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Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 12, 2019

'Kinkakuji': Staging a Japanese classic with a German twist

A new opera based on the quintessentially Japanese novel "Kinkakuji" is set to open in Tokyo following a premiere held not in Kyoto, where the famed golden pavilion of its title is to be found, but at the Opera National du Rhin in Strasbourg, France.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Feb 12, 2019

Plastic fantastic: Examining the obsession over Japan's soft vinyl toys

It's a cold afternoon in mid-January and, inside a factory operated by Maruyama Toys in a quiet residential area in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward, Cory Privitera is making sofubi (soft vinyl toys).
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Chugoku
Feb 12, 2019

Japan's temples turn to social media, video streaming and apps to lure visitors

Temples across the country, including in the Chugoku region, are increasingly turning to mobile apps, videos and social media to entice visitors.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 12, 2019

China's space debris cleanup may be cover story for arms against U.S. satellites, Pentagon says

China is developing sophisticated space capabilities such as "satellite inspection and repair" and debris cleanup — "at least some of which could also function" as weapons against U.S. satellites, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 12, 2019

Earth's earliest mobile organisms lived 2.1 billion years ago, Gabon shale fossils indicate

Scientists have discovered in 2.1-billion-year-old black shale from a quarry in Gabon the earliest evidence of a revolutionary development in the history of life on Earth, the ability of organisms to move from one place to another on their own.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 11, 2019

Meth 'disaster' for Asia-Pacific region as seizures surge tenfold in Thailand

Seizures of high-purity crystal methamphetamine have surged more than tenfold in Thailand over the past two years, statistics show, a stark indicator of the growth in industrial-scale production of the stimulant in neighboring Myanmar.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 11, 2019

U.S. destroyers sail in disputed South China Sea as trade tensions simmer

The U.S. sent two warships close by islands claimed by Beijing in the disputed South China Sea on Monday, the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said, as American negotiators arrived in the Chinese capital for talks aimed at resolving a trade spat between the two powers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2019

May seeks more Brexit debates in push for negotiating time as U.K. biz lobby warns of no-deal 'emergency zone'

British Prime Minister Theresa May will later this week pledge to give Parliament another chance to voice their opinions on Brexit by Feb. 27, a government source said, as she tries to buy more time to negotiate a new deal with the European Union.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 10, 2019

May to promise new Brexit debate in push for more negotiating time

British Prime Minister Theresa May will pledge this week to give Parliament another chance to voice their opinions on Brexit by Feb. 27 as she tries to buy more time to negotiate a new deal with the European Union.
Japan Times
SATOYAMA CONSORTIUM
Feb 10, 2019

Farming industry sees insightful progress

Apure Inc. in Hokkaido grows 28 varieties of chemical-free vegetables at its facility. Weather and temperature are not an issue because everything is planted inside two greenhouses. Apure's vegetables do not even need soil to grow as they are cultivated hydroponically.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Feb 10, 2019

Japanese makeup guru on crusade to revamp men's grooming habits

As a university student, Hiroki Takahashi could barely step outside his home without a surgical mask on. Even when he did venture out, he was terrified of the fluorescent lighting ubiquitous in convenience stores and trains that ruthlessly illuminated what he was desperately trying to hide — a mass...
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Feb 10, 2019

February 11, 2019

Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 10, 2019

U.S. and North Korea set to hold talks 'in a third Asian nation' next week

The United States and North Korea plan to hold a fresh round of talks in a third Asian nation next week as preparations for the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ramp up, the South's presidential office said Sunday.
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
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Feb 9, 2019

Loft under fire for its outdated portrayal of women in advertising campaign

Retailers typically strive to promote their products by creating ad campaigns that attract consumers’ attention.
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.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Feb 9, 2019

Believing is not seeing

'Did you see the snow the other night?'
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 9, 2019

China condemns Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to disputed region

China's Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the disputed northeastern border state of Arunachal Pradesh, saying it "resolutely opposes" activities by Indian leaders in the region.
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
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 9, 2019

Trump says second summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un to be held in Hanoi

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be held in Hanoi at the end of this month as the two sides seek to inject fresh momentum into denuclearization talks.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 9, 2019

Long a spoiler, Pakistan quietly starts aiding U.S.-Taliban talks

Pakistan, long at odds with the United States over the war in Afghanistan, has begun to play a behind-the-scenes but central role in supporting U.S. peace talks with the Afghan Taliban, including by facilitating travel to negotiations, U.S. officials and Taliban sources say.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 8, 2019

Princess vs. coup leader in Thai poll as king's sister declared PM candidate for Thaksin's party in shock move

Thailand's royalty made an unprecedented move into politics Friday when the sister of King Maha Vajiralongkorn was declared a prime ministerial candidate in a March 24 general election, registration papers showed.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Feb 8, 2019

Phil Mickelson hits every fairway for first time in 21 years

Phil Mickelson on Thursday did something he had not managed in more than two decades when he hit every fairway in the first round at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 8, 2019

Examining the high price of Japan's water systems

When we were negotiating for the purchase of a piece of land, the realtor told us that the lot we were interested in had no access to public waterworks, which meant we would have to dig a well. At first, this aspect seemed like a demerit, since hiring a company to dig the well would cost more than ¥400,000...
Reader Mail
Feb 8, 2019

Trump-Kim summit: It takes two to tango

Thank you for your analysis of the upcoming summit ("Vietnam pick a win for Trump, Kim" in the Feb. 7 edition). In order to fill out the picture a little more, of U.S. and North Korean contributions to denuclearization and peace ahead of the summit, please allow me to add some details.
Reader Mail
Feb 8, 2019

The government just can't be trusted

Regarding the story "Government touts longest growth phase" in the Jan. 30 edition, when it comes to money and truth, the last entity anyone should trust enough to ask about either is the Japanese government, so why are their views being foisted on readers without extensive fact-checking by all media...
Reader Mail
Feb 8, 2019

Coretta Scott King, the queen of nonviolence

The article "How Coretta Scott King brought her husband's message to Japan" in the Jan. 17 edition led me to ponder the core of Martin Luther King's nonviolence and Mrs. King's way of life.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 8, 2019

Rapper Chanmina is blurring the lines of genre and nationality

Everyone has moments where they have to choose between two paths that will lead to drastically different lives. For Mina Otomonai, it came during her second year of high school when she strongly considered moving to South Korea to pursue a career in music. Her friends convinced her to stay in Japan....

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person