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WORLD
May 5, 2020

Apple and Google ban use of location tracking in coronavirus contact tracing apps

Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google on Monday said they would ban the use of location tracking in apps that use a new contact tracing system the two are building to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
May 5, 2020

We can't say you don't have to learn 'nakute mo ii'

The structures 'nakute mo ii desu' and 'hitsuyu014d wa arimasen' let people know they're not obliged to do something.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
May 3, 2020

Bubble gum becomes a prized commodity in Ninjala and PlatinumGames celebrates two birthdays

Ninjala is sure to deliver Splatoon fans a new mess of fun and the rest of the world gets a peek at the buzz behind Mana.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 2, 2020

What is Golden Week and why does it matter?

Due to COVID-19, this year's Golden Week has all but been called off. We take a look at the history behind this cluster of national holidays and why its effective cancelation is a big deal.
JAPAN
May 1, 2020

Japan's fax-loving health ministry plans online reporting system for virus

The health ministry will introduce a system for public health centers to report coronavirus cases online instead of by hand-written faxes, phone or email — drawing praise from some but scorn from others wondering why it took so long.
Japan Times
EDITORIALS
Apr 30, 2020

Extend support for foreign students in Japan

The COVID-19 outbreak in Japan has left hundreds of thousands of university students in a chaotic situation. Lectures that were supposed to start in April only recently began to be offered online.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 29, 2020

COVID-19, disease surveillance and smart cities

Tracking infections is vital to containing the pandemic, but it also creates mind-bending opportunities for social control.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2020

Kim rumors rekindle fears of a ‘weak’ North Korea

Instability in North Korea could spark a clash between the U.S. and China over the future of the northern half of the peninsula.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2020

A cut above: Tokyo barber launches 'telecut' service as COVID-19 hits business

Mr. Brothers Cut Club of Harajuku has launched what could be the industry's first online haircut service.
Apr 22, 2020

Suntory Group to start providing sanitizing solutions in Japan to fight against the spread of COVID-19

TOKYO, JAPAN —Suntory Group, a global leader in both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages industry, is stepping up its efforts to support the global fight against COVID-19 by providing sanitizing solutions to help meet the demands of hand sanitizers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2020

Strength in numbers: A more open approach to tracking the virus in Japan

Like many foreign residents of Japan during the early days of the country's COVID-19 outbreak, Shane Reustle and Jiahui Zhou recall poring over websites run by the health ministry and local municipalities to try to get a clear picture of how infections were spreading in the world’s third-largest economy....
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 19, 2020

A welcome shift away from shareholder supremacy

Companies are starting to commit to benefitting all stakeholders: customers, employees, suppliers, communities and shareholders.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Apr 18, 2020

The dogs have their day in old Edo

The Laws of Compassion that Tokugawa Tsunayoshi issued trickled down to the lowest rungs of Edo Period (1603-1868) Japan, which included the capital's many feral dogs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 15, 2020

Immerse yourself in these top travel Instagram accounts

While on lockdown, Instagram gives us the chance to travel vicariously — to get lost in beautiful landscapes, to peer into destinations and gaze in wonder at the adventures that await once we are all free to explore the world again.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 6, 2020

Britain's Boris Johnson hospitalized for tests after persistent coronavirus symptoms

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to a hospital for tests on Sunday after suffering persistent coronavirus symptoms 10 days after testing positive for the virus, though Downing Street said he remained in charge of the government.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 2, 2020

Policy goal: How to get from good to great

As Japanese and global policymakers are rushing to design policies to counter the looming economic depression, advice from one of my favorite economists, Jean-Baptiste Say, comes to mind. In 1803 he wrote: “In policy as well as in morality, the grand secret is not to constrain the actions, but to awaken...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 30, 2020

Fashion week is compelled to go online

Japan's fashion industry was hit hard by the March cancellation of Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo, saved only by livestreaming and online content as a way to keep fans informed.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 28, 2020

U.K. has no clear plan if 'Team Johnson' is incapacitated by coronavirus

What would happen if British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's case of coronavirus — so far he has "mild symptoms" — were to become more serious or even incapacitate him and his team? Under Britain's uncodified constitution, the answer is unclear.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2020

How to avoid the end times

It feels like the end times. A mysterious invisible killer stocks the land. Wild rumors abound. The government is useless. There’s no sense that anyone knows anything, much less is in charge. Could the United States become a failed state?
Japan Times
SATOYAMA CONSORTIUM
Mar 23, 2020

Ibaraki group offers cultural workshops

Spinning cotton, crafting traditional decorations and cooking hand-picked edible grass are just a few of the activities organized by the Tsukuba Green Tourism Association, a collection of some 15 local organizations and individual members in the city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Mar 21, 2020

Satoshi Sekimoto: Decorated in France

"When I was little, there was a room with a big lock on the door in my house — my mother's studio. The lock came off when I finished elementary school," says embroiderer Satoshi Sekimoto over coffee at a Parisian cafe in the 13th arrondissement. "I understand why she kept the room locked," he adds,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 21, 2020

Tokyology: Inside Tokyo's lesser known neighborhoods

Sick and tired of the Tokyo main drag? Good thing there are plenty of lesser-known neighborhoods. Here are The Japan Times' recommendations for five locales where its possible to both sightsee and get a glimpse of normal Tokyo life.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2020

Coronavirus will change how we shop, travel and work for years

Every economic shock leaves a legacy. The deadly coronavirus will be no different.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 20, 2020

Google critics see its Firebase tools as another squeeze play

Some app developers say Google LLC is increasingly pressing them to embed code in their own products that will deepen Google's access to data on consumers, giving the company a leg up on rivals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 19, 2020

Nariaki Obukuro offers optimism with latest album, 'Piercing'

Nariaki Obukuro has been living in London for a little over a year now, and the Japanese singer-songwriter says the city routinely gets his imagination going.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2020

Face mask littering causes headaches in Japan

With more and more people wearing face masks due to the spread of the new coronavirus, a new issue has developed over the resulting litter on roads and in other places.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 17, 2020

Taking stock of disaster losses five years after the Sendai world conference

The 'decade of action' starting this year will reveal how successful or not the Sendai Framework has been in reducing disaster losses.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.