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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 17, 2016

Breaking into and out of Japanese show biz

Eiji Uchida's scabrous new comedy about the struggles of a down-and-out indie film director, "Lowlife Love" ("Gesu no Ai"), confirms what I have known for years: Japanese show business can be brutal to the weak or clueless. They end up used and discarded, like so many human Kleenexes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 17, 2016

Third Japanese municipality recognizes same-sex unions

The city of Iga, Mie Prefecture, has announced it will start issuing certificates recognizing same-sex partnerships starting in April, Japan's third municipal government and the first outside Tokyo to take such a step.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2016

Korean tensions at an alarming level

Rising tensions between North and South Korean pose a dangerous threat to regional peace and stability.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 16, 2016

Takashi Murakami collects more than just his thoughts

"Takashi Murakami's Superflat Collection" is an exhibition of other people's work, amassed as the result of one man's phenomenally successful artistic career. It's evidence that Murakami must have done something right, or wrong, depending on your view of culture. He's sometimes portrayed as a kind of...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Feb 16, 2016

The Uwaga Pies

The YouTube duo known as The Uwaga Pies — Krzysztof Gonciarz, from Poland, and Kasia Mecinski, from America — use their channel to give English-speakers a peek into Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
Feb 15, 2016

Tokyo stocks leap but Japanese market at mercy of global uncertainties

Japan's economic contraction in the fourth quarter has deepened lingering uncertainty in global financial markets, which have been gyrating since the start of the year.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 13, 2016

Pope meets Orthodox patriarch but reunion of churches unlikely, Tokyo priests say

Several Tokyo-based priests on Saturday welcomed the meeting in Cuba between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill, calling it an important development but one that is unlikely to lead to reunion.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 13, 2016

Should Japan's major newspapers be given a red card for sponsoring the Olympics?

Because it's never too early to talk about how expensive the Olympics will be, Tokyo Shimbun pondered the question on Feb. 6 and found out that no one involved has a clue about the cost of the 2020 Games.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 13, 2016

Onagawa is on the rebound from devastation

On March 11, 2011, the magnitude-9 Great East Japan Earthquake propelled a powerful tsunami through the port of Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, claiming 827 lives — nearly 10 percent of the town's population — and destroying 70 percent of all of its buildings. It was the most severely damaged town in...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Feb 13, 2016

Trust robots to keep the kids occupied

'Can we go to the park?" In our household, this refrain is heard almost as frequently as "I want ice cream" and "I don't want to go to bed."
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Feb 13, 2016

Role reversal

Mom, why won't you stop using your phone? You promised we would enjoy a tasty lunch today.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Feb 12, 2016

February 13, 2016

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 12, 2016

Happiness is a warm farm: How home cooking is reviving rural Yamagata

It's late January in Tokyo, and a rare 6-centimeter snowfall plunges the city's famously efficient transport network into chaos. Train lines report delays of up to four hours, leaving snaking lines of frustrated commuters steaming, despite the freezing temperatures.
Reader Mail
Feb 12, 2016

No intent by Abe to revise history

Regarding the Hugh Cortazzi column titled "Abe's misplaced priorities" in the Jan. 30 edition, I have to point out that the article includes misleading descriptions that differ from the actual facts. If you read the Cabinet-approved statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, you will find...
Reader Mail
Feb 12, 2016

LDP unqualified on Constitution

Regarding "Olympics minister denies cash-for-favors" in the Feb. 5 edition, the Liberal Democratic Party's leaders seem long on scandal and short on morals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 11, 2016

Entering the mind of an icon in 'Steve Jobs'

With roles in films such as "300," "Inglourious Basterds" and the "X-Men" series, Michael Fassbender, 38, is no stranger to action.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 11, 2016

Why Sanders can triumph

In a troubling time for America, Bernie Sanders offers a clear and passionate vision that could propell him to the White House.
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 11, 2016

Genome offers clues on thwarting disease-carrying ticks

Scientists have unlocked the genetic secrets of one of the least-loved creatures around, the tick species that spreads Lyme disease. The research may lead to new methods to control these diminutive arachnids that dine on blood.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 10, 2016

Detainees launch hunger strike over conditions at Osaka immigration detention center

About 50 detainees being held at the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau went on a hunger strike Wednesday to protest what they call "inhumane" treatment by Immigration Bureau officials, a group supporting them said.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2016

Students from rural areas, poor families at academic disadvantage: OECD study

Students living in rural regions of Japan are more likely to underperform academically compared to their peers from urban areas, according to a new international report released Wednesday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
Feb 10, 2016

Japanese investors in no mood for bargains amid banking rout

The nation's cheapest stocks are proving anything but bargains.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo