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JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 23, 2019

Artificial intelligence debate raises more questions than answers

"The human race, version 2" — a thought to inspire hope or fear, maybe a little (or a lot) of both. "We today," says Komazawa University economist Tomohiro Inoue, whose thought it is, "will soon be 'the former human race.'"
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 17, 2019

Whitewashing racial bias: The ball's in Japan's court

In what felt something like a case of deja vu from last year's Masatoshi Hamada blackface fiasco, Japan welcomed in 2019 with yet another racially insensitive controversy, this time in the form of an ad from food company Nissin.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 9, 2019

Heisei Era hindsight gives new meaning to established terms

The ubiquitous word "productivity" last summer acquired a new meaning — or at least a new twist. Members of the LGBT community, wrote Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Mio Sugita, "do not reproduce. In other words, they are unproductive. I wonder if it is appropriate to spend taxpayer money on them."...
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Feb 7, 2019

Express love with playful twist on sweets

Valentine's Day is around the corner, and the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel is playing "the game of love" with its extravagant marriage of chocolate and Champagne, the Valentine's Chocolat Chessboard 2019.
CULTURE
Feb 5, 2019

Game for a laugh: Learning to become a manzai comedian

As I stand in the cramped wooden gangway at the side of the stage, going over my lines in a frantic whisper, I am reminded of something that American comedian Patrick Harlan had told me when we first met four months ago.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 2, 2019

Facial recognition technology: What would George Orwell say?

This coming June, British author George Orwell's dystopian novel, "Nineteen Eighty-Four," marks the 70th anniversary of its publication. In the United States, Penguin has announced plans for a special 75,000-copy reprint. According to The New York Times, the publisher noted that, sales of the novel have...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 2, 2019

How Japan unleashed Lu Xun's ferocious literary passion

Although he was poised to be a doctor, Lu Xun, the most celebrated of all modern Chinese authors, abandoned medicine for something he felt would truly enlighten and modernize his nation: literature.
Reader Mail
Feb 1, 2019

Columnist's misguided take on Naomi Osaka

In his opinion piece titled "How Japanese is Naomi Osaka?" in the Jan. 28 edition, Kuni Miyake asks a leading question.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 31, 2019

E-cigarettes nearly twice as effective at helping smokers quit than patches or gum, study finds

E-cigarettes are almost twice as effective at helping smokers quit as nicotine replacement treatments such as patches, lozenges and gum, according to the results of a major clinical trial.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 29, 2019

Naomi Osaka's victory proves to be a boon for her sponsors

Naomi Osaka's Australian Open victory on Saturday has already been a boon to some of her sponsors as they capitalize on the newly crowned world No. 1's rising fame.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 26, 2019

End of an era gives Japan a chance to hit the reset button

Maybe we're immortal. It's not a new idea. Christianity's appeal over 2,000 years rests largely on its promise of eternal life. In Japanese Buddhism, the soul passes from life to life — a dreadful prospect, it was held, which only the enlightened escaped.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 24, 2019

How populism drives Seoul's ties with Tokyo

South Korean state-sponsored education and censorship help fuel biased views of Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jan 20, 2019

Onsen: A great way to get the kids to take a bath

To many Japan newbies, the thought of bathing with strangers at a hot spring public bath seems off-putting — especially with kids. Yet for millions of residents, it's an ideal way to warm up and spend time together on a winter afternoon. Here are a few Child's Play recommendations.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 19, 2019

Tolerant attitudes make Japan a drinker's paradise

If any doubts existed that Japanese people are exceptionally tolerant toward the imbibing of alcohol, those were erased in 2014, when the Pew Center, as part of its Global Attitudes Project, surveyed people's views on drinking in 40 countries.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 17, 2019

#StandUpJapan and other hashtags allow for new voices to be heard

On the morning of Jan. 14, 20-year-old women decked out in brightly colored kimono scrambled to catch trains to take them to ceremonies across the country to mark Coming of Age Day.
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2019

No social skills required: Autistic staff help global IT consultancy thrive

From a British call center to an Alaskan satellite facility, Lars Backstrom has had a lot of jobs, but says he always felt like a hexagonal peg in a square hole — he just didn't fit in.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 9, 2019

Colleges named in Japan tabloid's list of schools with 'easy girls' condemn article as misogynistic

The fallout over an article in a tabloid magazine ranking colleges according to the promiscuity of their female students after drinking intensified Wednesday, with all institutions named in the article accusing the publication of sexism.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 8, 2019

'La Caricature is Here!'

Jan. 12- Feb. 24
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 6, 2019

German cyberdefense agency defends handling of data breach

Germany's BSI cyberdefense agency on Saturday defended its role in responding to a far-reaching data breach, saying it could not have connected individual cases it was aware of last year until the entire data release became public.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 5, 2019

Examining the strange synergy of Heisei Era crimes in Japan

There's a tendency in some societies to associate a period of history with the crimes that occurred therein. This is why we use expressions such as "crime of the century."
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2019

What will not happen in 2019

The international situation may provide Japan with a golden opportunity to maximize its national interests on the global stage.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 29, 2018

Year of the Dog fails to answer the tough questions

Sodanē.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2018

Unknown overseas, Garigari-kun popsicles year-round best-sellers in Japan

It's Japan's top-selling popsicle — yet still virtually unknown overseas.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 24, 2018

Christmas calm eludes emerging markets as loose-cannon Trump spooks investors

If emerging markets had their way, this Christmas week would be like any other: quiet, with just a handful of economic releases and low trading volumes. But political dramas playing out in the U.S. are keeping investors on tenterhooks.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 22, 2018

Celebrities use social media to counter criticism online in 2018

Celebrities are just like the rest of us: They eat, sleep and would probably be better off if they reduced the time they spend on their social media.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 22, 2018

Red Circle Authors: Sending Japanese literature westward

Red Circle Authors is a 'home' for a group of established Japanese writers, helping to promote their work overseas while heightening awareness of the great depth and breadth of Japanese literature.

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