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EDITORIALS
Feb 25, 2013

China's pollution problem

Japan should provide whatever technical assistance it can to a China now facing air pollution problems that have unleashed strong public criticism.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Feb 24, 2013

One former student's inspiring path to success

Seeing fewer years ahead and more behind me as a teacher, I often think back over the students who have passed through my classrooms and wonder how many will truly make a difference in the world.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 24, 2013

Overseas voyages by retirees include more than a few shipwrecks

In 1986, shortly before the beginning of Japan's "bubble economy," a department in the former Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) announced a plan named Silver Columbia 92.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 23, 2013

Keep it clean: World watches Iceland lead the way toward ban on Web porn

Small, volcanic, with a proud Viking heritage and run by an openly gay prime minister, Iceland is now considering becoming the first democracy in the Western world to try to ban online pornography.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 23, 2013

Mystery of Henry IV's missing head divides France

Richard III may have had an ignominious resting place under a car park in Leicester, in England's East Midlands, but spare a thought for Henry IV. First the French monarch was disinterred from the royal sepulchre by revolutionaries and thrown into a mass grave. Then his head was cut off and — allegedly...
EDITORIALS
Feb 23, 2013

Campaigning, 21st-century style

The ruling and opposition parties agree to let election campaigns loose on the Internet, but they differ over the extent to which email should be used.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Feb 22, 2013

'Grotesque' organist hits town

Organist Cameron Carpenter, known for his wild performances and appearance, plays the organ like no one else — hitting the keys with frantic energy and a rockstar-like attitude.
Events / Events In Tokyo
Feb 22, 2013

New play tackles the touchy issue of nationalism

Juvenile delinquency. Intersexuality. Terminal-illness treatment. These are the kinds of social issues theater troupe Fukinkobo has fearlessly tackled over the years, giving it a reputation for having the courage of its convictions to spotlight the predicament of people with marginalized social status....
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 22, 2013

Already a huge hit, Line aims for SNS market

The instant messaging app Line is already dominating the lives of young smartphone users in Japan and has spread rapidly elsewhere in the world, but its developer is eyeing even more aggressive growth.
EDITORIALS
Feb 22, 2013

The cybercrime challenge

The arrest this month of a 30-year-old man on suspicion of making anonymous threats by computer poses serious questions for the nation's police.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 21, 2013

Redefining conventions of the play

Without doubt, Takahiro Fujita is the most prominent newcomer in the world of Japanese contemporary theater. To a considerable extent that's because the 27-year-old playwright/director has an unusual trademark style — to create works that often have the same lyrical phrases and series of movements...
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 20, 2013

Diet does away with contentious nominee rule

The ruling and opposition parities agreed Tuesday to revoke a self-imposed restriction on how nominees for key government positions are endorsed, moving a step closer for the administration to propose a new Bank of Japan governor and vice governors.
ENVIRONMENT
Feb 20, 2013

China's Tibet dam proposals raise eyebrows in India

Plans by China to build three dams in Tibet have rung alarm bells in next-door India, where fears are rising that the northern nation's thirst for power and water will one day affect the flow of the mighty Brahmaputra River, a lifeline for tens of millions of people.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 20, 2013

China's greater water wall

The Chinese government's recent decision to build an array of new dams on rivers flowing to other nations is set to roil inter-riparian relations in Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 20, 2013

The Chinese people have an alternative dream

Last month's controversy at China's Southern Weekly appeared to be about censorship. At a deeper level, it was about alternative national dreams.
EDITORIALS
Feb 19, 2013

NRA secretariat must halt collusion

In the past, collusive relations existed between Japan's nuclear regulation organizations and the power industry. The latest incident involving the NRA secretariat shows that such collusive relations have not been eradicated.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 19, 2013

Sewing words for thought

Some words can evoke powerful images, values and stereotypes that have crept into our subconsciousness to sometimes dictate the way we think or behave. For Ruri Clarkson, this is something that needs to be challenged in Japan, and which she does herself with art.
Japan Times
JAPAN / INTERPRETATION & TRANSLATION
Feb 18, 2013

Making a living using foreign language skills

What would it be like to make a living using foreign language skills as a freelance professional? Missa Takahashi, an interpreter and translator of English, French and Italian, shares how she established her career, expanded her work and deepened her understanding of language and culture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Feb 17, 2013

Bringing the love of short films to a local audience

If there was a birthday cake for the Brillia Short Shorts Theater, it would probably be an elegant, minimalist affair — no excessive decorations, nothing too calorific and five slim candles giving off a modest orange glow. One of just four movie theaters in and around Tokyo dedicated to short films,...
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Feb 17, 2013

Tracing time's passing through faces of Tokyo

Petri Artturi Asikainen would regularly accost strangers in Tokyo, on the streets, in parks or bars and on trains. With a high-end Nikon D3 digital SLR in his hands, the lanky and bespectacled Finn would ask — somewhat timidly summoning one of the few Japanese phrases he had memorized: "Can I take...

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