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JAPAN / Society
Jul 7, 2015

Japan LGBT group files human rights complaint in bid for same-sex marriages

Hundreds of members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community file an unprecedented human rights request with the Japan Federation of Bar Associations in a bid to legalize same-sex marriages.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jul 6, 2015

Let's discuss changing child care laws

This week's featured article
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 4, 2015

Japan, Mekong ink new ¥750 billion aid deal

Japan reveals a new three-year aid plan at the Japan-Mekong Summit to promote stability in the region and counter China's growing clout in Southeast Asia.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 3, 2015

Rice organization uses fried food and folklore to revive a Shinto purification ritual

Traditions are just innovations that happened to catch on. Culinary traditions are no different. Some self-organize out of circumstance, such as yakisoba (literally "fried noodles"), which triumphantly emerged as the iconic food of summer festivals in large part thanks to a particular combination of...
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 29, 2015

Let's discuss NHK in the news

This week's featured article
Japan Times
WORLD / Society / FOCUS
Jun 27, 2015

Legal battles remain for U.S. gay rights despite momentous ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court's declaration on Friday of a right to same-sex marriage resolved a momentous question, yet the ruling left many others unanswered and is likely to spark future legal battles over gay rights.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jun 27, 2015

Obama calls for racial harmony, gun control at funeral of slain pastor in Charleston

An impassioned President Barack Obama led thousands of mourners in singing "Amazing Grace" on Friday at the funeral of a slain pastor in Charleston and urged Americans to eliminate symbols of oppression and racism, including the Confederate battle flag.
EDITORIALS
Jun 26, 2015

Pope Francis as environmentalist

Pope Francis has issued a powerful call on mankind to protect the environment, achieving an important alignment of science and religion.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 24, 2015

Turkey's master of slow-boil cinema keeps his characters simmering with tension in 'Winter Sleep'

This may seem an odd form of praise, but Nuri Bilge Ceylan does boredom awfully well. The Turkish director's last film, "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia" (2011), was a police procedural that had been denuded of the drama you'd normally expect from the genre. Yet as its protagonists trudged fruitlessly from...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 22, 2015

Let's discuss Japanese sake in the news

To differentiate it from foreign-brewed fare, the National Tax Agency is considering defining 'Japanese sake' as a home-brewed alcoholic drink made from Japanese-grown rice.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 22, 2015

Banks did too little to police FIFA transactions, says global body

A global group of government anti-money-laundering agencies said that financial institutions have not done enough to police suspicious financial activity by officials at soccer's global governing body FIFA, and cautioned banks to step up scrutiny.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 21, 2015

Residents of South Carolina town once home to Charleston shooting suspect say they are not like him

At Dooley's Bait shop in Lexington, South Carolina, the talk around the worm bins and minnow tanks was dominated by one subject: Dylann Roof, a previously unremarkable local young man now accused of one of most shocking murders in state history.
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Jun 20, 2015

Jomon life 'remained pretty much unchanged'

Jomon Japan is fantastic. It ought to be preserved in stone. It was preserved in stone. For 10,000 years, this New Stone Age culture flourished. It is one of the longest-running single traditions in the world. A man, woman or child dying in, say, 10,000 B.C. and coming back to life circa 400 B.C. would...
Reader Mail
Jun 20, 2015

Egyptian court sentences have followed rules

Regarding the article titled "Mass death sentences now a part of life in Egypt" in the June 5 edition, let me first clarify that the defendants who were previously or recently condemned by the Egyptian High Court are being tried before a normal court, and not an extraordinary court. In all cases, the...
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 19, 2015

Charleston massacre suspect Roof had past brushes with police

His uncle worried he was cooped up in his room too much. The few images of him found easily online suggest he had a fascination with white supremacy. And for his birthday this year, his father bought the young man a pistol, the uncle said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 17, 2015

John Junkerman documentary 'Okinawa: The Afterburn' sheds light on the ferocious anger against U.S. bases

The issue of the large U.S. military presence in Okinawa is divisive, deeply rooted and, frankly, one I have never completely understood. Anti-base protests have been going on for decades, and while locals elsewhere in the developed world may have been unhappy with the bases in their vicinity, the Okinawans...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Jun 15, 2015

Carp outfielder Schierholtz adjusting to life in Japan

There wasn't much time for Nate Schierholtz to really prepare himself for Japanese baseball. He'd opted out of his deal with the Texas Rangers on March 28. By April 19, he was already on the other side of the world in a red No. 57 jersey and hitting third for the Hiroshima Carp.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 15, 2015

Let's discuss voting age limits in the news

The move to lower the voting age will give an estimated 2.4 million people aged 18 and 19 suffrage.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jun 13, 2015

David Bickle: 'Never be afraid to ask (people) questions'

BCCJ president on the challenges of doing business in Japan and playing for the national rugby team.
JAPAN / Media
Jun 12, 2015

Times advisory board meets, offers recommendations

EDITORIALS
Jun 11, 2015

Keeping the G-7 relevant

As the host of the next G-7 summit, Japan has its work cut out to maintain the group's unity and increase its leverage.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 10, 2015

Japan's toxic prophets are revealed in 'Yokokuhan' adaptation

Directors of the better Japanese commercial films typically carve out thematic or stylistic niches for themselves, so that even if they do a manga adaptation for the masses, it's their kind of manga filmed in their kind of way. One is Yoshihiro Nakamura, a master of mysteries and thrillers with brainteaser...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 9, 2015

Irritated with Myanmar, China to woo opposition leader Suu Kyi

Chinese leaders will woo Myanmar's opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on her first visit to the country, a snub for the quasi-military government whose fighting with rebels along China's border has angered Beijing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 9, 2015

'Beauty of the Spirits': What lurks behind masks of mankind

"Masks: Beauty of the Spirits" comes from the Musee du Quai Branly, an institution that former President Jacque Chirac spearheaded toward the end of his long reign. Opened in 2006 to both fanfare and controversy, the Paris museum's stated mission is to celebrate the masterpieces of non-European countries...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 9, 2015

The Japanese government's Peter Pan problem

Until the government does its part by loosening labor markets, lowering trade barriers and creating tax incentives to support entrepreneurship, the BOJ's yen printing won't save the day.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 8, 2015

Let's discuss Otsuka Kagu in the news

Aiming to shake off its image as an expensive members-only store, furniture retailer Otsuka Kagu Ltd. on Friday unveiled its renovated flagship store in Tokyo's upscale Ginza shopping district, offering a more welcoming atmosphere.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 7, 2015

Old Lacy Bed and a legacy left by Vivian Girls

"Share the Joy," the 2011 album by Brooklyn trio Vivian Girls, starts off with the distinctive rumble of a drone strike in progress before suddenly veering into a lollygagging eighth-note groove for beginner musicians.
EDITORIALS
Jun 7, 2015

Abe should heed Onaga's words

To avoid an all-out confrontation with Okinawa, the Abe administration needs to search in earnest for an alternative plan to building a new U.S. Marine base in Henoko.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji