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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 9, 2016

Exploring Tabaruzaka's idyllic but forgotten samurai battleground

The gray spring clouds have given way to a gentle drizzle by the time I pull my car into a spacious parking lot bordering the Tabaruzaka battlefield. It's fitting weather, considering the massive battle that took place here in 1877 in this rural corner north of Kumamoto city was fought in similar conditions....
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 9, 2016

Are Japan's counterterrorism forces really ready?

When an escaped zebra was chased down by police in Gifu Prefecture last month and died after being shot with a tranquilizer and falling into a pool, I couldn't help but think of the drills Tokyo's Ueno Zoo has conducted depicting the escape scenario.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 9, 2016

The unbelievable true story of a Japanese family that went to war with itself

During the endgame of World War II, Harry Fukuhara, a member of a Japanese-American unit of the U.S. military, was tasked with teaching new recruits about the enemy. The servicemen training to invade Kyushu asked how to distinguish the Japanese from Chinese.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Apr 9, 2016

A tough nut to crack

Two mothers with young sons compare snacks they have prepared for their outing
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 9, 2016

Appreciating unforgettable career of broadcaster Scully

One sidelight for those living in Japan this season is we will get to see more Los Angeles Dodgers games on TV. NHK and J-Sports will no doubt be televising live the Dodgers games when Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda is the L.A. starter. When the team is at home, and we choose the sub-channel audio for...
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 9, 2016

Japan's ever-increasing 'temporary' road tolls are here to stay

The nation's expressway system remains by far the most expensive in the world, for a number of reasons.
Reader Mail
Apr 9, 2016

Hidebound school boards cripple Japan

Japan is a nation built on virtue. Perhaps one of most important is efficiency; the senselessness of wasting resources. Yet I have come to witness colossal wastage in Japan. I talk of the boards of education in certain regions that corrupt the teaching of English, driving dedicated teachers away.
Reader Mail
Apr 9, 2016

Obama should visit Hiroshima

The story headlined "Kerry to visit Hiroshima for G-7 ministerial talks" in the April 3 edition pointed out that Group of Seven ministers will visit Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima to pay tribute to the atomic bomb victims. That means hundreds of government officials and reporters from overseas will...
Reader Mail
Apr 9, 2016

Abe leading Japan to another war

Regarding the story "Security laws usher in new era for pacifist Japan" in the March 30 edition, March 29, 2016, will go down in history as the day that one man sent a nation to war.
Reader Mail
Apr 9, 2016

Beyond the beauty of cherry blossoms

It is a heartwarming to know that not only in Tokyo, but also elsewhere across Japan that cherry blossoms are in full bloom now.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 9, 2016

Locations raided in ex-minister Amari's fund scandal probe

Tokyo public prosecutors raided several locations Friday as part of an investigation into a money scandal involving former Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Akira Amari.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 9, 2016

Reusable SpaceX rocket booster makes breakthrough landing at sea

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Florida on a NASA cargo run to the International Space Station on Friday, and its reusable main booster landed on an ocean platform minutes later in a dramatic spaceflight first.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2016

Japan unveils final four candidates for Tokyo 2020 Olympics logo

Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizers on Friday unveiled a shortlist of four replacement logos after the original design was scrapped last September amid accusations of plagiarism.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Apr 8, 2016

April 9, 2016

JAPAN
Apr 8, 2016

Partial return of U.S. training site in Okinawa in works

The central government is accelerating work on alternative military facilities so more than half of a large U.S. military training area in northern Okinawa can be returned, it was learned Friday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Apr 8, 2016

Tokyo bartender revives a 19th-century cocktail ingredient

The unsung hero of traditional Japanese cuisine is mirin, a deliciously sweet liquor made from sticky rice. Mirin is an essential cooking ingredient, used to balance the salty sharpness of soy sauce and to add luster to glazes. But prior to becoming a common fixture in the kitchen, the sugary beverage...
Japan Times
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Apr 8, 2016

Payet, West Ham defying expectations as showdown with Arsenal looms

At the time we did not realize it, but Arsenal 0, West Ham 2 on the opening day of the season was a sign of things to come for both clubs.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 8, 2016

Bill Clinton faces protesters who say his 1994 'three strikes' crime reforms hurt African-Americans

Former President Bill Clinton faced down protesters angry at the impact his crime reforms of 20 years ago have had on black Americans and defended the record of Hillary Clinton, his wife, who is relying on the support of black voters in her quest for the presidency.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 7, 2016

The genius of Brian Wilson: Beach Boys mastermind is short on words, long on legacy

As far as I can tell, Brian Wilson is in a good mood. Speaking from his Los Angeles home, the legendary Beach Boys mastermind certainly sounds upbeat, laughing when his dogs interrupt us, and seems enthusiastic about bringing "Pet Sounds," his opulent masterpiece, to Japan to celebrate its 50th anniversary....
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2016

Meet the Roman Republic's Donald Trump

Populism has a long and colorful history in American politics, but its roots stretch much further back in time.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 7, 2016

Yamao apologizes over ¥4.29 million fuel claim in 2012

The new Democratic Party's inaugural policy chief has been forced to apologize after it emerged that her office had claimed up to ¥4.29 million in fuel expenses in a single year.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2016

Taking stock of the final Nuclear Security Summit

Although the final Nuclear Security Summit has concluded, efforts to combat the threat of nuclear terrorism must continue.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 6, 2016

Osaka Prefecture city works with FamilyMart to cover up adult magazines

Adult magazines at FamilyMart stores in the city of Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, are being covered up in line with a program to protect the young from sexually explicit materials, a move that has drawn protests from the publishing industry.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Apr 6, 2016

Tokyo violin maker's apprentice fulfills lifetime dream at 81

Japan Times Community article rekindled Tokyo academic's thwarted 70-year ambition to craft a thing of beauty.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 6, 2016

'45 Years': When love is lost but can never be forgotten

As divorce rates rise in most of the industrialized world, being with the same partner for 45 years these days calls for a major celebration (perhaps a medal would be more in order), which is exactly what Kate (Charlotte Rampling) and Geoff (Tom Courtenay) decide to do in the British film "45 Years."...

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers