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WORLD
May 24, 2017

U.S. appeals court rules in favor of Wikipedia's right to challenge NSA surveillance

A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a Wikipedia lawsuit that challenges a U.S. National Security Agency program of mass online surveillance, and claims that the government unconstitutionally invades people's privacy rights.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 22, 2017

Olympic mascot contest to start in August with over ¥1 million in prize money

The contest to design the official mascot for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will kick off in August, and Japan's schoolchildren will pick the winner.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 20, 2017

'Another Kyoto': Alex Kerr's roving thoughts on Kyoto as it stands today

It appears that when the Japanologist Alex Kerr was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, his tutors despaired at his unorthodox use of his time there, with one particularly testy don complaining, "He researches only the ephemera that draw his interest," going on to rail against Kerr's fascination with "superstitions,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
May 13, 2017

Designer Yuri Suzuki chases his dreams through sound

As a boy in the 1980s, Yuri Suzuki fell under the spell of video games and his father's record collection. The family home was in bustling Shibuya Ward, near the border with Shinjuku, and the influence of global cultures within its walls was strong.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 13, 2017

'The Ryukyu Kingdom: Cornerstone of East Asia': A look at Okinawa's distant past

On May 15, Japan will mark the 45th anniversary of the return of Okinawa. For 27 years prior, the U.S. administered the islands, a continuous period of occupation that began after the Battle of Okinawa in June 1945. This makes the new translation of Mamoru Akamine's 'The Ryukyu Kingdom: Cornerstone of East Asia' both welcome and timely.
EDITORIALS
May 11, 2017

Abe's pitch to amend Article 9

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has many questions to answer before setting a timetable in his quest to amend the Constitution.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 6, 2017

Calling card: the evolution of business cards in Japan

On the afternoon of Jan. 26, 1948, a man claiming to be a public health official walked into a branch of Teikoku Ginko (Imperial Bank) in Tokyo's Shiinamachi district and told all 16 people present that dysentery had broken out in the neighborhood.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 50TH ADB ANNUAL MEETING
May 4, 2017

Fostering Asian progress, prosperity

Marking the landmark 50th annual meeting this year, the Asian Development Bank has come a long way in supporting Asia on its journey to being the world's fastest-growing market.
EDITORIALS
May 3, 2017

The Constitution turns 70

The Constitution should not be amended just to fulfill the agendas of politicians or political parties.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 1, 2017

U.S. lawmakers seal deal on $1 trillion spending bill that jettisons Trump priorities

U.S. House and Senate negotiators reached a tentative bipartisan deal Sunday night on a $1.1 trillion bill that largely tracks with Democratic spending priorities and jettisons most of President Donald Trump's top priorities, including money to begin building a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 28, 2017

Bullying in schools keeps youth suicide rate high

Schoolyard bullying has long bedeviled Japan where some students have taken their own lives after being harassed in person or online through emails, text messages and blogs.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2017

Maker of Line app says it has disclosed user information for criminal probes

Messenger app operator Line Corp. revealed Monday that it has provided private information about its users to authorities both in and outside Japan as part of criminal investigations.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 17, 2017

Clock ticks for women in Japan seeking love at work

As much as I hate to spoil the 'haru no yoki' (springtime cheer) thing, I have some bad news about Japanese love relationships.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 15, 2017

'The Book of the Dead': The first complete translation of Shinobu Orikuchi's classic

Both influential and deeply mysterious, "The Book of the Dead" ("Shisha no Sho," 1943) is the most famous work of fiction by Shinobu Orikuchi (1887-1953), a pioneer of folklore studies in Japan and renowned poet. Orikuchi was fascinated with the origins of Japanese religion and the connections between...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 12, 2017

Hollywood's 'Ghost in the Shell' remake misses the mark

After the online petitions, the countless think pieces and Twitter tirades, Hollywood's "Ghost in the Shell" was never going to have an easy passage. Rupert Sanders' film — a $110 million live-action movie based on a beloved manga and anime property — was ill-fated from the start, tarnished by the...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 12, 2017

Tillerson heads to Moscow with call from West for Russia to ditch Assad

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson carried a message from world powers to Moscow on Tuesday denouncing Russian support for Syria's Bashar Assad, as the Trump administration took on America's traditional mantle as leader of a unified West.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 8, 2017

Russia warns of serious consequences from U.S. strikes against Syria

Russia warned on Friday that U.S. cruise missile strikes on a Syrian air base could have "extremely serious" consequences as President Donald Trump's first major foray into a foreign conflict opened up a rift between Moscow and Washington.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Apr 2, 2017

Design your own beginner's luck

Spring is here, a time of change and a new starts. Here are a few hobby ideas designed to make it that little bit easier for beginners.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 29, 2017

For long-distance lovers, apps that make the heart grow fonder

Thanks to technology, your loved one can always be with you, in your pocket — or under your thumb.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 28, 2017

Thousands take shelter as 'screaming, howling' Cyclone Debbie whips north Australia

Howling winds, heavy rain and huge seas pounded Australia's northeast Tuesday, damaging homes, wrecking jetties and cutting power to thousands of people as Tropical Cyclone Debbie tore through Queensland state's far north.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 27, 2017

Three years after street demonstrations, Hong Kong protest leaders hit with criminal charges

Hong Kong protest leaders said Monday that police intend to charge at least nine activists, including students and academics, who helped organize or lead Hong Kong's prodemocracy protests in 2014.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 25, 2017

How the word 'terrorism' can help pass a bill

During the recent Diet grilling over his alleged involvement in the Moritomo Gakuen land purchase scandal, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe accused his opposition party tormentors of resorting to inshō sōsa. The most accurate English translation is probably "image manipulation," which, in the age of fake...
EDITORIALS
Mar 23, 2017

Penalizing uncommitted crimes

The government needs to convince a skeptical public why proposed legislation that could compromise privacy rights through increased surveillance activities is necessary.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 20, 2017

North Korean state-run propaganda website depicts U.S. aircraft carrier, bomber engulfed in flames

The YouTube channel of North Korea's state-run Uriminzokkiri propaganda website has released a video showing images of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and strategic bomber engulfed in flames.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 19, 2017

What's so bad about Imperial Rescript on Education anyway?

The 19th century rescript caught up in the Moritomo Gakuen scandal is not just a collection of homely moral precepts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 18, 2017

'Where They Create: Japan': Glimpsing the minds of creatives through their workspaces

When asked how his design process works, Teruhiro Yanagihara, creative director of the ceramics collaboration project 1616/Arita, says, "My brain is initially 'where I create.'"
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 16, 2017

Ryukyu's Terry reflects on memories of UNC's 2005 championship squad

Ryukyu Golden Kings forward Reyshawn Terry is part of a special fraternity.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 13, 2017

Vault7 and the electronic panopticon

If the Russians are looking to invade Americans' privacy, the U.S. government is already there.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 12, 2017

South Korea's dismissed president exits official residence in disgrace

Disgraced South Korean leader Park Geun-hye left the presidential Blue House on Sunday, two days after a court dismissed her over a corruption scandal, bound for her private home and facing the possibility of prosecution and jail.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji