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COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2014

Russia's future looks bleak

As Russia's present is too unbalanced to discuss and President Vladimir Putin prefers to rehash the past, some commentators have set out to fathom the country's future based on its current trajectory. Their scenarios are bleak.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2014

Putin's defense of Hitler pact should worry all

The fact that — in 2014 — Russian President Vladimir Putin is openly prepared to defend the 1939 Nazi-Soviet nonaggression pact — an archetype of cynical, totalitarian politics — should concern us all.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Nov 7, 2014

'S' is for 'Starting to teach your kids ABC'

My toddler is hissing like a pantomime villain as she runs along an S-shaped snake made from sticky tape curled across the living room floor.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Oct 31, 2014

Keeping it simple, everyday objects get a makeover

Seeing paper in a new light
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 27, 2014

In the long shadow of an aged and enraged population

Here's an astonishing fact: the crime rate among Japan's elderly is on the rise. And among an rapidly aging population with long life expectancy, that's a problem.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2014

World's rapidly expanding millionaire club

Time was that 'being a millionaire' was a mark of unimaginable success. Not anymore.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 23, 2014

Seafood a sweet spot in Japanese exports as yen weakens

Seafood is a sweet spot in Japanese exports this year that is pushing sales of food abroad to a record and gaining strength as the yen weakens.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 21, 2014

The battle to boost universities

The government should consider the latest lackluster global rankings for Japanese universities and undertake a fundamental review of its university education policies.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Oct 21, 2014

You say proto-this, I say post-that, let's call the whole thing 'skronk'

A famous quote of mysterious provenance (most likely the American actor and singer Martin Mull) has it that, "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture," and anyone who has ever tried to write about music will know that language can be an inadequate tool.
OLYMPICS / ROBERT WHITING'S 1964 OLYMPICS RETROSPECTIVE
Oct 17, 2014

Schollander, Hayes were spectacular at Tokyo Games

The 1964 Tokyo Olympics had a profound impact on the capital city and the nation. In the third installment of a five-part series running this month, best-selling author Robert Whiting, who lived in Japan at the time, looks at some of the stars who emerged during the competition.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Oct 14, 2014

Japan's take on the humble burger

There are two dishes that can be translated as "hamburger" in Japan. One is the all-American favorite, a beef patty sandwiched in a bun, which in Japanese is called hanbāgā. The other kind is similar to a Hamburg steak or Salisbury steak, made with chopped onions, breadcrumbs and egg mixed with the...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 10, 2014

Should adult sibling incest be against the law?

The German Ethics Council's recommendation that consensual sexual intercourse between adult siblings should cease to be a crime leads a university ethics professor to wonder whether a rational debate on the subject is even possible.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Oct 6, 2014

Frontiers place title hopes in Cameron

In order to finally win the X League championship, the Fujitsu Frontiers have perhaps found the last piece of the puzzle with the acquisition of American quarterback Colby Cameron.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 23, 2014

Remaking the EDM experience for Japan

Glitter showered the crowd at August's all-night Sonicmania event as electronic artist Zedd cued up his hit song, "Stay the Night." The crowd bobbed along at first, but as the track built and let loose in a whirlwind of bass and synthesizer the audience followed suit with fists pumping in the air and...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 18, 2014

Shaming students' teachers shows little class

The Finns, known for having the world's best schools, would be aghast at the thought of revealing the names of teachers alongside their students' annual achievement test scores — a future possibility in Japan.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Sep 6, 2014

Trio of NPB teams hit it big with midseason acquisitions

The Seibu Lions were fielding a toothless lineup early in the NPB season while Ernesto Mejia was up to his usual hard-hitting trick on the other side of the world with the Gwinnett Braves, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Sep 3, 2014

Fan-favorite Inaba jumping into sunset

Atsunori Inaba may have been Japan's most popular player among foreign fans during the 2013 World Baseball Classic. The quadrennial competition doesn't just bring 16 nations together, it allows the baseball cultures of various nations to come together. Prominent among these is Japan's ouendan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 31, 2014

Understanding chronic student absenteeism

No matter how chronic absenteeism is defined, it is crucial that school districts in both Japan and the U.S. intervene early to stem a threat to the future of the younger generation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 28, 2014

Johansson brings some superhero savoir faire to 'Lucy'

If Scarlett Johansson were to have one superpower, perhaps it would be the ability to master any language possible.
WORLD
Aug 26, 2014

Happiness study draws frowns from critics

A high-profile 2013 study that concluded that different kinds of happiness are associated with dramatically different patterns of gene activity is fatally flawed, according to an analysis published on Monday that tore into its target with language rarely seen in science journals.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Aug 23, 2014

Tallying the environmental cost of meat

What are the costs of the meat we eat — the hamburgers, pork chops and chicken breasts?

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past