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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2019

U.S. version of 'one country, two systems'

Is it time for the U.S. to reintroduce the 'fairness doctrine' to prevent the media from broadcasting extreme views?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 16, 2019

Alarming results in literacy survey stir debate on social media in Japan

A Feb. 16 report on the country’s literacy has been causing a stir on social media, prompting a number of users to warn of impending intellectual doom.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 10, 2019

Venezuela's Juan Guaido calls for massive protest as blackout drags on

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Saturday called on citizens nationwide to travel to the capital, Caracas, for a protest against socialist President Nicolas Maduro as the country's worst blackout in decades dragged on for a third day.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 9, 2019

Just how convenient are convenience stores in Japan?

The recent trend of online videos showing "baito tero," or "part-timer terrorism," enacted by part-time workers has sparked another media discussion about the plight of low wage earners. Most of these videos were recorded by people working in food-related businesses, and explanations for why they are...
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 4, 2019

Let's discuss Okinawa's referendum

With Okinawa having recently held a referendum on the relocation of a U.S. military base in the prefecture, we discuss the results.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 2, 2019

Dealing with gun issues in a nation with few guns

Japan's reputation as a country relatively free of gun crime is borne out by official statistics. In terms of individuals charged with crimes committed using firearms, the 2018 white paper issued by the National Police Agency listed eight homicides in 2017 — all of which involved members of crime syndicates...
EDITORIALS
Feb 22, 2019

Would a corporal punishment ban stop child abuse?

To ensure the end of fatal child abuse, steps such as banning corporal punishment must be accompanied by efforts to beef up the numbers and skills of officials responsible for children's welfare.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 14, 2019

In a first, LGBT couples sue Japan over constitutionality of not recognizing same-sex marriage

“We're not demanding anything special; we just want to have a chance to stand at the same starting line in our lives,” said one plaintiff.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 9, 2019

News outlets' coverage of abuse cases can make the situation worse

In her 2017 book, "Thinking About Child Abuse,” Haru Sugiyama describes her correspondence with Yukihiro Saito, who is serving a lengthy sentence for causing the death of his 5-year-old son, Riku, in the mid-2000s through neglect. In his letters, Saito expresses regret, but also says his memories about...
Reader Mail
Feb 1, 2019

The attributes of being Japanese

Kuni Miyake's commentary "How Japanese is Naomi Osaka?" in the Jan. 28 edition is an excellent article that clearly explains some of the attributes of being a Japanese. It also shows that the language is but one part of being Japanese. I was moved by the fact that Naomi Osaka picks up her own trash....
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 26, 2019

Isle dispute with Russia tied to base issues, argues author Koji Yabe

There seems to be little chance that Russia will ever give back any part of the four islands it seized from Japan at the end of World War II, but the Japanese government, as well as some mainstream media, continues to act as if the possibility exists. Prior to last week's meeting between Prime Minister...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jan 21, 2019

Throw out idioms left and right using ... the Japanese words for left and right!

'Hidari' (left) and 'migi' (right) are used in several well known expressions in Japanese that indicate everything from a level of skill to a propensity for spending money.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2019

Don't hijack Brexit, British trade minister warns Parliament

Parliament can't be allowed to hijack Brexit, Trade Minister Liam Fox said in a warning to lawmakers who want to take more control over Britain's departure from the European Union.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jan 14, 2019

Let's discuss Yusaku Maezawa's great Twitter giveaway

In the latest headline-grabbing move by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, the founder and CEO of major online fashion mall operator Zozo Inc. has announced a plan to dole out ¥1 million to 100 individuals to mark a successful New Year's sale.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 7, 2019

Tabloid mag under fire for publishing list of Japanese colleges where girls are 'easily available' for sex at drinking parties

A tabloid magazine has ignited intense backlash on social media after it published a list of colleges whose students are "easily available" for sex after drinking, underscoring what critics described as the country's systematic objectification of women.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jan 7, 2019

Let's discuss recycling our food waste

A Nagoya-based effort to recycle food waste gets an award — and we get a lesson on composting.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Dec 31, 2018

Let's discuss the way we use escalators

When a train is about to depart a station, passengers hear an announcement saying, 'Please stand clear of the closing doors.'
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 26, 2018

For Nigel Farage and a Brexit pollster, a world of gamblers and gambling

Behind the luxury hotels lining London's Park Lane, just across from a service entrance, Nigel Farage stood outside a squat office building streaked with soot. Britain's famous anti-European Union campaigner was flanked by a couple of minor sports celebrities and two young women in matching dresses who...
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Dec 24, 2018

Let's discuss the U.S. base situation in Okinawa

The government on Friday pushed ahead with full-fledged land reclamation work needed to move a key U.S. air base to Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, despite stiff local resistance and legal wrangling.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2018

Unknown overseas, Garigari-kun popsicles year-round best-sellers in Japan

It's Japan's top-selling popsicle — yet still virtually unknown overseas.
EDITORIALS
Dec 13, 2018

Universal human rights declaration, 70 years on

We should celebrate 70 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but gird for still more fights to realize its objectives.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Dec 3, 2018

Let's discuss the arrest of Carlos Ghosn

The arrest of Carlos Ghosn made headlines around the world. Check out some of the vocabulary used when discussing this kind of case.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 1, 2018

Iran's global disinformation

Website Nile Net Online promises Egyptians "true news" from its offices in the heart of Cairo's Tahrir Square, "to expand the scope of freedom of expression in the Arab world."
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 30, 2018

Ghosn a symptom of broken global capitalism

There hasn't been a more exciting time to be a critic of the 'greed is good' philosophy of the corporate sector led by self-centric rock-star CEOs.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2018

Breaking down the issue of wartime labor that has rocked Japan-South Korea ties

The diplomatic crisis between Seoul and Tokyo deepened further Thursday as two South Korea courts ordered two Japanese firms to pay compensation to South Korean wartime laborers.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Nov 26, 2018

The kanji used for 'normal' are pretty extraordinary

In May, an article in the business magazine President cited a survey of newly hired company workers in which a majority of those recruited this year indicated they were content to 'strive for the commonplace.'
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Nov 26, 2018

Let's discuss the lawsuit against Tokyo Disneyland

Oriental Land Co. Ltd., the operator of Tokyo Disneyland, asked a court Tuesday to reject a suit filed by two female workers seeking damages for overwork and harassment while they were working as costumed performers at the theme park.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 21, 2018

Police harassment of Chinese environmental reporter sparks anger and apology

A Chinese environmental journalist's account of police harassment while reporting on a chemical spill has sparked widespread condemnation online and an apology from the police.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan