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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 2, 2019

Sho player Ko Ishikawa pushes the boundaries of gagaku with free improvisation

Ko Ishikawa plays the sho, a bamboo free-reed mouth harp that first came to Japan from China in the Nara Period (710-794). Despite what you might expect, however, the way he plays the instrument isn't conventionally traditional.
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...
BUSINESS
Jan 1, 2019

Top business news of 2018

The Japan Times newsroom selected the following business news stories as the most important of 2018.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2019

Top Japan news of 2018

The Japan Times newsroom selected the following domestic news stories as the most important of 2018.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Dec 30, 2018

Charming Rivas is ready to play

Rivas, a German shepherd mix, came to ARK after he was found wandering the streets. He's a "fluffy, bright-eyed ball of exuberance," about 4 years old and 25 kilograms. He's strong and fast and can be excitable, and he needs someone who loves big, energetic dogs such as himself. Rivas also adores other...
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 29, 2018

Social media and online outlets led charge for change in 2018

A reflection of how the internet functioned in Japan in 2018 can be seen in a recent incident at Shinjuku Station.
WORLD
Dec 29, 2018

Illegal immigrant suspected in California officer's killing is arrested

A suspected illegal immigrant accused of shooting to death a California police officer was arrested on Friday after a two-day manhunt that President Donald Trump cited in his push for building a wall on the border with Mexico, officials said.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2018

Shibuya Ward calls for safe New Year's countdown after disruption at Halloween

About 60,000 people came to Shibuya's countdown event in 2016, and more than 100,000 descended on the area in 2017.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2018

Japan discloses footage of radar lock-on by South Korean warship

Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya says the footage proves that a South Korean military destroyer locked fire-control radar on an MSDF aircraft on Dec. 20.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2018

Government seeks public feedback on draft ordinances for foreign blue-collar workers

As Japan prepares to open its doors wider to foreign blue-collar workers from April, the Justice Ministry on Friday started soliciting public comment on drafts of ordinances and regulations that will set conditions for employing migrant workers.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 28, 2018

Data on 1,000 North Korean defectors hacked

The personal information of nearly 1,000 North Koreans who defected to South Korea has been leaked after unknown hackers got access to a resettlement agency's database, the South Korean Unification Ministry said on Friday.
Reader Mail
Dec 28, 2018

Medical patients can win in the end

The Big in Japan column titled "Second opinion: Should you trust your doctor?" in the Dec. 9 edition was a good opportunity to rethink how to consult a doctor.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 28, 2018

Killer storm blasts U.S. Midwest and Southeast

A motorist was killed in Kansas on Thursday in a crash blamed on a fierce blizzard slamming the U.S. Midwest and Southeast that also canceled or delayed thousands of airline flights and injured two people on a commercial jet over the Dallas area.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2018

French union calls for transparency over Renault-Nissan holding company amid Carlos Ghosn scandal

France's CGT union has called for more transparency at Renault and its Dutch holding company and asked the French government, one of the carmaker's shareholders, to try to shed light on its workings, a CGT representative said Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 27, 2018

Trump's acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker falsely claimed scholar-athlete honor: report

Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker has incorrectly claimed in government documents that he had been named an Academic All-American while playing football at the University of Iowa, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 25, 2018

Japan may be in hot pursuit of robotics, but on the farm it's still all about human hands

The country that brought robots to car factories looks set to stay resolutely old-school in agriculture as it seeks to attract more foreign workers to replenish an aging workforce.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Dec 25, 2018

Bonds that heal: Minorca helps a family move on

It's the time of year for heart-warming stories and Minorca, a canine cutie who was first featured here in January, is one of them.
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 Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 24, 2018

What happens when Alexa gets too smart or too human?

Millions of users of Amazon's Echo speakers have grown accustomed to the soothing strains of Alexa, the human-sounding virtual assistant that can tell them the weather, order takeout and handle other basic tasks in response to a voice command.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 23, 2018

The crew at TELL Japan wants you to know you're not alone during the holidays — or at any other time

The holidays can be tough for foreign nationals in Japan. For those hired in the summer, the thrill of being in a new country is starting to fade. Open social media feeds and you'll be bombarded with photos of family and friends back home celebrating. If you're not careful, you can fall into a rut.
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Dec 22, 2018

Defining the Heisei Era: When communication in Japan went mobile

The launch of a pager known as the Pocket Bell marked the birth of texting and mobile communications in Japan.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years