORECARD
May 15, 2015

Mao's big decision has fans, skating world on edge

The speculation is growing by the minute.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 15, 2015

In Philippine bay, fear of China trumps fear of brothels

Once opposed to the prospect of a major naval base inside the Philippines' picturesque Ulugan Bay, fearing it would mean bars and brothels for visiting sailors, local residents now look forward to the arrival of American and other foreign warships.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 14, 2015

Calling for a Northeast Asia free of all nuclear weapons

Japan can solve its 'nuclear dilemma' by working toward a framework guaranteeing a nuclear-free Northeast Asia.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2015

Crowds cheer as Burundi army officer claims to have deposed absent president

A Burundian general said on Wednesday he had deposed President Pierre Nkurunziza for seeking an unconstitutional third term in office and was forming a transitional government, after more than two weeks of protests against the re-election bid.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 13, 2015

Filmmakers Ash and Kamanaka discuss radiation, secrets and lives

Two filmmakers who have tackled the Fukushima issue — American and Japanese, storyteller and activist — discuss their work and their films, and consider the notion of 'being a 'foreign' filmmaker.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 12, 2015

Dog was a savior to tsunami survivor, now a dying friend

About 30 km north of the disaster-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, an old shiba dog strains for breath in a temporary, prefabricated house in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb