Search - category

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jun 1, 2019

Is disgust with the status quo now feeding nostalgia for the past?

Bulgarian scholar Ivan Krastev, in an interview with the Asahi Shimbun published in March, compared the restless discontent of the 1960s with that of today. Fifty years ago, he said, disgust with the status quo fed hope for the future. Today it feeds nostalgia for the past.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
May 25, 2019

In search of Japan's extinct wolves: Sightings of a mysterious canine in Chichibu have been captivating animal enthusiasts

It was around 3 p.m. on a chilly day in December. The sky was overcast and the scent of rain hung in the air when Rina Kambayashi happened upon a creature she had never seen before. Opening the front door to her family's gracefully weathered 150-year-old traditional wooden house, Kambayashi stepped out...
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 25, 2019

Fatal traffic mishaps put drivers in the media spotlight

"Heartbreaking accidents have continued to occur although measures have been taken," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said ruefully at a meeting of government officials on May 21.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 22, 2019

Short Shorts 2019: Short on time, but never short on creativity

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, whose 21st edition takes place from May 29 to June 16 at venues around Tokyo, is one of the largest festivals of its type in Asia. And, starting this year, four winners of its competitions will be eligible for an Academy Award in the short film category, up from just...
LIFE / Digital / ON: TECH
May 19, 2019

Changing the way we do things

From keeping your touch screen free of potato-chip grease to using tap cards to gain access to exclusive online content, the smartphone keeps changing the way we go about life.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 18, 2019

This Japanese toaster costs ¥30,000. It only makes one slice at a time

Perfectly made toast isn't just an obsession in Japan. It's a business opportunity.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Regional Voices: Okinawa
May 16, 2019

Okinawa's Orion Breweries debuts first chūhai lineup with regional fruit twist

Orion Breweries Ltd. launched its first lineup of canned chūhai — a drink typically made of shōchū or vodka mixed with a nonalcholic beverage — on Tuesday, seeking to win over young drinkers who are increasingly drawn to the beverages and away from beer.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 16, 2019

Chinese tourists to Japan switch from shopping sprees to medical services

A few years ago, Chinese tourists engaged in bakugai (explosive shopping spree) in Tokyo's Ginza district made headlines.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 16, 2019

Despite being only 10 years old, actor Kokoro Terada is taking on tough topics

A heart-warming tale about an elderly woman's struggles with dementia as seen from the perspective of her young grandson, "Grandma is Okay" ("Baba wa, Daijobu") is the latest movie by Yokohama-born filmmaker Jacky Woo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 11, 2019

JR Hokkaido confronts the harsh realities of financing rail lines in depopulated areas

Privatization of public enterprises is a core tenet of neoliberalism, and probably the most representative domestic development in this regard was the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1987. The resulting rail companies, distinguished primarily by region, have demonstrated differing...
Japan Times
WORLD
May 5, 2019

Trump proposal would make it easier to deport immigrants, including green card holders, who use benefits

The Trump administration is considering reversing long-standing policy to make it easier to deport U.S. legal permanent residents who have used public benefits, part of an effort to restrict immigration by low-income people.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
May 4, 2019

Yosuke Hosoi: The mission to get it all on film

Studying film in New York, working in TV in Japan, and now living in Berlin, 'Yosuke Hosoi says international filmmaking is his calling.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 4, 2019

Kashiyama Daikanyama Cafe and Coteau: From Basque cheesecake to rooftop vistas of Daikanyama

The Daikanyama district continues to mushroom new developments, most of them notable more for their architecture than their carefully curated content. It would be tempting to lump the new Kashiyama building in that category, but there is definitely gastronomic substance to be found along with its undeniable style.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 4, 2019

Deciphering the curious act of talking to oneself

Talking to oneself is not respectable. It suggests many things, none of them good: abysmal loneliness, a mental screw loose, a social wire frayed, insanity, dementia. Shukan Post magazine this month cites experts in dementia who see solitary dialogue as a potential premonitory sign — not a conclusive...
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2019

732 problematic child-on-child sex cases logged at Japanese care facilities in fiscal 2017: survey

There were 732 cases of problematic sex-related conduct between children involving 1,371 disadvantaged individuals at care facilities in fiscal 2017, a welfare ministry survey said Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2019

Japan grants first work permits under new blue-collar visa system to address labor crunch

Two permits were issued and similar visas are in the works for another 45 applicants engaged mainly in agriculture.
Japan Times
Special Supplements
Apr 25, 2019

Conference explores halal's global growth

Drawing over 1,444 delegates from 56 countries, the 11th World Halal Conference (WHC) 2019 was successfully held on April 3 and 4 in Kuala Lumpur. Participants included government representatives, business leaders, halal industry players, entrepreneurs, scholars and stakeholders. Discussions highlighted...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 23, 2019

Samsung delays Galaxy Fold phone launch over screen problems

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. said it will delay the retail launch of its Galaxy Fold smartphone for an unspecified period of time after reviewers discovered problems with the display, a hit to the reputation of the world's largest handset maker.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Apr 20, 2019

Hannaryz, Diamond Dolphins, Grouses keep alive playoff hopes

The race for the final two playoff spots will be determined on the final day of the regular season.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 17, 2019

'Just Only Love': Looking for romance in all the wrong places

If you believe everything you read in the news, Japanese romance movies should really belong in the science fiction category. Just last week, a new study estimated that a quarter of people aged 18 to 39 in Japan had never had heterosexual intercourse, feeding the popular stereotype of a listless generation,...
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Apr 16, 2019

'Super Saturdays' to highlight schedule for Tokyo Olympics

Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics unveiled the competition schedule on Tuesday, giving fans hoping to attend the games their first opportunity to plan their itineraries.
LIFE
Apr 15, 2019

Best in show: Japan's pooches put their best paw forward

Stories of both triumph and heartbreak emerge from the biggest dog show in Japan.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 10, 2019

New Zealand votes to amend gun laws after Christchurch attack

Lawmakers in New Zealand voted almost unanimously on Wednesday to change gun laws, less than a month after its worst peacetime mass shooting, in which 50 people were killed in attacks on two mosques in Christchurch.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Apr 10, 2019

More than 100,000 migrants encountered at U.S. southern border in March: data

U.S. officers arrested or denied entry to over 103,000 people along the border with Mexico in March, a 35 percent increase over the prior month and more than twice as many as the same period last year, according to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Apr 5, 2019

Measures needed to address social recluse problem

The government should explore effective measures of support that suit the diverse circumstances and backgrounds of the hikikomori's problems.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past