Search - special

 
 
EDITORIALS
Feb 15, 2017

South Sudan mission and semantics

The government shouldn't downplay the security situation in South Sudan to justify the deployment of SDF troops there.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 14, 2017

Sharpen your knowledge of Japanese swords

If you've ever wanted to learn about Japanese swords, now's the time, as an unusually large number of top-quality blades are currently on view at two Tokyo museums. Either exhibition is well worth a visit but together they're dynamite.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Feb 13, 2017

Kajikawa works to inspire females hoping for executive roles in sports

Just over a decade ago, Mie Kajikawa became the first Japanese female to become an intern for an NBA club.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 13, 2017

Southeast Asia pins its hopes on the Japan-U.S. alliance

U.S. President Donald Trump's explicit support for Japan has partly allayed concerns over the U.S. security commitment to Japan and the region.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2017

The method behind Kim Jong Un's 'madness'

Even if North Korea gets nuclear-tipped ICBMS, they will be only for deterrence against a U.S. attack.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 13, 2017

Germany's new president sees rocky trans-Atlantic relations ahead under Trump

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a vocal critic of Donald Trump elected as Germany's 12th postwar president on Sunday, predicted "difficulties" in relations with the U.S. as the global order is upended by the new administration in Washington.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 11, 2017

Foreign workers: Should they stay or should they go?

As the rest of the world debated the ramifications of U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban on persons from seven Muslim-majority countries last week, Japan was notably silent.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 10, 2017

Cobra Gold set to shift order in Southeast Asia

The U.S. is signaling rekindled interest in Thailand, with the aim of keeping it out of China's camp.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 10, 2017

Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton bring their unique talents to the characters of 'Doctor Strange'

Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth — all of them look like naturals when it comes to playing superheroes. Benedict Cumberbatch? Not as much. Though audiences love him as the new Sherlock Holmes, that iconic role has never been described as a superhero.
EDITORIALS
Feb 9, 2017

Scientists and dual-use technologies

Instead of encouraging scientists to participate in the development of technologies that have military uses, the government should boost funding for research that can improve people's lives.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 8, 2017

Task force report highlights 'precarious' Sino-U.S. ties, urges visit to Japan, China to help repair relations

To better signal that the U.S. has not backed away from its role as an Asia-Pacific nation amid China's rise, President Donald Trump and his senior advisers should visit U.S. ally Japan as soon as possible, according to a new report by an expert task force detailing China policy recommendations for the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Feb 7, 2017

Lady Gaga soars over Super Bowl stage with bow to inclusion

Standing atop the roof of Houston's NRG Stadium with drones illuminating an American flag in the night sky behind her, Lady Gaga kicked off her Super Bowl halftime set on Sunday by singing "God Bless America" as a subtle message of inclusion and unity in a deeply divided United States.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 7, 2017

Abe renews pledge to solve territorial row with Russia

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday renewed his pledge to settle a dispute with Russia over four islands off Hokkaido despite failing two months earlier to produce any visible progress during a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 6, 2017

Some fiendishly complex archaic kanji just won't die

Even in the 21st century, a whole bunch of difficult, nonstandard and archaic kanji don't appear to be in any danger of being phased out.
PRESS / Events
Feb 6, 2017

The 8th Japan Times Spelling Bee to be held March 4

  Tokyo, Feb.6, 2017 - The Japan Times, Ltd. is pleased to announce that the 8th Japan Times Bee will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2017.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 4, 2017

Japan enters the post-truth age with distorted MXTV report on Okinawa protests

The term "fake news" has outlasted its usefulness. Originally coined to describe purposely false or exaggerated stories on the internet, the term now covers anything in the media that is deemed a lie. The internet is a scrum of competing opinions, and fake news that appears online can be contained to...
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Feb 4, 2017

Flower power

Middle-aged man #1: The plum blossoms are out in (Tokyo's) Komazawa Park. Not much longer till cherry blossom season. Planning anything special this year?
WORLD
Feb 4, 2017

U.S. military releases, withdraws Islamist video from fatal Yemen raid

In an awkward reversal, the U.S. military withdrew a video by Islamist militants that it had released earlier Friday as evidence that a fatal raid in Yemen by American special forces was a counterterrorism success.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 3, 2017

Matt Goulding's 'Rice, Noodle, Fish' makes Japanese-language debut

It's well past midnight on a frigid winter's evening and the back streets are emptying fast in Namba, Osaka's effervescent, neon-lit entertainment district. But behind the unprepossessing door of Teppanyaro, the party is only just getting going.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear