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Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
May 29, 2020

Seeking kindness after a 'Terrace House' tragedy

The death of 'Terrace House' star Hana Kimura gives new impetus to discussions about cyberbullying.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 28, 2020

Putin has a Syria ‘headache’ and the Kremlin’s blaming Assad

Russian President Vladimir Putin is letting his impatience show with Syrian ally Bashar Assad, who isn’t proving as grateful for being kept in power by Russian intervention in his country’s brutal civil war as the Kremlin leader needs him to be.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 27, 2019

More content needed to satisfy sumo's overseas fans

Sumo's popularity abroad has increased massively over the past few years.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 16, 2019

Slicker production needed for amateur sumo

Typhoon Hagibis raged across Japan last weekend leaving in its wake a trail of devastation both deep and wide-ranging.
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Sep 17, 2019

Yuzuru Hanyu skates to victory in competitive return

A healthy Yuzuru Hanyu returned to competition over the weekend at the Autumn Classic International in victorious fashion. The superstar scored a comfortable win skating his two programs from last season.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 4, 2019

China's Xi warns party needs 'fighting spirit' to overcome risks in 'long-term' struggle

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the ruling Communist Party to brace for a "long-term" struggle against a variety of threats, the latest in a series of warnings to a nation facing a slowing economy and a more confrontational U.S.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 26, 2019

Hong Kong police arrest 36 — youngest aged 12 — after running battles with protesters

Hong Kong police said on Monday they arrested 36 people, the youngest aged 12, after violence during anti-government demonstrations escalated as protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at security forces who responded with water cannon and tear gas.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 17, 2019

Outrage over Aichi Triennale exhibition ignites debate over freedom of expression in art

Three days after it opened on Aug. 1, a section of the Aichi Triennale 2019 arts festival, which is taking place in and around the city of Nagoya, was closed due to controversy over one of its exhibits and an anonymous threat.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 15, 2019

Decluttering the Japan-South Korea debate

Accusations that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stands to gain politically by getting tough with South Korea miss the mark.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 2, 2019

Trump and Kim meet; Xi bides his time

It's difficult to imagine a scenario where North Korea reaches an agreement with the U.S. that China opposes.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 19, 2019

Xi writes rare op-ed in North Korea's ruling party newspaper, touts 'grand plan' for East Asia stability

Chinese President Xi Jinping has penned a front page op-ed in the Wednesday edition of North Korea's ruling party newspaper, a day ahead of his landmark visit to the nuclear-armed country, writing that Beijing is willing to work with Pyongyang to prepare a "grand plan" for achieving "permanent stability"...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Apr 26, 2019

How China is replacing America as Asia's military titan

In 1938, in the midst of a long campaign to bring China under Communist Party rule, revolutionary leader Mao Zedong wrote: "Whoever has an army has power."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 10, 2019

The art of video games: We're not just playing around anymore

As comment on the gaming industry, and by extrapolation, the human condition, 'In a Gamescape' at the NTT Intercommunication Center at times pretty merciless. But visitors should still play it out.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 1, 2019

Kim says North Korea could take 'new path' if U.S. maintains sanctions

In a seemingly Oval Office-esque setting, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday delivered a much-anticipated annual New Year's speech, saying his country remained firmly committed to denuclearization and that he was ready to meet again with U.S. President Donald Trump at any time, while also warning...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2018

There's more to Charles Dickens' festive fare than just 'A Christmas Carol'

Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" in 1843 in part because he was appalled at the living conditions of England's urban poor, especially after a visit that September to a so-called Ragged School for London slum children. But he also wrote it because he needed money. His sixth novel, "Martin Chuzzlewit,"...
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 20, 2018

Conservative magazines set sights on Ikegami

"I don't watch much TV on my own," writes university lecturer Atsushi Iwata in WiLL magazine (November), "but sometimes I watch together with my wife. I don't particularly care about what she watches, but there are times when I ask her to change the channel — particularly when it's a program with Akira...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 3, 2018

High-stakes denuclearization talks in balance as U.S. announces top diplomat's visit to North Korea

The White House's high-stakes talks with Pyongyang over its nuclear program have entered a crucial phase, with the negotiations likely to hinge on a scheduled meeting Sunday between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 3, 2018

Top U.S. diplomat Mike Pompeo to meet North Korea's Kim on Sunday

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday, the State Department said Tuesday as high-stakes talks over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program enter a crucial phase.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 2, 2018

Pyongyang says declaring end to Korean War can't be bargaining chip for denuclearization: KCNA

North Korea said on Tuesday that declaring the end of the 1950-53 Korean War "can never be a bargaining chip" for getting North Korea denuclearized, and said the country "will not particularly hope for it" if the United States does not want the end of war, according to state media Korean Central News...
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 15, 2018

Overseas tours an unfortunate victim of sumo's recent popularity

The world of sumo has seen many changes over the past decade.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 4, 2018

'The Emissary': Power, poison, pain and joy inside its DNA

In her latest work, 'The Emissary,' Yoko Tawada joins the ranks of other Japanese writers who use their writing to comment on the catastrophic and irrevocable effects of environmental disasters on society.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 11, 2018

North Korea calls Abe 'kingpin of corruption,' blasts leader for denuclearization push

The newspaper of North Korea's ruling party lambasted Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday as a "kingpin of corruption" over his alleged roles in two graft scandals that had in recent months pulled down his approval ratings.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 26, 2018

Dissent surfaces as China begins to question its readiness for trade war with U.S.

Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to match U.S. President Donald Trump blow for blow in any trade war. Now as one gets closer, some in Beijing are starting to openly wonder whether China is ready for the fight — an unusually direct challenge to the leadership of the world's second-largest economy....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 26, 2018

North Korea says it will ignore Japan until Tokyo scraps military drills, other measures

North Korea will continue to ignore Japan unless Tokyo halts hostilities against its neighbor, such as large-scale military drills and efforts to boost military readiness, the isolated nation's state media has said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 30, 2018

North Korea urges South to scrap military intelligence-sharing deal with Japan

North Korea has called for the scrapping of a military intelligence-sharing agreement between South Korea and Japan, calling it a "hurdle" to realizing the goals of the historic Panmunjom Declaration signed between the two Koreas on April 27.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 7, 2018

Singapore likely to host Trump-Kim summit in mid-June, reports say

Singapore has become the most likely site for a landmark summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in mid-June, reports have said, as the two nations move closer to formally announcing a date and location.
Reader Mail
Mar 16, 2018

Pro-summit view is fatally flawed

In his March 13 commentary, "What critics of North Korea summit get wrong," Peter Van Buren adduces four errors on the part of those who criticize U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. Sadly, each of his arguments is fatally flawed.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Feb 28, 2018

Florian Busch, the architect who floated the Tokyo 2020 Olympic stadium

Japan-based German architect warns that Tokyo risks squandering a historic chance to offer an ambitious, sustainable vision in 2020.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 10, 2018

Trump picks U.S. Pacific Command chief Harry Harris to be ambassador to Australia

U.S. President Donald Trump has chosen Pacific Command chief Adm. Harry Harris — known for his strident views on China's military expansion and nuclear-armed North Korea — to be the United States' next ambassador to Australia.

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’