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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 8, 2021

Sex, murder and a getaway car: ‘Ride or Die’ stars go on the trip of a lifetime

Kiko Mizuhara and Honami Sato discuss the challenges of bringing Ching Nakamura's harrowing, sexually explicit manga to the screen in a provocative new Netflix movie.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Apr 7, 2021

Rihito Itagaki brings a splash of color to Japanese television

Actor Rihito Itagaki takes on his first lead role, playing a gender-fluid character in Yomiuri TV's new series “Colorful Love: My Androgynous Boyfriend.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 7, 2021

‘Homunculus’: You need to see this like you need a hole in the head

Takashi Shimizu's adaptation of a manga series about a man who gains psychic powers after having a hole drilled in his head manages to be tasteless and timid at once.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Apr 6, 2021

Why shortages of a $1 chip sparked crisis in the global economy

The trouble for the chip industry — and increasingly companies beyond tech, like automakers — is that there aren't enough display drivers to go around.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2021

As meme stock mania fizzles, Wall Street sees ‘big reckoning’

The day-trading Reddit crowd turned the first quarter of 2021 into one of the wildest periods of stock market mania in modern history. Books — plural — will undoubtedly be dedicated to the topic in years to come.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Apr 4, 2021

Badminton federation to vote on post-Olympics scoring system change

Badminton's world governing body will vote in May on a proposal to change the sport's scoring system after this year's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, it said on Saturday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 4, 2021

The possibilities (and perils) of Japan’s youth spending more time online

Even as most public schools struggle to embrace remote learning, the soaring amount of time kids spent on screens at home put many on alert.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2021

Prince Harry fits right in as a Silicon Valley executive

Harry is far from the first royal to trade the palace for the boardroom.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 27, 2021

Chinese apps join celebs in backlash against Western fashion brands over Xinjiang

China's top ride-hailing app dropped Swedish fashion retailer H&M from its listings as Chinese celebrities stopped endorsing foreign labels in a growing uproar over Western accusations of forced labor in Xinjiang.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 15, 2021

Nintendo targets a record year in Switch and game sales

A series of marquee game releases is expected to drive software sales next fiscal year to 250 million units.
JAPAN / Explainer
Mar 12, 2021

Japan's ethics code for officials in focus as dining scandal rumbles on

The National Public Service Ethics Code sets clear expectations for ministry life in hope of preventing the kind of conflicts of interest in which Suga's eldest son has been implicated.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Mar 12, 2021

ATP chief optimistic about life after 'Big Three'

Losing the best three players of all time would be a massive blow to any sport, but ATP chief Andrea Gaudenzi says tennis is strong enough to thrive after Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic hang up their rackets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 10, 2021

SoftBank poised to reap $16 billion profit as Coupang boosts IPO

If Coupang succeeds in its public debut, SoftBank's windfall could exceed the $11 billion it reported from DoorDash Inc.'s December IPO.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 6, 2021

Increasing angst on social media may point to a silver lining as Japan looks to leave 2020 behind

The outrage expressed on Twitter has been noticeably worse than normal over the first two months of the year.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 6, 2021

Japan’s travel ban has left foreign baseball players in limbo

Colin Rea — like more than a dozen other players who joined Japanese clubs in the offseason — is in limbo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 2, 2021

Anime is booming. So why are animators living in poverty?

The workers who make the Japanese shows the world is binge-watching can earn as little as $200 a month. Many wonder how much longer they can endure it.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 1, 2021

Elite bureaucrat's resignation takes the wind out of Suga's sails

Makiko Yamada's scandal-linked resignation jeopardizes attempts by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to rally support following his heavily criticized handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 1, 2021

Clubhouse won over Elon Musk. Now it’s conquering the world.

With its stunning emergence this year, Clubhouse has already become the biggest U.S. social-media success story in nine years after the Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat era.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 28, 2021

Left out? Israeli's unvaccinated fear exclusion as economy reopens

Other countries are likely to scrutinize Israel's early experience to see how it addresses mostly unanswered questions about balancing individual rights with obligations to public health.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 28, 2021

Murder in the consulate: Pressure grows on Saudi crown prince

Saudi Arabia's crown prince, accused in a U.S. intelligence report of approving an operation to capture or kill a prominent journalist, crushed dissent and sidelined rivals in a push for power that has delighted admirers, unsettled Riyadh's traditional foreign allies and shocked human rights advocates....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 25, 2021

Director Kentaro brings an auteur’s touch to a soulful road movie

The 'Under the Turquoise Sky' director mixes realism, fantasy and comedy in his visually stirring feature debut about a Japanese man who goes on a journey of self-discovery in Mongolia.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 24, 2021

Australian lawmakers expected to pass changes to law covering Facebook and Google

The government introduced amendments to the so-called Media Bargaining Code after Facebook last week escalated a dispute over the new laws.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / The World of Translators
Feb 20, 2021

Stephen Snyder: Distilling the essence of a literary work

In recent years, Japanese literature has earned a reputation abroad for its edgy, socially-conscious fiction, which translator Stephen Snyder, 63, has had a hand in encouraging. Snyder has translated titles like “Coin Locker Babies” by Ryu Murakami, “Out” by Natsuo Kirino and last year’s finalist...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2021

Facebook news goes dark in Australia as payment dispute grows

Facebook's dramatic move represents a split from Google after they joined together for years to campaign against laws aimed at forcing tech firms to pay media outlets.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami