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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 3, 2022

European peace project forced to confront war

Born of the need to preserve peace on a historically war-torn continent, the EU and its political leaders are now being forced to rethink some of their most important principles.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 2, 2022

'Softly': Tatsuro Yamashita looks to the future with timeless optimism

Two Tatsuro Yamashitas exist in 2022. There's the patron saint of city pop and a musical symbol for all things bubble-era Japan, and then there's the 69-year-old pop tinkerer still exploring his craft on “Softly.”
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 1, 2022

It's alive! How belief in AI sentience is becoming a problem

The issue of machine sentience hit the headlines last month when Google placed a software engineer on leave after he claimed the company's AI chatbot was a self-aware person.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 30, 2022

For the most complex heroines in animation, look to Japan

The girls and women of anime tend to experience the conflicting emotions of real life. That's because the auteurs try to create “an everyday, real person.”
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2022

AI’s next big thing is ‘fake’ data

Strange as it may sound, the growth of fake data is a step in the right direction, and not just because it avoids using people's personal data.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 29, 2022

Sony launches PC gaming gear in an expansion beyond PlayStation brand

Sony's first offerings from its new Inzone brand will be three wireless headsets and two monitors, the priciest of which will retail for a suggested $899.99 in the United States.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 28, 2022

Sony's next big thing in tech is helping Honda take on Tesla

Of all Japan's carmakers, Honda had thrown itself most aggressively into EVs, targeting a full phase-out of combustion-engine vehicle sales by 2040.
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Jun 27, 2022

Toyota to boost motorsports in Asia

Japanese cars already hold a high market share in Asia, so promoting car racing may be aimed at spreading an interest in the higher-performance models.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Jun 27, 2022

Okinawa farmers, once finding wealth in pineapples, search for successors

Some people, including teachers, actually quit their jobs and started growing pineapples, such was the wealth to be gained from farming the crop.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 26, 2022

U.S. abortion reversal spurs online data fears

As states move to restrict abortions after the Supreme Court's landmark reversal, worries grow that social media posts or information on apps could be used by authorities to build cases.
BASKETBALL
Jun 21, 2022

Washington Mystics' Rui Machida learning ropes in debut WNBA season

Japan's standout at the Tokyo Olympics is adjusting to the challenges of professional ball in the United States after making the move from the Fujitsu RedWave earlier this spring.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Jun 21, 2022

Invasive rats spreading across Yamaguchi, damaging crops

The nutria, a kind of large rat native to South America, has expanded its habitat to almost all areas of the prefecture, with municipalities stepping up measures against the animal.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Jun 20, 2022

Improving the quality of life at Japan's disaster evacuation shelters

Sleeping in crowded conditions on the floor can cause a range of health issues such as insomnia, high blood pressure and disuse syndrome.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 17, 2022

Sony and Honda agree to joint venture to sell electric cars by 2025

Honda, like bigger rival Toyota Motor, has been slower to shift to electric vehicles than global automakers and is under pressure from investors to make cars that are carbon-free.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 17, 2022

NTT Data and Toyota to tap overseas startups for joint effort on connected cars

Japanese carmakers have been ramping up efforts to develop electric vehicles and connected cars, which can communicate with each other and outside networks to improve features.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 14, 2022

Climate change risks exacerbating security issues in Asia-Pacific

As sea levels continue to rise, small islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans as well as coastal megacities in China and South and Southeast Asia are already at risk.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 13, 2022

How fashion giants recast plastic as good for the planet

An explosion in the use of inexpensive, petroleum-based materials has transformed the fashion industry, aided by the successful rebranding of synthetic materials into hip alternatives.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Jun 13, 2022

Breathalyzers in short supply in Japan amid stricter rules for work drivers

Although alcohol checks can be done visually for the time being, companies that use a certain number of noncommercial vehicles will be required to use breathalyzers starting in October.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 13, 2022

China alarms U.S. with private warnings to avoid Taiwan Strait

Chinese military officials in recent months have repeatedly asserted that the Taiwan Strait isn't international waters during meetings with U.S. counterparts.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Jun 13, 2022

Shiseido joins wave of firms tapping Kyushu as Asia export gateway

Manufacturers' capital investment in the Kyushu and Okinawa regions in fiscal 2021 was up 25.3% from the previous year, much higher than the nationwide increase of 7.6%.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 12, 2022

Atsuki Kuroda's new house blends style and taste

'No genre!' says chef Atsuki Kuroda of the stunning, satisfying menu at AC House.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Jun 11, 2022

Can unlikely friendships kickstart fashion’s lackluster recovery?

Breaking down brand barriers may be the only way forward for Tokyo's couturiers
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 10, 2022

Artizon Museum's Jam Session puts photography into perspective

This year's edition of the museum's annual series, which invites contemporary artists to play off canonical pieces, nudges viewers into rethinking the art of seeing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 9, 2022

'Emergent Tokyo' digs into an urban sprawl borne from chaos and order

Architect Jorge Almazan and Studiolab, his research laboratory at Keio University, take an innovative approach to exploring the historical conditions that shaped Tokyo's eclectic cityscape.

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