Search - japan

 
 
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 20, 2015

The new face of Japanese sci-fi chases an augmented world

Japanese science fiction has a long history. The genre could be considered to stretch back as far as the eighth-century tale of time traveler Urashima Taro or 10th-century story of moon-princess Kaguya-hime, but it was the rapid changes brought on during the Meiji Era (1868-1912) that generated one of...
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Jun 20, 2015

Jomon life 'remained pretty much unchanged'

Jomon Japan is fantastic. It ought to be preserved in stone. It was preserved in stone. For 10,000 years, this New Stone Age culture flourished. It is one of the longest-running single traditions in the world. A man, woman or child dying in, say, 10,000 B.C. and coming back to life circa 400 B.C. would...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jun 19, 2015

Age no obstacle as Wakisaka chases dream

Four years before Japan midfielder Homare Sawa became the first player in soccer to appear in six consecutive World Cups, Yasuo Wakisaka was the only player to participate in all four world championships of another version of football, American football that is.
EDITORIALS
Jun 18, 2015

Inbound tourism boom

The goal of having 20 million people visit Japan annually by 2020 appears to be within reach thanks to a tourism boom.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jun 18, 2015

A festival for every weekend of your summer

Festivals (matsuri) of all kinds are a staple of Japanese culture and summer is the premier season to experience them. In recent years, the country has seen a bit of a boom in cultural festivals, to the point that it's possible to book every weekend of your summer around them. We're here to help by highlighting...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 17, 2015

Beijing is getting a bad rap in South China Sea disputes

If Beijing has been behaving badly in the South China Sea, then so too have others.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 16, 2015

Nissan award echoes a maturing art world

The biennial Nissan Art Award isn't new now, and it wasn't really new when it began in 2013, either — something Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn is fully aware of.
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
Jun 16, 2015

Kuroda yen u-turn message was aimed at TPP renegades in Washington

When Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda said in Tokyo last week the yen has weakened enough, his key audience was 11,000 km away in Washington.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 15, 2015

JAFA announces squad for worlds

Defensive lineman Yasuo Wakisaka made Japan's national team for the fifth consecutive time as the Japan American Football Association announced its 45-player roster for the fifth World Championship of American football next month.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 13, 2015

Pipe dreams of a 'grand bargain' in East Asia

As the 50th anniversary of the normalization of ties between Japan and South Korea approaches, it seems there is little to celebrate.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 13, 2015

Cultural historian James Vardaman reflects on his journey into Japanese publishing

Between two sips of coffee, Waseda University professor James M. Vardaman comes clean to me about his decades of addiction.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 12, 2015

Media should stop legitimizing Abe's Article 9 'reinterpretation'

The media should stop giving the Abe administration's 'reinterpretation' of Article 9 a legitimacy and validity that it does not enjoy under Japan's constitutional system.
EDITORIALS
Jun 11, 2015

Keeping the G-7 relevant

As the host of the next G-7 summit, Japan has its work cut out to maintain the group's unity and increase its leverage.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 9, 2015

Murayama, Kono assail revisionism, urge Abe to uphold their apologies in entirety

Two former leaders who issued historic apologies for the nation's past lambast revisionist attempts to rewrite history, urging Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to stand by the statements they delivered when they were in office.
EDITORIALS
Jun 9, 2015

Legal doubts over security bills

The Abe administration must address key questions if it's serious about winning the public's support and understanding of its security legislation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 8, 2015

Sincere climate pledge or 'sleight of hand'?

Last week, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet announced Japan would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent by 2030, based on 2013 levels. The plan will be presented to delegates at a United Nations conference on climate change in Paris this December.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Jun 7, 2015

Hey bureaucrats, leave those kids — and teachers — alone

To look at Japan's educational policy in action, you can't help but wonder if insularity and mediocrity might actually be the goal.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 6, 2015

Refusing to check out of the Hotel Okura

With the iconic landmark poised to close for renovation in August, we explore its significance to the development of modernist architecture in Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 6, 2015

Inspiring story of 'the only woman in the room'

"My father came to Tokyo from Karuizawa to meet me," wrote Beate Sirota Gordon in a message to me, which she sent several years before her death in 2012 at age 89. "He looked gaunt and undernourished. ... My mother did not come because undernourishment had caused her to swell up, and she was ill in bed....
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 5, 2015

Experts' tongue-lashing rekindles Diet debate on reinterpreted Constitution

The surprise tongue-lashing in the Diet meted out by three noted constitutional scholars has reignited debate on whether the Cabinet's reinterpretation of Article 9 last year was legitimate.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2015

Harnessing the power of community to drive an energy revolution

Watch Kazuaki Hashimoto chopping firewood for the following winter on a baking day at the end of April, and you may be forgiven for thinking he leads a rather old-fashioned lifestyle.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jun 2, 2015

Japanese standout Watanabe eager to show growth for GW

Japanese basketball phenom Yuta Watanabe is currently back in Japan, using the break between semesters at George Washington University to spend some cherished time with his family and friends. He's also stayed busy working out and keeping up with media appearances.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
May 31, 2015

Karuizawa boarding school touts international diversity, hard truths

One tiny experience in your life may floor you and open the door to an entirely new world. Though rare, it sometimes happens when one stumbles upon a totally different culture.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 29, 2015

Changes to ODA Charter reflect new realities

Japan's strategy for distributing foreign aid has undergone a much-needed revamping to reflect today's realities.

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’