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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 14, 2016

Japan Inc.'s lack of leadership roles for women fuels gender imbalance on boards

Sakie Fukushima remembers the novelty of being the only woman on Korn/Ferry International's board of directors, which she joined in 1995. Ditto when she joined the Sony Corp., Kao Corp. and Benesse Corp. boards years later.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 13, 2016

LDP voices policies in lead-up to pivotal Upper House election

Delegates at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's annual convention adopt important policy measures such as revising the Constitution and breathing new life into the moribund economic recovery.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 13, 2016

Rock act Boris and noise musician Merzbow attempt an interactive experiment on 'Gensho'

The Japanese word gō'on can be rendered in English as a "roaring sound." It's often used to describe the loud levels of volume at a concert, which typically hit around 120 decibels.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 13, 2016

Interaction benefits toddlers and elderly alike

Partnership between preschools and nursing homes have positive implications for rapidly aging countries like Japan and the U.S.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Mar 12, 2016

Learning from a neighborhood stroll

As winter makes its exit from the archipelago and the pink petals of spring begin to emerge, I feel an intense pang of nostalgia for my old neighborhood on Tokyo's east side. Sure, the city's cherry blossoms are beautiful in places like Yoyogi Park and Shinjuku Gyoen, but one of the nicest things to...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 12, 2016

Amber-entombed flower may have been toxic

Do not let its beauty fool you. A newly identified and exquisitely preserved flower found entombed in amber — fossilized tree sap — may have packed quite a punch.
EDITORIALS
Mar 12, 2016

Truancy among non-Japanese kids

The education system is ignoring the thousands of non-Japanese students who aren't attending school.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Mar 11, 2016

The search for Tokyo's best gimlet leads to Daisuke Ito

I have a particular fondness for the gimlet, that simple but elegant concoction of gin, fresh lime juice and sweetened lime cordial. For many, the drink conjures images of dames and detectives from noir films, but mine is a more nostalgic affection. The gimlet was my cocktail of choice during my early...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2016

Russia missed its chance to be more like America

Russians have shown a clear preference for a powerful state that interferes with the workings of a free market.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 11, 2016

North Korean nuclear test shook the earth — but where's the proper proof?

Two months after what is widely believed to have been a nuclear test by North Korea, the radioactive particles to prove it have yet to be detected, suggesting the communist state is getting better at hiding the fallout, experts say.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 5-YEAR MEMORIAL OF GREAT EAST JAPAN EARTHQUAKE
Mar 11, 2016

Maintaining remnants of disaster for future

Sept. 1, known as Disaster Prevention Day, was designated as such by the government in 1960. On this day every year, cities and towns nationwide, as well as schools, companies and even small community groups, run evacuation drills to prepare for natural disasters such as typhoons, landslides and earthquakes....
Japan Times
JAPAN / 5-YEAR MEMORIAL OF GREAT EAST JAPAN EARTHQUAKE
Mar 11, 2016

Seismic isolation systems help mitigate earthquake damage

Seismic isolation is an excellent technology to help make structures more resistant to earthquakes by installing equipment to isolate a building from the ground and keep tremors from reaching the building. Seismic isolation systems reduce shaking by placing rubber, lead or other substances between structures...
EDITORIALS
Mar 10, 2016

The 3/11 disasters, five years on

The five years since March 2011 show that massive public spending alone won't rebuild people's lives.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Mar 9, 2016

Minamisoma mayor sees future for Fukushima 'nonnuclear' city in energy independence

Turning to the use of solar and wind power in tandem with energy-saving measures, Mayor Katsunobu Sakurai is aiming for his city to be energy self-reliant by 2030.
EDITORIALS
Mar 9, 2016

Troubles at Takahama nuclear plant

Have nuclear plant operators taken the lessons of Fukushima to heart? Recent evidence suggests the answer is no.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 9, 2016

Picking up where Abenomics policies left off

Given a shrinking population, a slowing China, sexism and an inefficient corporate system and labor market, Japan is going to have a rocky road ahead no matter what it does.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 9, 2016

The Greek auteur who cooked up 'The Lobster'

When a gifted director ditches their native tongue and starts working in English, it can be a fraught process. For every Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, there's a Wong Kar-wai or Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, whose career still hasn't recovered since he parlayed the Oscar triumph of his 2006 drama "The...
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 9, 2016

LDP ponders bid by inspirational sports writer in Upper House election

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is considering fielding famed sport journalist and educator Hirotada Ototake, who was born without limbs due to a congenital disorder, as a candidate for an Upper House election this summer, reports said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Mar 9, 2016

Japan detention center deaths cast doubt on 'appropriate medical steps'

Niculas Fernando died at a Tokyo immigration detention center sometime between 9:33 a.m. and 10:44 a.m. on Nov. 22, 2014, according to the coroner.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 8, 2016

Fujiwara wants the dirt to stick

White often seems to be used in contemporary art in Japan as a kind of short cut to signify "beauty," "purity" or "spirituality." Simon Fujiwara's show "White Day" at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery is, as the title suggests, overwhelmingly white, but it's designed not to stay that way.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Mar 8, 2016

Curry's achievements not receiving universal praise

"Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player who struts his hour upon the stage. And then is heard no more."
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2016

How South Korea is failing half of its population

Park Geun-hye's failure to act on this $13 billion problem hurts growth in Asia's fourth biggest economy.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2016

It's weird science against cancer

Tackling cancer requires unconventional ideals because cancer is an unconventional enemy.

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