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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 17, 2015

Lingering outside the way station for the dead

It's a hardy soul who braves Osorezan (Mount Osore), a volcano in Aomori Prefecture known as the Japanese way station for the dead. For most, the name conjures up images of the supernatural and the unknown, but for Marie Mutsuki Mockett, it is a place of healing and beauty.
EDITORIALS
Jan 17, 2015

Now what after coming of age?

This year's increase in the number of 20-year-olds celebrating Coming-of-Age Day was welcome. But the upswing is only temporary and there are questions about whether young people are ready to take up the adult challenges in Japan's rapidly aging society.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 16, 2015

Mt. Gox chief was thought by U.S. to be Silk Road mastermind

The former head of the bankrupt Mt. Gox Co. bitcoin exchange was originally believed by U.S. investigators to be the secret mastermind behind the Silk Road online drug marketplace, an agent who infiltrated the website told jurors at the trial of the man prosecutors now accuse of running it.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 16, 2015

The worldwide reality of religious persecution

While good judgment tells us not to express every thought we have, as moral agents responsible for our actions, we must be free to assess the world and express ourselves in vibrant public debate. Attacks on this freedom is spreading from Third World dictatorships to First World democracies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2015

Daihatsu dismantling 'Toyota Way' as market changes

When Daihatsu Motor Co. launched the Mira e:S minicar in 2011, the Toyota affiliate thought it had found a model for emerging markets. The Mira e:S — e for eco, S for smart — was capable of going 30 kilometers on a liter of gasoline (72 mpg) for a sticker price of just ¥795,000, or $6,637. And indeed,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 15, 2015

Neeson is taken on another adventure

It's hard to believe that, a decade ago, Liam Neeson was better known for prestige Oscar dramas than high-octane action blockbusters. The Academy Award nominee spent the first 30 years of his career making his name in films such as "Kinsey" (2004), "Rob Roy" (1995) and Steven Spielberg's celebrated "Schindler's...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 14, 2015

NT adds a new twist to its 'dogs tale'

Based on a book of the same name by Kyokutei Bakin that was published in 96 volumes between 1814-42, the kabuki play "Nanso Satomi Hakkenden" ("Stories of Eight Men with the Character for 'Dog' in their Surnames") recounts how its protagonists strive to restore the fictional Satomi clan to power in what...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2015

Defiant Putin on a winning streak

Russian President Vladimir Putin has struck banking and nuclear deals with Iran and scored diplomatic successes with North Korea and Pakistan, all but negating the Western strategy of of economic sanctions and international isolation to compel the Kremlin to change its behavior.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2015

The battle for the Arctic's resources heats up

At least three countries have staked overlapping territorial claims to the North Pole. How to assess the competing claims seems to hinge on whether a vast ridge that rises from the sea floor is an extension of the Greenland shelf or the East Siberia shelf.
EDITORIALS
Jan 13, 2015

Launch secrecy oversight panels

The designation of some government information as 'secret' continues as allowed under a new law, but the sole mechanism for overseeing the process has not been launched.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 13, 2015

Cheap smokes finally going up in price

Until the tobacco prices went up in 2010, third-class cigarette sales were very low.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2015

Dispelling the glamor factor of Islamic State

The Pentagon is trying to figure out why Islamic State has been so successful at attracting followers. Islamic State's recruitment imagery offers a different, more contemporary and overtly violent form of glamour.
BASKETBALL
Jan 10, 2015

Dragonflies stun Alvark to reach All-Japan final

In a win-or-go-home tournament, things like this can happen. Just not all the time.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Jan 9, 2015

Yohji Yamamoto — men, women and unisex

Yohji Yamamoto has certainly been busy, with collaborations flying off the shelves and new lines making debuts. Its partnership with baseball-cap brand New Era has been particularly buzz-worthy, with the brand's 59FIFTY caps and backpacks emblazoned with the Yohji logo selling out across the country....
WORLD / Society
Jan 9, 2015

Experts warn governments to plan for climate change migrants

Governments need to plan better for rising migration driven by climate change, experts said on Thursday, citing evidence that extreme weather and natural disasters force far more people from their homes than wars.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 8, 2015

Noma sets the table for a feast in Tokyo

As the clock inches toward midday on Jan. 9, the eyes and attention of gourmets around the world will be focused on Tokyo. The reason: The curtain is rising on one of the most hotly anticipated restaurant openings ever.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 7, 2015

Uyama's new 'Lear' acts his age

"You see me here, you gods, a poor old man,As full of grief as age; wretched in both!"
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2015

Inside Obama's secret effort to salvage U.S.-Russian ties

The Obama administration has been working behind the scenes for months to forge a new working relationship with Russia, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's showing little interest in repairing relations or halting his aggression in Ukraine.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jan 5, 2015

Tokyo: Which New Year's resolutions have you ever kept, and which have you broken?

People in the capital discuss their past performance when it comes to those perennial pledges.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 3, 2015

The highlights of Japanese media in 2014

My choices for the most significant public phenomena of last year are associated with traditional media rather than the social kind, which isn't to say these phenomena didn't impact social media and vice versa, only that TV, newspapers and magazines still affect our perception of the world.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jan 3, 2015

Fujitsu outplays Kwansei Gakuin, claims first Rice Bowl title

The dominance of the X League champion in the Rice Bowl extended for another year, as the Fujitsu Frontiers defeated the Kwansei Gakuin University Fighters 33-24 for the overall national championship on Saturday at Tokyo Dome.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 3, 2015

Hillman embraces new opportunity with Astros

Happy New Year to all readers of the Baseball Bullet-In, and we will start 2015 with an update on the new job of former Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters manager Trey Hillman.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jan 2, 2015

Property borders: Where to draw the line

Some years ago we lived in western Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, in a neighborhood that clung to the contours of a hilly terrain. Many of the streets were just dirt and gravel, even though the area was fully developed. Neighbors told us that they had been trying to get the local government to pave these...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 2, 2015

Bungling of virus samples prompts hiring of CDC safety chief

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will hire a laboratory safety supervisor after an Ebola virus sample was mishandled last week, the third reported safety lapse with potentially dangerous pathogens at the agency's labs in the past year.

Longform

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The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan