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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 9, 2015

The 'dwarf' architect of Japan's literary boom

With a chuckle, translator and literary critic Motoyuki Shibata recalls the way author Steven Millhauser once described him.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / NFL NOTEBOOK
May 9, 2015

Brady may be suspended in ball scandal

"Deflategate" has become the biggest NFL scandal since the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal in 2012. Or it could be even bigger because one of the most popular and respected quarterbacks in NFL history seems to be involved.
EDITORIALS
May 8, 2015

Honor the current Constitution

Amid the current effort to rewrite the Constitution, Japan should remember how well it has served the nation these past seven decades.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 28, 2015

Defense cooperation guidelines with U.S. present new roles, risks for Japan

The new rules have divided security analysts in Japan, with some fearing the country could be dragged into a conflict overseas, presumably involving the U.S. military.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 26, 2015

A bare-knuckle race against time to the Edo Period and back

How in the world did I find myself in the passenger seat as an eager accomplice in a car chase?
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Apr 25, 2015

Banana Yoshimoto's magical realist rumination on life and death

Amrita, a Sanskrit word that literally means "immortality," is the name of Banana Yoshimoto's strange 1994 novel. It's an essentially plotless tale, but deeply affecting in its blend of ennui and hope.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 18, 2015

History problems cast a shadow over Abe's Japan

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is dogged by history problems largely because he courts controversy with his revisionist views and efforts to rehabilitate Japan's wartime past. It's not only moderates and leftists who worry about this: Liberal Democratic Party Vice-President Masahiko Komura has also urged...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Apr 18, 2015

'You Gotta Have Wa' is still the best analysis of Japanese culture seen through the lens of sport

Robert Whiting's baseball classic, "You Gotta Have Wa," (updated in 2009) remains the definitive text on Japanese culture seen through the lens of sport. Whiting has an engaging style, his research is exhaustive and his first-hand knowledge has ensured this book is just as entertaining now as it was...
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 16, 2015

Takahama nuclear restart injunction polarizing

A provisional injunction handed down Tuesday by the Fukui District Court against the restarting of Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Takahama No. 3 and 4 reactors is a boost to opponents of nuclear power, even as the decision draws criticism from senior politicians, nuclear regulators, Kepco, and pro-nuclear...
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 16, 2015

Seoul orders Asiana pilots to undergo more training after second crash in two years

Asiana Airlines Inc. was ordered to give pilots more training after its second accident in two years raised concerns about the carrier's safety standards.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Apr 4, 2015

Mishima's weakling in a world of military machismo in 'Confessions of a Mask'

'Confessions of a Mask' is Yukio Mishima's second novel, published in 1949.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 4, 2015

Magazines fixate on the roots of poverty

The oft-seen expression ichioku sō-chūryū translates roughly as "the perception of 'the 100 million,' i.e., the entire nation, as belonging to the middle class."
Reader Mail
Apr 4, 2015

Fluency requires direct interaction

At a recent conference on teaching English in Singapore (co-sponsored by Japan's education ministry), I attended some disappointing presentations by teachers from Japan, and wondered how Japanese students could ever hope to communicate in English if these were the researchers selected by Japan's bureaucratic...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 31, 2015

Konan W.U. students set to mark 50 years of Shakespeare in English

In 1964, the late Polish theater scholar Jan Kott wrote "Shakespeare, Our Contemporary," an influential book that questioned the processes of producing Shakespeare in the here and now and whether the Bard's texts should serve as clues for an archeological dig to recover something of their original history...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 31, 2015

Translation tech gets Olympic push

Japan may not be the best in the world when it comes to speaking English, but it remains a pioneer in developing cutting-edge translation technology.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 30, 2015

The Battle of Okinawa: America's good war gone bad

Seventy years after the final epic clash of World War II, has the U.S. betrayed the ideals its service members died fighting for?
CULTURE / Books
Mar 28, 2015

'License to Play' compiles research on all things ludic in Japanese culture

The stereotype of a stressed-out salaryman, vacantly sipping on his post-overtime can of beer, does little to confirm that Japanese society is deeply clued into notions of fun and play.
EDITORIALS
Mar 25, 2015

Broadening SDF missions abroad

An outline of a package of security legislation planned by the Abe administration fails to set clear restrictions on the scope of the Self-Defense Forces' overseas missions.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 25, 2015

Understanding the truth about medical consent

Obtaining patient consent is a vital but often overlooked skill for doctors.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 24, 2015

Chicago artist marks Armenian genocide with work the size of 'Guernica'

One hundred years after the mass killing of Armenians, a Chicago artist has created a monumental painting to honor the victims and celebrate a culture that nearly vanished.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 21, 2015

Celebrating 50 years of antipathy, recriminations

On March 1, South Korean President Park Geun-hye renewed her call for Japan to come clean on its colonial and wartime atrocities, including the sexual enslavement of women. Her speech was delivered on the anniversary of the anti-Japanese uprising by Koreans in 1919 and in a year when South Koreans will...
CULTURE / Art / Japan Pulse
Mar 20, 2015

Takashi Murakami + Frisk = super-artsy breath

Pop art in your pocket —u00a0it sharpens it you up.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 19, 2015

Politicizing personal beliefs will invite distrust of Japan

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will invite distrust of Japan as well as create a big risk for himself if he insists on politicizing his personal beliefs.
JAPAN / History
Mar 18, 2015

Japanese historians seek revision of U.S. textbook over 'comfort women' depiction

A group of 19 Japanese historians and scholars plan to file a protest with U.S. publisher McGraw-Hill, claiming a history textbook it published in 2011 contains a number of "factual errors" on the "comfort women" issue.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 18, 2015

Unsung creator casts light on casting and her 'gift from heaven'

Ask any Japanese theater lover to list his or her favorite foreign directors, and most would include Peter Brook, the English-born, long-time French resident who has been bringing his productions here and encouraging audiences to explore new artistic realms since way back in 1973.
EDITORIALS
Mar 13, 2015

Amending for amendment's sake?

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party are moving to put amendment of the Constitution at the forefront of their agenda, with specific timetables already discussed for revising text that has remained unchanged since it took effect in 1947.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2015

Todai sounds plagiarism alarm with rare cheating report

In a rare move, the University of Tokyo, Komaba, locally known as Todai, has reported that one of its students plagiarized a term report using information from the Internet. It was the first time the prestigious school has openly reported a cheating student.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 11, 2015

'Titanic' set to sail into Japanese hearts

English director Thom Southerland's reworking of the megahit Broadway musical "Titanic" was an instant sensation when it opened in August 2013 at the popular midsize Southwark Playhouse in a trendy part of South London by the River Thames.
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2015

Uber pledges to enlist 1 million female drivers by 2020

Ride-hailing app Uber, under the microscope due to a handful of driver assaults on passengers in some cities, pledged in a blog post on Tuesday to sign up 1 million female drivers around the world by 2020.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 5, 2015

Imagery that sings the praises of the musical

"They're Wooin' and Doin' the Things Boys and Girls Like to Do . . . ." This is the message of many of the posters made for Hollywood musicals currently being exhibited at the National Film Center in Tokyo. Liza Minnelli, Mitzi Gaynor and Gwen Verdon, among others, titillate with unfeasibly thin waists,...

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