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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 15, 2022

Phung Khanh Linh and artists abroad get creative with city pop palette

In 2022, the world tuned in to the glitzy sounds of Japan's bubble era more than ever before. For musicians outside of Japan, their appreciation of the genre goes beyond nostalgia.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 30, 2022

How making alcohol from trees could give rural Japan a buzz

Alex K.T. Martin joins us to talk about the science — and sustainable process — behind the process that may bring cedar, oak and sakura to your next cocktail session.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 27, 2022

Toyama puts itself on Japan’s map of sustainable tourism

From traditional architecture and local folk crafts to impressive temples and a luxury hotel, Toyama's rural Tonami Plain is rich with culture.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 7, 2022

Twitter asks some fired workers to come back

Twitter cut close to 3,700 people last week via email as a way to trim costs following Musk's acquisition, which closed in late October.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 21, 2022

Busan International Film Festival benefits from the 'Parasite' bump

Japan had a strong showing with a new section focused on the country's cinema and the closing film at the 10-day event in South Korea.
Japan Times
Sep 8, 2022

Kotozna laMondo: the Multilingual Chat Tool for Businesses Overcome Language Barriers

Kotozna laMondo provides global solutions for organizations of any size to assist in their business expansion. Prices start at 98 USD per month.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 4, 2022

Foreign films, English titles and the dilemma distributors face

Leave as is? Translate? Change altogether? A movie's success doesn't depend entirely on what we call it, but it can have a big effect.
JAPAN / New Normal 2.0
Jun 24, 2022

Japan begins return to business-as-usual at big events — but slowly

Recent trials of allowing cheering at soccer games are indicative of the approach toward large events in the coming months: a slow, highly cautious return to some aspects of normalcy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 3, 2022

Seven to see at this year’s Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia

The short film festival celebrates the briefest of screen gems. Festival winners not only get the respect of their peers but a shot at an Oscar as well.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 29, 2022

Haru Nemuri: Rock, rebellion and a bit of Rage

The musician's new album 'Shunka Ryougen' gives voice to Japan's Gen Z.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Mar 28, 2022

From Gifu to the world: LA exhibition to showcase traditional Japanese pottery

“The Art of the Ramen Bowl” features bowls made by potters in the Tono region of the former province of Mino, and aims to introduce the rich art of their pottery to the world.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 25, 2022

Teshikaga Extreme Cold Art Festival: ‘A place created by gods and artists’

The annual event, which takes place in Japan's coldest onsen town, finds inspiration in the dramatic natural beauty of Hokkaido winters.
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Ainu language special
Feb 21, 2022

Efforts underway to save Ainu language and culture

Chances are you haven’t met an Ainu speaker in Japan. After all, Google’s Endangered Languages Project puts the number of native speakers at fewer than five. But the Ainu people once populated a wide swath of northern Japan, stretching from Tohoku to Hokkaido, the Chishima islands, and the southern...
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2025

OpenAI says new funding from SoftBank boosts valuation to $300 billion

SoftBank said in a release that it is on a mission to realize artificial superintelligence that surpasses human intelligence.
Bento boxes and other food items attract visitors at the Sera roadside station in Hiroshima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Apr 21, 2025

10 years on, Hiroshima-Shimane highway boosts logistics and tourism

The Chugoku Yamanami Highway has played a crucial role in regional development since its full opening in 2015.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg departs after attending a Federal Trade Commission trial at a U.S. District Court in Washington on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 16, 2025

Zuckerberg defends strategy behind Instagram, WhatsApp deals

The Federal Trade Commission alleges the acquisitions of the two apps give Meta Platforms a social media monopoly, and is fighting to break up the company.
China Coast Guard officers unfurl a national flag on Sandy Cay reef, near the Philippine-held Thitu Island, in disputed waters of the South China Sea this month in this screen shot taken from Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 27, 2025

China seizes disputed reef near key Philippine military outpost

Beijing's focus on claiming sovereignty over Sandy Cay reef in the South China Sea adds to fears over a clash with Manila.
Shimane University adopted colorful and stylish furniture in classrooms at its new building for the Faculty of Materials for Energy. The university has been improving facilities to be more appealing to female students.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
May 12, 2025

Japanese universities expanding female quotas in science

The initiative is aimed at correcting a gender imbalance in science-related fields, but also raises concerns over discrimination.
While the results were better than analysts had expected, investors are focused on how tariff concerns will play out in the coming quarter.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 2, 2025

Tim Cook says unchanged U.S. tariffs could dent Apple’s next-quarter margins

Apple Q2 beats expectations but warns that unchanged tariffs could cost the company $900 million and requires drastic supply-chain realignment.
Time Out Market Osaka, located in the basement of Grand Green Osaka's South Building, is the London-based media and hospitality business' first Asian edition of their food market.
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 4, 2025

More than a food court: Time Out Market curates Osaka’s best flavors

After whetting appetites in cities like New York and Dubai, Time Out Market, the food event of the eponymous magazine and media group, has opened its first Asian edition in Osaka.
A gate to the Osaka Expo site is crowded with visitors on Monday.
JAPAN
May 13, 2025

One month on, Osaka Expo urged to boost heat and crowd control measures

Experts say the real test will come in August when higher turnout is expected.
Customers try the Apple Vision Pro headset inside an Apple Store in San Francisco, California, on April 30.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 15, 2025

Apple readies feature that lets Vision Pro users scroll with their eyes

The capability is being tested as part of an upcoming version of the headset’s operating system.
A screen shows the Muchu College metaverse school, with avatars and the face of Hiroaki Tsujita, CEO of operator Wowfull.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Jun 16, 2025

Metaverse and local subsidies help children in alternative learning

Municipalities are subsidizing the use of alternative educational institutions to help families with children who are not attending regular schools.
Junglia Okinawa, a theme park, is scheduled to open July 25 near Nakijin, Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2025

Junglia Okinawa theme park shown to press

Covering about 60 hectares, the park sits between the city of Nago and the village of Nakijin and was designed around the concept of blending nature with luxury.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits one of his country's nuclear material production sites in this photo released in January.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 11, 2025

North Korea constructing new enrichment facility for nuclear bombs, experts say

The apparent new facility could help Pyongyang follow through on pledges to continue ramping up production of fissile materials.
A B-2 stealth bomber flies over the Washington Monument at the National Mall, during Independence Day celebrations in Washington on July 4, 2020.
WORLD / FOCUS
Jun 22, 2025

U.S. B-2 bombers and 'bunker-busters' used in Iran strike

The U.S. Air Force's B-2 stealth bombers were involved in strikes on Iran's nuclear sites on Saturday.
A checkout system equipped with a display showing a 3D avatar enables a Lawson employee to remotely help customers at an experimental Lawson store that opened Monday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 23, 2025

Lawson beta tests futuristic convenience store with KDDI

Real x Tech Lawson utilizes a range of technologies, including robotics, digital signage and artificial intelligence.
Japan said on Tuesday that it had lodged a protest with China after observing a new structure in a natural gas field in the East China Sea.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2025

Japan protests new Chinese construction in East China Sea

In the latest development, Japan said on Tuesday it lodged a protest with China after observing a new structure in a natural gas field in the East China Sea.
Apartment rents in the capital climbed 1.3% from a year earlier in April and May for the largest gains since 1994, government data shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 26, 2025

Tokyo rents rising at fastest pace in 30 years backs case for BOJ rate hikes

Bigger outlays for accommodation are likely to further fuel a change in inflation expectations and behavior among households of all sizes.
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
CULTURE / Film
Jul 2, 2025

Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made

A new show at Tokyo’s Azabudai Hills Gallery explores the painstaking process of the late “Grave of the Fireflies” and “Pom Poko” director.

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