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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Oct 3, 2018

'Dare to Stop Us': Japanese cinema's bad boy as seen by one of the women who worked with him

In the 1960s Koji Wakamatsu was Japanese cinema's enfant terrible: A real-life outlaw — he once joined a yakuza gang and served time in prison — he made pioneering "pink" (softcore porn) films such as "The Embryo Hunts in Secret" (1966) and "Go, Go, Second Time Virgin" (1969), whose extreme sex and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 3, 2018

'You Are the Apple of My Eye': A missed chance at romance isn't a bad thing

"You Are the Apple of My Eye," a teen romance by writer and director Giddens Ko in 2011, became a hit not only in his native Taiwan but across Asia. Seeing it at the Udine Far East Film Festival, I was struck by the raunchiness of the humor, starting with a classroom masturbation contest, and the originality...
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Oct 2, 2018

Mai Mihara impresses as runner-up while unveiling new short program at Nebelhorn Trophy

Mai Mihara earned the silver medal in her season debut at the Nebelhorn Trophy on Saturday with two solid performances.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 2, 2018

'Music progresses when people make mistakes': Foodman favors taking risks on new album

Last month, the return of Ultra Japan to Tokyo provoked the usual eye-rolls with its parade of EDM superstars gallivanting onstage to obviously pre-recorded sets. But trust Takahide Higuchi — the Nagoya-based producer better known as Shokuhin Matsuri aka Foodman — to see the funny side.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 1, 2018

Nothing is left undone with the plethora of negative prefixes in Japanese

Everything in life has a negative side to it. This nasty fact has also left its mark on Japanese, in the form of negative prefixes that will turn just everything into its opposite.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 1, 2018

SoftBank bets $400 million on housing market startup Opendoor

Opendoor, which has already raised billions to buy homes over the internet, just landed another large investor: the SoftBank Vision Fund.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 30, 2018

In blow to LDP, opponent of U.S. base relocation plan Denny Tamaki wins Okinawa gubernatorial race

In a major defeat for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the ruling bloc, Kyodo News and other media reported Sunday evening that former Lower House member Denny Tamaki, a staunch opponent of a controversial central government-backed plan to relocate a U.S. military base, won Okinawa's governor race over...
Japan Times
ESG CONSORTIUM
Sep 30, 2018

Green-centric expansion at home and abroad

Since its launch in 1964 as a leasing company, Orix Corp. has expanded its business scope to address the changing needs of society while refusing to categorize itself.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Sep 30, 2018

Cultivating a blend of honoring tradition, progress

As two of Asia's leading economies, Japan and Hong Kong have much in common. Now, Hong Kong's profile in Japan is set to rise further with a series of events during the upcoming Hong Kong Week (Oct. 29 to Nov. 11).
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 30, 2018

Beijing showcases China's design potential

Chinese history and artisanship inspire Japanese creators at the first Design China Beijing fair
EDITORIALS
Sep 30, 2018

Postcards from the heavens

For a real change of perspective, head over to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) website to see videos and photographs from the Hayabusa2 mission. The pictures are courtesy of two tiny robot rovers, Minerva-II1A and Minerva-II1B, that landed late last month on the asteroid Ryugu. In addition...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 30, 2018

The direction of education in Japan

Japan has the 6-3-3-4 education system — compulsory education of six years in elementary school and three years in junior high school. Students then commonly go on to three years in high school and four years in university.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 29, 2018

Mixing music genres into something magic

Curator of the Live Magic! festival shares experiences of DJ-ing in Japan and reveals some of his favorite tunes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NATURE'S PANTRY
Sep 29, 2018

Bringing shottsuru fish sauce back from the brink of extinction

Shottsuru is a fish sauce made from sandfish in Akita Prefecture. When its commercial production plummeted in the early 1990s, one man made it his mission to revive the local product.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 29, 2018

'The Knifenerd Guide to Japanese Knives': Paying tribute to Japan's 'faceless' knife makers

For more than a decade, Kevin Kent and his staff have been selling chefs and home cooks on the array of Japanese knives as well as how to care for them. That knowledge has been distilled into Kent's upcoming book, 'The Knifenerd Guide to Japanese Knives,' a tribute to Japan's 'faceless' blacksmiths.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 28, 2018

Brett Kavanaugh's fiery denial during testimony gives Republicans cover to vote 'Yes'

Brett Kavanaugh's passionate denial of allegations of sexual misconduct may have convinced Republicans who want to vote "yes" to put him on the Supreme Court that they can overlook his accuser's credible and moving testimony.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 28, 2018

Meet the new breed of Japanese entrepreneurs who are venturing into frontier markets

Even as Japan Inc.'s influence has diminished under a series of internal scandals and international competition, the prevailing image of Japanese business remains tied to massive corporate conglomerates rather than innovative startups.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 28, 2018

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sues Musk for fraud, seeks to remove him from Tesla

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday accused Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk of fraud and sought to remove him from his role in charge of the electric car company, saying he made a series of "false and misleading" tweets about potentially taking Tesla private last month.
Reader Mail
Sep 28, 2018

JR should do more to prevent suicides

According to East Japan Railway Co., nearly 6.33 million people pack onto the trains every day. However, this extensive method of public transportation is unfortunately being used as a means to take one's own life, especially on JR lines in Tokyo.
Reader Mail
Sep 28, 2018

Saying farewell to Shibaura

Regarding the editorial "Turning a new page" in the Sept. 9 edition, I am disappointed that The Japan Times has left Shibaura, where it was an institution much like Tora-san in Shibamata. I'm disappointed because I have been studying English with the newspaper published in Minato Ward.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Sep 27, 2018

Former NBA coach Jack McKinney dies at 83

Jack McKinney, who coached the Indiana Pacers for four seasons in the 1980s, died Tuesday at 83 years old, Saint Joseph's University announced.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Sep 27, 2018

Japan-U.S. trade talks may be less of a concession than they appear

At a glance, it may appear U.S. President Donald Trump has scored a significant victory after his latest talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in New York.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Sep 27, 2018

Returning core makes Alvark title favorites

When a team ascends to the top by winning a title, the players have a metaphorical target on their backs whenever they step onto the court.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2018

As China builds biotech sector, cash floods U.S. startups

For three whirlwind days in June, U.S. scientist Zhi Hong went shopping at the Boston Bio Conference to find drugs to fill the pipeline of his 2-week-old drug company.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Sep 27, 2018

Scientists look to Chinese soup ingredients to treat dementia

The ingredients in this experimental brain treatment may be better known to enhance cooking, not cognition.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 27, 2018

Trump accuses China of meddling in midterm polls, offers no proof

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused China of seeking to meddle in the Nov. 6 U.S. congressional elections, saying Beijing did not want his Republican Party to do well because of his pugnacious stance on trade.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 26, 2018

Takanohana's departure marks end of era for sumo

Takanohana's retirement, announced on Tuesday, brings to an end the Hanada dynasty's 72-year-long involvement in sumo.
EDITORIALS
Sep 25, 2018

Trump ups the ante in trade war

A trade fight between the world's two largest economies will be titanic, with spillover effects no matter how it is resolved.

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