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Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 10, 2015

Home sweet home: Preserving the traditional Kanazawa townhouse

Traditional wooden townhouses called machiya could once be found throughout Japan and were especially common in cities such as Kyoto and Nara in Kansai, as well as Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 10, 2015

'Omotenashi' comes up short on humility

A Japanese friend who used to travel a lot for work told me of a funny thing that once happened to her in a Tokyo hotel. She was checking in when a bellhop came up and, without saying anything, picked up her bag. She resented the presumption and tried to yank it out of his hand. A silent tug of war ensued....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / CABINET INTERVIEW
Oct 9, 2015

Returning economy chief Amari fires TPP warning shot across Clinton's bow

If Hillary Clinton becomes president and tries to renegotiate the hard-earned Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, it would disgrace the dignity of the United States, Japan's chief trade negotiator warned in an interview with The Japan Times and other media outlets Friday.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Oct 9, 2015

Golden Kings to retire Newton's No. 50

The Ryukyu Golden Kings will honor league legend Jeff Newton during their Nov. 7-8 series against the Rizing Fukuoka at Okinawa City Gymnasium, retiring his No. 50 jersey.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 9, 2015

Technology key to clinching overseas projects, new infrastructure minister says

Japan should keep promoting its high technological standards when pushing for infrastructure projects overseas, despite a recent loss to China on bidding for Indonesia's first high-speed railway, the new land, infrastructure, transport and tourism minister said Friday.
BUSINESS
Oct 9, 2015

Abe launches new TPP-mitigation office to assuage farmers, small business owners

In a gesture to rural supporters, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe opens a new office to field concerns from fearful farmers and business owners about the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 9, 2015

Fast Retailing forecast lags estimates as U.S. losses mount

Fast Retailing Co. forecast lower profits this fiscal year than analysts are expecting after losses at its Uniqlo and J Brand businesses in the U.S. hurt last year's earnings.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 8, 2015

Guitarist Tomoyasu Hotei calls on his pals for 'Strangers'

Recalling his first encounter with rocker Iggy Pop, a huge grin flashes across the face of Tomoyasu Hotei. It occurred at Berlin airport around 30 years ago when he was recording in Germany with former band Boøwy. Despite being one of the most famous musicians in Japan, the guitarist was too shy to...
EDITORIALS
Oct 6, 2015

Legislation Bureau misconduct

The Cabinet Legislation Bureau's failure to keep records of its internal discussions leading up to the Abe administration's reinterpretation of Article 9 only deepens suspicions about the legal legitimacy of the Cabinet decision and the subsequent security legislation.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Oct 6, 2015

Shiraiwa joins Mao, Ando in record books with victory

"So sophisticated, so sensitive, so young, so incredible."
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 6, 2015

Tentative TPP rewrites trade rules for autos, drugs, produce, rice and IP, but faces legislative OKs

The tentative agreement on trade negotiated by a dozen Pacific Rim nations will slightly pry open Japan's famously closed rice market, protect brand-name drugs from generic competitors for at least five years and lower tariffs on automobiles.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 5, 2015

Shortcomings identified in new reporting system into hospital deaths

On Thursday, the government launched a new reporting system for deaths resulting from medical care. The iryojiko chosa seido (medical accidents investigation system), created based on last year's revisions to the Medical Care Law, is aimed at preventing recurrences of medical accidents and ensuring patient...
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 5, 2015

TPP talks in home stretch after reported pharma breakthrough

A dozen Pacific nations closed in on a sweeping free trade pact on Sunday in Atlanta after a breakthrough over how long a monopoly pharmaceutical companies should be given on new biotech drugs.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Oct 3, 2015

Don't be green about the charm of tatami

When we were thinking of buying a condominium, we visited several old danchi — apartments built by Japan's former public housing corporation — because they were cheap and, we thought, easy to renovate. One of the units we inspected had bedroom floors made of tatami mats, and we wondered if we could...
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Oct 3, 2015

Germans at Kurume 'getting arrogant'; Throne Assistance body meets; hope abandoned for 208 missing fishermen; Kaifu congratulates unified Germany

100 YEARS AGO
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Oct 3, 2015

Who's responsible for the Fukushima disaster?

The International Atomic Energy Agency released its comprehensive — but mostly ignored — final report on Fukushima on Aug. 30.
EDITORIALS
Oct 3, 2015

Economizing on medical spending

Japan's medical expenditures are rising at an unsustainable pace and everyone is going to have to pitch in to keep costs down.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2015

High-end Tokyo stores cash in on China's weeklong holiday

High-end stores in Tokyo are vying for Chinese visitors at the outset of a weeklong vacation marking China's national day.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2015

New sports agency chief Suzuki pledges 'new direction' for 2020 Olympics preparations

Former Olympic swimming champion Daichi Suzuki believes the launch of Japan's new sports agency can help lift the gloom surrounding Tokyo's preparations for the games.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 30, 2015

Abe's ¥600 trillion GDP goal called 'impossible'

After enacting contentious security bills earlier this month, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared that he is refocusing on the economy, with the goal of boosting gross domestic product by 20 percent to ¥600 trillion in 2020.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Sep 30, 2015

Tokyo International Film Festival showcases classic anime, J-horror and yakuza films

The Tokyo International Film Festival, Japan's biggest film fest and a showcase for foreign movies that otherwise might never see the light of day here, will run from Oct. 22 to 31 this year. Opening the festival is Robert Zemekis' "The Walk," and the closer is local tearjerker "Kishuten Eki Taminaru"...

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’