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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 29, 2015

Composer Shiro Sagisu scores songs to be devoured to on 'Attack on Titan' soundtrack

During one scene in Shinji Higuchi's recent film "Attack on Titan," soldiers leap from building to building battling a carnivorous giant with nothing but swords. The horror is heightened by the music: razor sharp synthesizers accentuate a foreboding orchestral melody. It's hard to imagine the action...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 29, 2015

Koji Hirata finds the 'soul of tango' through his bandoneon

Koji Hirata encountered the bandoneon, a type of concertina, at the young age of 13. While it's common for a teenager to take up a musical instrument, Hirata showed an unusually high level of commitment when, at 16, he took a solo trip to Argentina to learn it.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 29, 2015

Ashley Madison courted buyers before attack

The owner of the adultery website Ashley Madison was already struggling to sell itself or raise funds for at least three years before the publication of details about its members, according to internal documents and emails that were released by hackers as part of their assault on the company in recent...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 28, 2015

War on Islamic State has given Jordan new life

Tiny, oil-poor Jordan has parlayed the war against Islamic State into tangible gains.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 28, 2015

Natural wine is a natural fit in Tokyo

The natural wine movement is spreading. Everywhere I look in Tokyo, neighborhood wine bars and small bistros are introducing all-natural wine lists. I'm starting to wonder, why does natural wine fit so organically into the city?
CULTURE / Music
Aug 27, 2015

Indie act Ykiki Beat broadens its horizons on 'When the World is Wide'

One band worth checking out at this weekend's Sweet Love Shower festival at Lake Yamanaka in Yamanashi Prefecture is Ykiki Beat.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 27, 2015

Suchmos taps into a chilled-out vibe on debut album 'The Bay'

All young musicians dream of a fantasy collaboration when they're plotting out their careers. The artist that the members of Suchmos think of? Michael Jackson.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 27, 2015

Guitarist Inoran gets personal on 'Beautiful Now'

Kiyonobu Inoue, more commonly known as Inoran, is a very busy man. Aside from his day job, in which he plays to sold out arenas as a guitarist for rock band Luna Sea, he juggles being a producer, playing in a handful of other projects and managing a solo career. He admits life wasn't always this hectic,...
Japan Times
Rugby
Aug 27, 2015

Rugby chiefs set Japan World Cup deadline

World Rugby has demanded Japan send a new proposal for its 2019 World Cup venues and provide assurances about the tournament's "financial security" after Tokyo's National Stadium was scrapped as the centerpiece venue.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 25, 2015

Marathon organizers miffed about Shobukhova reinstatement

Marathon organizers have demanded an urgent meeting with officials after the reinstatement of Russian drug cheat Lilya Shobukhova despite the fact she has not repaid around $3 million in prize money earned when she was doping.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 25, 2015

Behavioral science's take on the Iran debate

'Loss aversion,' the ideal that people dislike losses a lot more than they like equivalent gains, can badly confuse political debate — such as that on the Iran nuclear deal.
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2015

Osaka drawing more foreign visitors; may see record 5 million this year

Thanks to a favorable exchange rate, relaxed visa restrictions, more discount airlines flying into Kansai airport and an increase in the number of duty-free shops downtown, the number of foreign visitors to Osaka this year is expected to top 5 million for perhaps the first time.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 25, 2015

Japan Electric carmaker GLM closes round of funding with ¥1.7 billion

GLM Inc., a Kyoto-based maker of electric sports cars, closed a new funding round that raised about ¥1.7 billion, people with knowledge of the matter said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / EXECUTIVE DECISIONS
Aug 24, 2015

First non-Japanese chief of Tomy believes innovation is key to reviving toymaker's fortunes

Tomy Co.'s new CEO said the company plans to introduce innovation that changes the way people play with toys and will improve the branding of its iconic products, such as its Licca-chan dolls, as part of a global expansion strategy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 24, 2015

The demographic challenge

Worrying about the coming population decline in advanced countries is a meaningless diversion from the far more serious issues raised by the developing world's population explosion.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 24, 2015

Thai police defuse bomb week after deadly blast

Thai police found and defused a bomb on Monday, a week after an explosion killed 20 people in the country's worst-ever bomb attack, but it was not clear if the device found at a Bangkok construction site had anything to do with the earlier blast.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Aug 23, 2015

New twist in the tale: a cat named Sachinoka

Sachinoka was born this spring to a stray and rescued along with her four brothers and sisters.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 23, 2015

After failed attempts to remove rival, Myanmar's president used force

Myanmar President Thein Sein had tried and failed at least twice before to topple his archrival Shwe Mann, but when armed police burst into the headquarters of the country's ruling party late on Aug. 12 he finally succeeded.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 21, 2015

Japan condemns North Korean border 'provocation'; experts say military escalation unlikely

After North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared a “quasi state of war” for the nation's troops near the South Korean border, Tokyo expressed “strong concerns.”
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 21, 2015

Iran '24-day' nuke loophole is a false meme

The Iran deal has no 24-day loophole. It would be virtually impossible to hide evidence of nuclear materials in 240 days, much less 24.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Aug 20, 2015

Hall of Fame pitcher Johnson impressed by Otani, Maeda

Randy Johnson won 303 games, five Cy Young Awards, struck out 4,875 batters (second all time) and was recently inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Needless to say, the Big Unit knows his way around a mound.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 20, 2015

Shun Oguri faces off with an artistic master in 'Red'

'If it's possible, I'd like to act live on stage at least once a year," says film and television star Shun Oguri following an intensive rehearsal at a small studio in central Tokyo.

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