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LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 31, 2020

Local governments short on volunteer interpreters in emergencies

A Kyodo story looks at the lack of multilingual volunteers that would be able to help Southeast Asian communities in Japan in an emergency.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 31, 2020

Let's discuss the cherry blossoms

An article by Alex Martin looks at the history of Japan's iconic cherry blossoms, serving up new English terms in the process.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 31, 2020

Firms sign deals with U.S. to prep for mass-producing virus vaccines

The U.S. government has cut deals with Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Inc. and said it is in talks with at least two other companies to prepare them to produce massive quantities of coronavirus vaccines even before safe and effective ones become available.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 31, 2020

Five coronavirus hunters on the front lines of the pandemic

Developing a vaccine or a treatment for a newly discovered virus is a painstakingly slow and detailed endeavor. Finding a compound that works, testing it in animals, and then rolling it out to clinical trials in humans can take years. And even the top experts in virology and epidemiology typically toil...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2020

The 2021 Olympic Games will be the greatest ever

The 2021 Olympic Games should be a celebration of a world that overcomes petty nationalisms, rather than one that reinforces them.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Fincity.tokyo
Mar 31, 2020

FinCity. Tokyo meet-up sees sector heavies discuss Tokyo's role as a future global financial center

During the bubble economy of the 1980s, Japan was a behemoth of global finance, with Tokyo and its financial institutions vying neck and neck with New York City and London. But everything changed when the country’s asset price bubble burst in 1992, generating a loss of 100 trillion yen — approximately...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2020

Can a dictatorship better control COVID-19?

What a nation truly needs in fighting a deadly virus like COVID-19 is the strong and spontaneous will of ordinary citizens.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2020

Getting the air we deserve

There is an upside to recent tragic events and it can serve a useful purpose.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2020

Confirmed coronavirus cases is an 'almost meaningless' metric

More complete and complex data is needed to know when it's safe to reopen the U.S. economy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2020

One battle Boris Johnson is clearly winning

The COVID-19 crisis gives the U.K. prime minister a huge bounce.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2020

Once-in-a-century pandemic promises to reshape our world

The geostrategic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis will likely hold major implications for Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2020

Tokyo firm urges caution against surge in coronavirus-related disinformation on April Fools' Day

A Tokyo-based risk management firm is cautioning against a potential surge in coronavirus-related disinformation on April Fools' Day, alarmed by the recent spread of what it perceives to be baseless rumors on social media that the government is secretly preparing for the start of a Tokyo lockdown that...
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 30, 2020

Ken Shimura’s entertainment legacy spans generations

Entertainer Ken Shimura didn’t belong to any single generation. Following news that the 70-year-old comedian had died on Sunday from pneumonia caused by COVID-19, TV broadcasters on Monday featured both Shimura’s contemporaries and much younger personalities visibly upset over his passing.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 30, 2020

Coronavirus pandemic fuels trend toward smaller funerals in Japan

From dispatching Buddhist monks to connecting grieving families with affordable funeral homes, Osaka-based end-of-life startup Uniquest Inc. is among the many firms that have been capitalizing on the growing preference toward simple, cheaper funerals and greater efficiency and personalization of services....
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 30, 2020

Tabletop drill of virus response aided South Korea when the real thing hit

A South Korean tabletop exercise on emergency responses to a fictional mysterious outbreak led directly to tools the country deployed less than a month later to manage the arrival and spread of the coronavirus, one of the experts involved said
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 30, 2020

Biden admits ‘frustration’ as he demands urgency from Trump on virus

Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden said he feels "frustration” with the U.S. coronavirus response and that it’s his role to say what he believes President Donald Trump needs to do.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 30, 2020

SoftBank shares tumble 10% after OneWeb files for bankruptcy

SoftBank Group Corp. fell as much as 10 percent after a provider of satellite-based internet service that it invested in filed for bankruptcy, ceding some gains from an unprecedented plan to sell assets and buy back shares.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 30, 2020

Tokyo DJs and owners say closing clubs to curb virus is easier said than done

Clubs and bars are facing pressure to close their doors as the new coronavirus spreads throughout Japan's major cities. As a result, those who make a living from the clubbing industry are also facing tough financial prospects.
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
LIFE / Digital / ON: TECH
Mar 30, 2020

Keeping safe and occupied indoors

We are all a little confused and stressed about the spread of Covid-19. But are there any ideas out there that might help us stay healthy and occupied during this time of uncertainty?
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Mar 30, 2020

We live in neither East nor West

With COVID-19 pulling the world apart, it's the people, from healthworkers to thoughtful neighbors that can bring it back together.

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