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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jun 23, 2014

Can Japan show the West how to live peacefully with Islam?

Uniting a colorful mix of expats, removed from the context of sectarian strife and the historical Western interference still haunting many Muslim countries, could the Japanese brand of Islam be a showcase for its peaceful essence?
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Apr 4, 2014

Japanese game developers create immersive virtual worlds with Oculus Rift

Oculus Rift is the true people's choice in the virtual-reality community. From its grassroots upbringing through crowdfunding to its multibillion dollar buyout by Facebook last week, Palmer Luckey's immersive headset, which tracks the head movements of the wearer to plunge them into virtual environments,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / OBITUARY
Mar 21, 2014

Obituary: Facing illness and dismissal, teacher Grainger saw a chance to educate other expats

Neil Grainger 'was a great cook, a big drinker, an even bigger queen, a film and football lover, a naughty smoker, a good teacher, hard worker and caring friend.'
EDITORIALS
Mar 7, 2014

Don't reopen old wounds

If the Abe administration tries to weaken or scrap the 1993 'Kono statement,' the perception is likely to strengthen in the international community that it is bent on whitewashing Japan's wartime behavior and, even today, lacks respect for the honor and dignity of women.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Jan 3, 2014

Drawing out the demons and dreams of Fukushima

Artist Geoff Read is currently focused on helping Fukushima's children articulate their hopes and fears. As he explains, 'In my Strong Children Japan Project, the most important thing the pictures can do is to help these children have a safer childhood.'
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
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Dec 1, 2013

Crusader for social activism brings Change.org to Japan

The woman who brought Change.org to Japan says the online petition platform is just the ticket to get the normally reticent Japanese to become more active in achieving social change.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Nov 6, 2013

Japan brings out the big guns to sell remilitarization in U.S.

With a probable nod and a wink from the Americans, there's not a lot we can do but watch Abe's military machinations march to fruition.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 21, 2013

Nuclear arms wake-up call

Nuclear policymaking in Asia, as elsewhere, is trapped in the Cold War mindset in which too much reliance is placed on the utility of nuclear deterrence and not enough on the risks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2013

IT startup barters its way into niche

At around noon on a recent weekday, the Roppongi branch of Shamrock by Abbot Choice, a Tokyo-based Irish-style pub chain, had a bustling lunchtime crowd.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 1, 2013

Kids with disabilities facing abuse in West Africa

Hundreds of thousands of children with disabilities are subjected to horrific violations of their human rights on a daily basis in West Africa.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Sep 29, 2013

Nontraditional college students juggle work, kids, bills with coursework

When President Barack Obama talks about the cost of higher education, his mentions of "college students" might often evoke images of teenagers who spent their senior years of high school searching for the four-year institution that best matched their personalities, then enrolled and moved into the dorms...
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 28, 2013

Nothing is clear about court ruling on illegitimate kids

Evidently I was wrong.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Sep 22, 2013

Alexis was atypical Buddhist

Aaron Alexis had a gold Buddha in his room, a regular meditation practice and a gun with him "at all times," according to a friend.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Sep 14, 2013

Seed bank sprouts support a-plenty

In a sunny corner of Tomoko and Kenji Usui's garden, surrounded by marigolds and goldenrod, there stands a peculiar little house. The thatched roof is tall and pointy like a witch's hat, with flowers growing around the brim. The porch is wide and shady, with a handmade wooden chair on it inviting visitors...
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 10, 2013

Volleyball as you've never seen it: Chinese '9-man'

My 15-year-old daughter had a warning for me. "You know, Mom," she said, "you'll probably be the only white person there."
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 7, 2013

Saving the smiles of Nepal with good dental care

It was pouring rain in the Nepali village of Kaskikot, which was bad news for Laura Spero and the ceremony she had planned.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 3, 2013

Home sweet boat: enjoying views, commutes, camaraderie

The view from David Murray's home in Washington, D.C., is among the best in the city, a panorama of the Washington Channel bookended by the army's Fort McNair and the Washington Monument. "What more could I ask for?" asks Murray, surveying his surroundings as his shirt flutters in a breeze city dwellers...
WORLD
Sep 2, 2013

U.S. in unending hunt for terrorists in spy agencies

The U.S. government suspects that individuals with connections to al-Qaida and other hostile groups have repeatedly sought to obtain jobs in the intelligence community, and it reinvestigates thousands of employees each year to reduce the threat that one of its own may be trying to compromise closely...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 25, 2013

NASA's mission improbable: corral an asteroid

NASA is looking for a rock. It has to be out there somewhere — a small asteroid circling the sun and passing close to Earth. It can't be too big or too small. Something 6 to 9 meters in diameter would work. It can't be spinning too rapidly, or tumbling knees over elbows. It can't be a speed demon....
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 16, 2013

Reformers set sights on Scotland's immense private estates

On bleak Scottish moors and soft, mossy hills, the oldest and grandest theme park in the world rose on Aug. 12. The vast and sprawling sporting estates that possess most of Scotland's surface thrummed with the frantically beating wings of grouse and echo to the gunshot, bravo and jolly well done. The...
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 8, 2013

How did Germany become the new champion of Europe?

Sitting in his brightly lit office overlooking the green hills of rural Westphalia, surrounded by photographs of aluminium and titanium castings, Phillip Schack has drawn a blue triangle on a piece of paper. Pointing to a small shaded section at its apex, he says: "Look. If that's your market, up at...
COMMENTARY / World
May 29, 2013

Debunking the myths whirling around tornadoes

There is no trend, either up or down, in the frequency of tornadoes. We will continue to experience them regardless of whether Earth's temperature rises or falls.
WORLD / EU SPECIAL 2013
May 9, 2013

Milestones on the road to a united, integrated Europe 63 years in the making

Europe Day, May 9, which is celebrated as the birthday of the European Union, is the anniversary of the proposal known as the Schuman Declaration.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2013

Banks used lending program to exit TARP: report

Banks used billions from a small-business lending program to repay government bailout funds, rather than on its intended purpose — making more loans to mom-and-pop operations, according to a watchdog report released Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Mar 16, 2013

Fabric artist clothes Tokyo's expat thespians with creativity and magic

Today's younger generation may be more used to getting their entertainment from the Internet or other high-tech sources than from the stage, but nothing can perhaps replace the magic of a live theater performance.
JAPAN / TOHOKU TRAPPED IN TIME
Mar 8, 2013

A quick blow, then lingering death for devastated towns

One of the defining images from the Great East Japan Earthquake is of a tsunami-hit tourist bus stranded on the roof of the two-story community center in the Pacific coastal district of Ogatsu, Miyagi Prefecture.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji