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Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 14, 2016

It's true: SMAP to split up at year's end

After a quarter-century run, the Japanese boy band SMAP has decided to call it quits on Dec. 31, its management agency said in a press release Sunday, shocking die-hard fans in Asia and around the world.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 14, 2016

Nishikori to face Nadal for bronze after losing Olympic semifinal to Murray

Kei Nishikori's bid for an Olympic gold medal came up short after a 6-1, 6-4 semifinal defeat to defending champion Andy Murray at the Rio Games on Saturday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 13, 2016

Latour: rethinking ecological crisis from the ground down

The earth underneath Tokyo is trembling. This time, however, the activity is not seismic; it is not one of the many tremors that intermittently punctuate daily life in this city. It is, rather, a constant trembling: a condition of the global ecological crisis in which we now find ourselves.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 13, 2016

'Diva' Carter captures gold, aims to change people's perception of female shot putters

With crimson lipstick, eye-liner, mascara and a beaming smile, Michelle Carter on Friday won a stunning Olympic shot put gold to sprinkle a little glitz on an event often cruelly ridiculed for the shape of its women athletes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 12, 2016

California roll creator Hidekazu Tojo's continuing quest to broaden palates overseas

A namigai (geoduck pronounced gooey-duck) is not a pretty creature. Native to North America's west coast, it looks like a beige slug that has outgrown a clam shell. Hidekazu Tojo is about to convince an audience to eat it.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 12, 2016

World rugby bosses hail larger-than-life Olympic sevens tournament

World rugby chiefs have declared the sport's reintroduction to the Olympics a success after fans at Deodoro Stadium made Thursday's final day of the Rio 2016 competition a noisy and colorful affair.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 11, 2016

Feel the spirits of the season at haunted houses

It's the Bon holiday season and there's a new "Ghostbusters" film on the way, which means spirits are likely on the minds of people in Japan. With that in mind, we checked out a few haunted houses in case you're looking for a summer scare.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 11, 2016

Missile spat can't diminish China's K-pop love

In the war for Chinese hearts and minds, South Korean soap stars are clearly the winners.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 11, 2016

Piltdown breakdown: New study unearths details of famed scientific hoax

Researchers applying modern forensic techniques to a century-old puzzle have laid bare intriguing new details about one of the most notorious scientific hoaxes on record, the so-called Piltdown Man, and are confident in the culprit's identity.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Aug 10, 2016

Filmmaker depicts father's slaying by 'war yakuza' in debut feature film

Shoichiro Sasaki, 80, never forgets Aug. 1, 1943 — the day he witnessed his father, a free-thinking journalist, die under extraordinary circumstances before his own eyes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 10, 2016

Japan firms to see sales peak over new Mountain Day holiday

As Japanese prepare to head for the hills Thursday for the nation’s inaugural Mountain Day holiday, retailers and tour operators are gearing up for an  ¥820 billion windfall.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 9, 2016

Combating the terrorist threat

While the threat of terrorism in Britain is real, people should remember the chance of falling victim is remote and carry on with their normal lives.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 9, 2016

'The Peter Rabbit Exhibition'

Aug. 9-Oct. 11
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 8, 2016

安: a peaceful character for these turbulent times

One kanji character that learners encounter at a fairly early stage is u5b89, pronounced 'an' or 'yasuraka' and meaning 'peaceful' and, by extension, 'safe.'
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2016

Israel's government hawks and military doves

Those who lead Israel's defense establishment often come to consider peace with the Palestinians necessary, yet the government shows no interest in pursuing a permanent settlement.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2016

Putin better not meddle in U.S. race

Any clear-eyed assessment by the Kremlin must conclude that a Donald Trump presidency is not in Russia's interests.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 8, 2016

True meaning of Ichiro even greater than 3,000-hit milestone

There were a lot of people in Japan who awoke early April 3, 2001 (the night of April 2 in the U.S.), with a mix of anticipation and wonder as they watched new Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki's first game in the major leagues. Ichiro was hitless after three at-bats. Then, in the seventh, he...
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2016

Emperor signals wish to abdicate in near future

Emperor Akihito expresses concern about how his advanced age is affecting the performance of his public duties.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 8, 2016

Nomura-Keio fund boosts investment target for domestic startups

Keio University and Nomura Holdings Inc. increased the fundraising goal for their venture-capital partnership by 50 percent to ¥15 billion after demand from Japanese financial firms during the first phase of financing exceeded expectations.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2016

Text of Emperor Akihito's unprecedented video message

This is the official translation of Emperor Akihito's video message broadcast Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 7, 2016

The critical link between poverty and health

Concern for the health of the poor is one of the critical issues in development policy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 6, 2016

Victims of Sagamihara massacre at disabled facility are forever nameless

There is only one way to interpret the one-off policy of not naming the victims: Their families don't want the public to know that their loved ones have disabilities.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Aug 6, 2016

Resort condos: an option for home buyers

As everyone in Japan now knows, there are millions of vacant houses and apartments throughout the country, many of which are on sale for a song. The money and effort needed to renovate these properties, however, often isn't worth it given how inexpensive new houses can be. That, of course, is the main...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Aug 6, 2016

Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura: the samurai era in town and country

A friend I've known for more than 20 years is now president of the Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura cultural theme park in the Kinugawa Onsen area of Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 6, 2016

Broken promises for the children of Syria

The Syrian civil war has decimated the education system there and in the surrounding countries, and an international response is needed to address the crisis.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 6, 2016

South Koreans capture special moments with babies, pets, selves in 3-D figures

Shooting photographs and storing them digitally has become old school for South Koreans taking imagery to the next level with 3-D figures of themselves, as well as their babies and pets.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 6, 2016

Trump, courting GOP leaders, endorses Ryan and two senators up for re-election

Republican Donald Trump took steps to steer his White House campaign back into favor with his party establishment on Friday by endorsing House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and two Republican senators seeking re-election, after expressing coolness toward them earlier in the week.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past