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Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2019

Gender-neutral Canadian activist shows solidarity with Japan's LGBT communities

Gemma Hickey entered Japan this week with something no Japanese national can obtain — a gender-neutral passport in which the gender category shows neither female nor male, but an "X."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 13, 2019

LGBT couples to file lawsuit on Valentine's Day in push for equal marriage rights in Japan

Last fall, Ai Nakajima, 40, tied the knot in Germany with her long-time partner, Kristina Baumann, a 32-year-old from Berlin. But in Japan, where they live, Nakajima and Baumann share the fate of all same-sex couples in committed relationships — the denial of the right to formally marry their partners....
Feb 12, 2019

Unazuki Yamanoha Set to Reopen on March 1, 2019

TOKYO, Japan – February 12, 2019 – ORIX Real Estate Corporation (“ORIX Real Estate”) announced that renovation of the Unazuki Yamanoha (“Unazuki Yamanoha Onsen Hotel”) it operates has been completed, and that the hotel will reopen on March 1, 2019.
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."...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 9, 2019

The meteoric rise of Nogami's fluffy shokupan

Founded by Yuji Sakagami, bread shop Nogami sells about 20,000 loaves of its famous nama shokupan ('fresh' bread) per day, making it one of Japan's most beloved breads. The secret to its success is the texture of its crust.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2019

How much is your pet worth?

The cold calculus of 'loss aversion' economic theory gives the wrong answer.
Japan Times
Figure Skating
Feb 7, 2019

Ayaka Hosoda very likely to continue competitive career next season

Veteran skater Ayaka Hosoda, who stole the show with her triple axels at the Japan Championships in December, is very likely to continue her skating career, The Japan Times has learned.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Feb 6, 2019

The Supreme Court hews to the letter of the law on gender identity while laying the groundwork for future challenges

At no point have I ever had to grapple with the decision to have my genitals surgically removed. Perhaps the same is true for you. While these may seem an odd set of affirmations to open with, they help illustrate a basic truth: How we think about a law can vary greatly depending upon whether or not...
Feb 5, 2019

ORIX Real Estate Establishes a New Inn and Hotel Operating Business Brand: ORIX HOTELS & RESORTS

TOKYO, Japan – January 31, 2019 – ORIX Real Estate Corporation (“ORIX Real Estate”) announced that it has established ORIX HOTELS & RESORTS (“OHR”) as a new onsen hotel and hotel operating business brand. The new brand will subdivide 13 of the facilities that ORIX Real Estate operates in...
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
BASKETBALL / B. League
Jan 26, 2019

Niigata edges Fukuoka in overtime

The Niigata Albirex BB are tough to beat at home.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Jan 24, 2019

Anime Feminist: Tackling anime's gender bias

Over the past few years, there has been more mainstream recognition of the idea that discourse is better served when it is expanded outside the sole realm of heterosexual, white, cisgender men. That's true of major forums, and no less true when it comes to niche media, including the world of anime fandom....
BASKETBALL / B. League
Jan 19, 2019

Toyama's Yuto Otsuka earns All-Star Game MVP honors as B. White outguns B. Black

In a high-scoring first half, Yuto Otsuka had a quiet performance, scoring just two points.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jan 19, 2019

This winter's convenience store steam buns are anything but boring

Nothing can make a cold winter day feel a little better than a piping-hot steam bun from the convenience store, and two recent offerings from Lawson and FamilyMart have delivered on both novelty and taste.
SUMO
Jan 17, 2019

Sumo 101: Retirement ceremonies

Now that Kisenosato has retired, one of the first orders of business for him will be arranging a retirement ceremony.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2019

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, world's richest man, to divorce wife MacKenzie after 25 years

Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos, the world's richest man, and wife MacKenzie Bezos are divorcing after 25 years of marriage, the couple said in a joint statement on Twitter on Wednesday.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jan 3, 2019

Down Syndrome competitor Lucas Barron to make Dakar Rally history

Lucas Barron will make history on Sunday when he lines up on the Dakar Rally starting line in Peru, becoming the first person with Down Syndrome to take part in the grueling race.
JAPAN / Help Wanted?
Dec 31, 2018

Japan said unready for drastic social changes despite impending arrival of foreign workers

Experts bemoan the lack of support measures so far for incoming laborers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 28, 2018

'It Comes': The bogeyman cometh in Tetsuya Nakashima's horror debut

Tetsuya Nakashima has been filming the darker sides of human nature for more than two decades, the most commercially and critically successful example being his 2010 murder mystery, "Confessions."
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 28, 2018

Australia likely to set December heat record, prompting fire bans and health warnings

Australia looks set to sweat through one of its hottest Decembers ever, the national weather bureau said on Friday, prompting fire bans, health warnings and big crowds trying to cool off at beaches.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Dec 24, 2018

New Delhi chokes as pollution levels in Indian capital hit the worst level this year

Pollution levels in New Delhi have hit their worst this year in the past two days — earning a "severe" to "emergency" rating and indicating conditions that can spark a public health crisis.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 18, 2018

Confident kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa preparing for unique showdown with Floyd Mayweather

No matter how one of the all-time best boxers views his New Year's Eve showdown with Tenshin Nasukawa, the kickboxing phenom is planning to shock the world by putting on a competitive fight.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Dec 17, 2018

Hirokazu Kore-eda's 'Shoplifters' among nominees for Golden Globes

A couple of Japanese directors, Hirokazu Kore-eda and Mamoru Hosoda, get Golden Globe nods in the run-up to America's awards season.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2018

Five U.S. Marines missing in aircraft collision off Kochi Prefecture declared dead

Search operations, which included vessels from the Self-Defense Forces, had been underway since a KC-130 tanker plane collided with an F/A-18 fighter jet during training Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Dec 10, 2018

Accepting more foreign workers brings challenges

Unless the government ensures immigrants get the support necessary to have a decent life, it will lose the growing competition among countries to attract foreign workers.

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