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Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 25, 2018

Let's discuss having more than one job

Japanese workers are signing up for second jobs in record numbers to earn extra cash as wages stagnate, stirring hopes of a rise in consumer spending but adding to fears of overwork.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jun 24, 2018

Can Japanese 'light novels' remain publishing heavyweights?

Two years ago, light novel publisher Kadokawa added Thailand to its list of foreign publishing investments, which already includes Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and the United States. Now there are signs that English-language readers are catching on.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 18, 2018

Let's discuss Airbnb and minpaku laws

Just over a week before a new law for minpaku (private lodging services) goes into effect, the popular rental website Airbnb has dropped nearly 80 percent of its listings for the services over the past three months.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 11, 2018

Let's discuss a possible casino for Chiba

To the list of Japanese regions battling for a coveted casino resort, you can add Mickey Mouse's neighborhood.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jun 8, 2018

Days are numbered for ATMs in Japan's banking system

On May 2, Shinsei Bank announced that starting from October it will impose fees for automatic teller machine (ATM) transactions. Shinsei's main sales point has always been its lack of ATM fees, but the bank will start charging ¥108 per ATM withdrawal unless the customer's account satisfies certain conditions....
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 4, 2018

Let's discuss the lack of female leaders in Japan

Only a tiny fraction of female workers have been able to snag the top roles at public, private and nonprofit organizations in Japan, according to a recent report.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Jun 3, 2018

Left-behind dad's last resort: Impeach Japan's Supreme Court judges

Dogged father in Hague Convention case shines a light on a check-and-balance on the judiciary that barely functions.
Reader Mail
Jun 1, 2018

Will the legacy of the Heisei Era be a sad one?

The current Imperial era, Heisei, will end when Emperor Akihito abdicates next April 30. The name of the new era won't be announced until April 1.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
May 30, 2018

How about a study-abroad adventure in Europe?

For Japanese students, continental EU universities offer high-quality courses often at lower prices than U.S. colleges.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 28, 2018

Let's discuss unfair play from Nichidai

The head coach of Nihon University's American football team says he will quit after apologizing to a Kwansei Gakuin University player over a controversial play.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 21, 2018

Let's discuss the scandal surrounding Tokio's Tatsuya Yamaguchi

Tatsuya Yamaguchi, a member of Japanese all-male pop group Tokio, intends to leave the band after coming under fire for kissing a high school student.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 19, 2018

Japan's courts are being asked to define the role of the SDF

As discussed in Media Mix last week, news organizations are on the lookout for signs of whether the country’s Self-Defense Forces are becoming politically active. There have been indications the SDF wants to be the conventional military that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has in mind, but that...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
May 14, 2018

Planned cut in doctors' overtime hours worries Japan's rural hospitals

As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration pushes to pass labor reform bills in the current Diet session, many major hospitals in the Chubu region are concerned that the bills, which include a cap on the working hours of doctors, could lead to a deterioration in medical services in rural regions....
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 14, 2018

Let's discuss the capture of the Shikoku prison escapee

A fugitive who eluded thousands of police officers combing a small island for more than three weeks was finally caught 70 km away in Hiroshima.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
May 13, 2018

When 'Japanese only' rules were OK, and other odd Supreme Court cases

Did that headline grab you? I hope so, because how else are we supposed to get you to read an article about Japanese Supreme Court cases?
JAPAN / Politics
May 7, 2018

Rock bottom in opinion polls, Japanese opposition parties Kibo no To and Democratic Party decide to merge

Only 62 of their combined 107 members plan to join the new entity.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 7, 2018

Let's discuss relations between Japan and North Korea

Despite what appears to be good news that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is eager to hold a bilateral summit with Japan, the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe remains cautious, saying there are many hurdles to be overcome.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 2, 2018

South Korea's Moon says peace deal wouldn't mean U.S. troops' withdrawal

South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivered a denial Wednesday that U.S. troops stationed in the country would withdraw following the possible signing of a peace treaty to end the Korean War, saying that they should stay even if a deal is reached.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Apr 30, 2018

Let's discuss that Seven-Eleven that was forced to stay open in a blizzard

The owner of a Seven-Eleven convenience store in Fukui Prefecture was allegedly forced to work for about 50 hours without sleep in February after the chain rejected his requests to suspend business amid the heaviest snowfall in decades, a labor union has said.
Reader Mail
Apr 27, 2018

Finding the true meaning of identity

Regarding the package of stories exploring dual citizenship in the April 19 edition, identity is not held in a passport. My mom moved to the U.S. in 1959, and today at 86 has not only kept her Japanese passport all these years, when many of her Japanese friends switched to U.S. citizenship, but also...
Reader Mail
Apr 20, 2018

Setting the record straight on Akiba

The March 6 article "Japanese official allegedly did not rule out building nuclear weapons storage site in Okinawa" repeated an allegation by a U.S. researcher that we know not to be true. This is in reference to a 2009 discussion between the U.S. Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Apr 16, 2018

Let's discuss women and sumo

A controversy over gender discrimination in sumo flared earlier this month after a referee urged two women to stay out of the ring as they tried to assist an unconscious official.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 10, 2018

Document suggests Kake Gakuen vet school bid was of personal interest to Abe: report

Report sources document quoting then-secretary to Abe as saying the project was 'the prime minister's matter.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Apr 9, 2018

Let's discuss Easter in Japan

Compared to other imported festivals, Easter in Japan has never really taken off. But why?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices
Apr 4, 2018

Readers' views on intercultural insensitivity, Japanese schooling, English gaps and an inspirational Indian

Some readers' responses to recent stories on the Community pages:
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Apr 2, 2018

Let's discuss hay fever

With tens of millions of people struggling to cope with hay fever caused by cedar and cypress pollen across Japan, companies are perpetually coming up with new ways to survive the season of itchy eyes and runny noses.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 31, 2018

Japan's companies are beginning to rethink paternity leave policies

When it comes to child care in Japan, women typically take on the lion’s share of the workload. Men, by comparison, are generally too exhausted after work to help out in any way.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 24, 2018

Blog post sparks a constructive debate on office culture in Japan

One person’s cultural observations can be another’s daily gripes but, with any luck, they can lead to an enlightening debate. That was the case last week when a blog post about one non-Japanese individual’s experience working in the country’s information technology sector proved popular with...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 19, 2018

Let's discuss learning English in the Philippines

Ahead of a change to university entrance exams and the Tokyo Olympics, a growing number of Japanese are opting to travel to the Philippines to study English.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 17, 2018

With amnesty or death, Japan seeks to draw a line under Heisei Era crimes

Those with the conviction that members of Japan's Imperial family have negligible impact on the lives of their subjects should bear in mind that for a tiny few, it can literally be a matter of life or death.

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