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CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 5, 2016

A Japanese gardener in Cuba; Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's 40th anniversary; CM of the week: Adidas

In 2015, the United States finally normalized relations with post-revolution Cuba. Japan, however, has never severed ties with the Caribbean country, and has always enjoyed a warm friendship with it. Part of the reason for this friendship is Kenji Takeuchi.
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2015

Low tax on food will hurt the poor, say economists

Political negotiations between the nation's ruling coalition are approaching a showdown over the unpopular consumption tax, which is set to rise to 10 percent from 8 percent in April 2017. A sweetener being considered has drawn scathing criticism from many economists.
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Nov 14, 2015

Newton reflects on stellar Japan career

To define true greatness in pro sports, there's no greater measuring stick than championships.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 15, 2015

As historic election looms, Myanmar trials target student protesters

Every Tuesday, the moss-covered redbrick courthouse in Tharrawaddy erupts into activity for a weekly ritual: the mass trial of student protesters.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 6, 2015

Signs seen of road widening for futuristic mobility

Japan is about to take a step into the future of personal mobility by easing government regulations so that Segways and similar vehicles can be driven on public thoroughfares.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jun 12, 2015

Women in jungles and deserts; George Clooney and super-fabulous people; CM of the Week: Daiwa Securities

This week's special two-hour "life with ups-and-downs" edition of the travel show "Sekai Naze Soko ni Nihonjin" ("Why Are Japanese People in That Part of the World?"; TV Tokyo, Mon., 9 p.m.) focuses on two women, one working in a tropical jungle, the other living in the desert.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 10, 2015

Residence cards, U.S. taxation and pension posers

A mixed bag of topics — from yet more on filing U.S. taxes to a looming deadline for 'gaijin cards.'
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 3, 2015

Buddhist priests in a nutshell; Models survive on a desert island; CM of the week: Eneos

Producers of TV shows often try out their new creations during the wee hours and if they attract enough viewers the show is bumped up to prime time. That's the case with "Obosan Variety: Butchake-dera" ("Buddhist Priest Variety: In-a-nutshell Temple"; TV Asahi, Mon., 7 p.m.), whose prime time premiere...
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Mar 27, 2015

AnimeJapan 2015 sees the big picture

For most in Japan, April marks the start of the new working year. But for the anime and manga industries, it all begins in March.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 27, 2015

U.S. drug agents had sex parties funded by drug cartels: watchdog

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents had alleged "sex parties" with prostitutes over several years, said a report published on Thursday and stemming from a review of allegations of misconduct by several DEA agents in Colombia.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 13, 2015

India's growing crisis of democracy

An ambitious political experiment engineered by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party in the border state of Jammu and Kashmir — the only Muslim-majority state in India — threatens to implode within just a few days of its start.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 20, 2015

LDP, Komeito split on SDF's overseas role

The Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito remained far apart Friday over how far to expand the Self-Defense Forces' overseas activities in line with the Abe administration's controversial reinterpretation of the pacifist Constitution last summer.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Feb 3, 2015

Opponents left in awe by Jordan's combination of talent, confidence

This is the sixth installment from Hall of Fame writer Sam Smith's new book "There Is No Next: NBA Legends on the Legacy of Michael Jordan."
Japan Times
Places
Jan 28, 2015

Tokyo's menagerie of pet cafes

Japan's animal cafes fill a very important niche, as many people, especially in urban areas, live in cramped apartments with strict no-pets policies. The pet cafe allows them to connect with the domesticated animal kingdom for the price of a cup of tea. Cat cafes got the ball rolling (after the first cat cafe landed in Osaka in 2004) and over the years that's expanded to a menagerie that includes rabbits, birds, goats and even penguins. Here is a selection of pet cafes in Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 17, 2015

'Refugees should have the same opportunities in life as everyone else'

What do Nobel laureate Albert Einstein, composer Frederic Chopin, war photographer Robert Capa and psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud have in common? They were all refugees.
Japan Times
Places
Nov 12, 2014

Let there be LIGHT — Christmas illuminations in Japan

When it comes to the imported tradition of Christmas-time illuminations, the ante is being raised each year in Japan. Naturally, they’re often the grandest near shopping areas. The illuminations are usually put in place around November, and kept up until the New Year, while some are left on display...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2014

Will Hong Kong go beyond self-flagellation?

Hong Kong and mother China should be working together on ameliorating the social and economic pressures threatening to pull Hong Kong down far more dramatically and dangerously than today's governance dispute.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 10, 2014

The war against Islamic State

History says an asymmetric war has never been won by air power alone. So who does U.S. President Barack Obama think is going to fight Islamic State?
EDITORIALS
Oct 6, 2014

Curbing hate speech

Hate speech against Korean residents in Japan has become a big enough international issue for the United Nations to urge Tokyo to take steps to deal with the problem.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Sep 17, 2014

Ex-NYC graffitist scratches the surface in Osaka and declares it 'dope'

Father of three Roler Miles, who grew up defacing walls and subways in New York, now runs a thriving spray-paint business, teaches Japanese students art and leads a team of artists at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 7, 2014

The robots return in 'Transformers: Age of Extinction'

Filmmaker Michael Bay thinks there's something interesting about Japanese samurai that sets them apart from English knights.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2014

Identical twin clings to hope that sister is alive in North Korea

Misa Morimoto spoke to no one for 18 years about her identical twin sister who vanished when they were 20, not even to her own children. On the rare occasions when asked, she lied and said her sister was studying overseas.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 24, 2014

Getting past the stigma of dementia

Last April, the Nagoya High Court ordered a 91-year-old woman in Obu, Aichi Prefecture, to pay ¥3 million in compensation to JR Tokai for disruption of service after her husband was struck and killed by one of the company's trains. The man, who was 85 at the time of the accident in December 1997, suffered...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 7, 2014

Art Basel makes a difference in Asia

Magnus Renfrew, the director of Asia Art Basel, stopped by Tokyo in the lead up to this year's Art Basel in Hong Kong to talk about what it means to have Art Basel purchase Art HK.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2014

Airports eager to cater to Muslims' needs

Motivated by a surge in Islamic visitors, Japan's major airports are falling over themselves to capitalize on the trend by installing prayer rooms and offering halal meals.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami