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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 18, 2015

'The Messenger of God'? India censor quits over guru's Bollywood dreams

An Indian film that features a self-styled spiritual leader in jewel-studded costume riding motorbikes and sending the bad guys flying has prompted the chief of the country's censorship panel to quit, citing government interference.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jan 17, 2015

Longevity, genetics and the whale

The oldest person in the world — and the oldest ever Japanese person — is Misao Okawa. She lives in Osaka and is 116. She'll be 117 in March.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2015

Kobe pauses 20 years after killer quake

A crowd of nearly 14,000 gathered at a park early Saturday to light candles in remembrance of those who died. As incense wafted through the air, the dark, chilly morning was pierced by a moment of silence at exactly 5:46 a.m.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 17, 2015

'Dynamic' deceptions in U.S. budget debate

Instead of facing the real issues of how to cut spending in the U.S. budget debate, Republicans and Democrats find it easier to argue over technical questions that, in the end, won't much affect the budget.
EDITORIALS
Jan 16, 2015

Uphold safety in gas liberalization

While market liberalization of retail gas sales should be pursued in order to lower fees for consumers, the arguments by major gas suppliers for a safe and stable supply of city gas make sense.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jan 16, 2015

Nagoya museums on quest to track visitors' nationalities

The industrial tourism business in Nagoya will have a new mission in fiscal 2015. Museums and activity centers will begin tracking visitors' nationalities in order to target them better.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2015

Daihatsu dismantling 'Toyota Way' as market changes

When Daihatsu Motor Co. launched the Mira e:S minicar in 2011, the Toyota affiliate thought it had found a model for emerging markets. The Mira e:S — e for eco, S for smart — was capable of going 30 kilometers on a liter of gasoline (72 mpg) for a sticker price of just ¥795,000, or $6,637. And indeed,...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 16, 2015

Macau sex ring bust shows China expanding crackdown on graft

The arrest of a prominent Macau executive in the largest prostitution bust in the city's history shows Chinese President Xi Jinping is broadening his crackdown on corruption to restrict even long-tolerated vices.
SOCCER
Jan 15, 2015

JFA won't answer to reports on match-fixing case involving Aguirre until after Asian Cup

The Japan Football Association will wait until Japan's ongoing Asian Cup campaign has finished before responding to reports that a match-fixing case involving manager Javier Aguirre will go to court, JFA president Kuniya Daini said Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2015

Moving toward the next Chinese economy

After more than 30 years of extraordinary growth, the Chinese economy is shifting onto a more conventional development path. The difficult rebalancing now under way could lead to an economy that's stronger than ever.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 15, 2015

Documentary festival delivers an encore to Tokyo audiences

Last November, Japan Times film critic Kaori Shoji predicted that the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival's (YIDFF) program of screenings would slant toward sociopolitical analysis, focusing on substance over style. Audiences must have welcomed this weighty exposition of the documentary...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 15, 2015

Neeson is taken on another adventure

It's hard to believe that, a decade ago, Liam Neeson was better known for prestige Oscar dramas than high-octane action blockbusters. The Academy Award nominee spent the first 30 years of his career making his name in films such as "Kinsey" (2004), "Rob Roy" (1995) and Steven Spielberg's celebrated "Schindler's...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jan 15, 2015

Salvage plan keeps Wakayama playing in NBL

The Wakayama Trians will spend the remainder of the season under new management, NBL acting president Mitsuru Maruo said at a Tokyo news conference on Wednesday.
WORLD
Jan 14, 2015

Czechs discover antenna used in plot to kill Nazi kingpin Heydrich

A British-made radio antenna used in the World War II plot to kill Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich has surfaced in a Czech village.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 13, 2015

Royal Blood reigns over British rock

The dressing room of Camden's Electric Ballroom in London is hardly the most glamorous of settings at the best of times, and for Royal Blood it is the early evening after the night before. The previous night, the blues rock duo played its biggest ever headline show at the venue and, preparing for an...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 13, 2015

Lantis looks to woo a dedicated fan base with anisong tour

Fans breach the language barrier at overseas expos of Japanese pop culture as soon as the music starts. Legions of non-Japanese, most of whose knowledge of the language is limited to basic greetings and exclamations, burst into karaoke-style singalongs, mimicking dance moves and waving glow sticks. This...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jan 13, 2015

Research institute makes sake a little easier to understand

For the past few years, I've harbored a secret dream — an extremely nerdy ambition unlikely to be shared by anyone other than the hardest of hard-core sake and wine geeks. That dream is to become a master taster.
WORLD
Jan 12, 2015

Cuba has reportedly freed all 53 prisoners as agreed in U.S. deal

Cuba has released all 53 prisoners it had promised to free, senior U.S. officials said, a major step toward detente with Washington.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 12, 2015

Residences left empty posing problems across the nation

The population keeps aging and shrinking, but new housing keeps getting built even though Japan has a glut of unused dwellings.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Jan 12, 2015

Airline pilots need better training in recovery from a stall, some experts say

As investigators hunt for what caused an AirAsia jet to crash in an equatorial storm on Dec 28, the aviation industry is still struggling to apply the lessons of accidents in similar weather over the past decade.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Jan 11, 2015

AIST brings mind-reading technology closer to reality

Communicating via brain waves, by merely thinking, may seem like a notion out of the world of science fiction, but it would be a dream come true for people who are physically unable to express themselves.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Jan 11, 2015

Warm, fuzzy feeling: a dog named Woolly

Woolly can be likened to a security blanket — a friend who is always by your side, always ready to offer his warm affection and companionship.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 10, 2015

Cataloging the creatures of the unknown

"Yokai dwell in the contact zone between fact and fiction, between belief and doubt ... Yokai begin where language ends," says Michael Dylan Foster in the introduction to "The Book of Yokai," summing up what words often fail to conjure. His book takes readers on a journey into the inexplicable, mysterious,...

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan