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Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 29, 2017

For Catalans, the question now is compliance or defiance

As weekend routines of normalcy prevailed in Catalonia, the first test of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's decision to take over the breakaway region approached, with many having to choose between compliance and defiance.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 28, 2017

Even without nukes, war on the Korean Peninsula could kill up to 300,000 in days, U.S. report says

Renewed conflict on the Korean Peninsula could kill hundreds of thousands of people in the first few days alone even if no nuclear weapons are involved, according to a new report by the U.S. Congressional Research Service.
Reader Mail
Oct 27, 2017

Indifference about secondhand smoke

Regarding the editorial "Passive smoking and children" in the Oct. 15 edition, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's effort to protect kids from secondhand smoke may not work in Japan for two reasons.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 26, 2017

Harrison Ford goes back to the future for 'Blade Runner 2049'

Harrison Ford admits he is about to spout a cliche, but goes for it anyway: "It really doesn't feel like 35 years since 'Blade Runner,'" he says with a sheepish grin.
JAPAN / History
Oct 26, 2017

On reconciliation tour, American ex-POW, 95, revisits Miyagi mine, scene of horrific memories

At the entrance of the defunct lead and zinc mine in Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture, earlier in October, American Henry Chamberlain, 95, had to lean on his cane to ease the fatigue linked to the beatings he received from Japanese soldiers during World War II.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 26, 2017

FDA hopes to lift stigma on using drugs as treatment for opioid addiction in face of resistance

As the opioid epidemic in the U.S. continues to kill more and more Americans, the Food and Drug Administration wants to lift the stigma on the idea of using drugs to treat a drug habit.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 24, 2017

Game makers deploy deep-learning AI algorithms to keep players coming back for more

In today's game industry, titles like "Clash Royale" and "Pokemon Go" are free for most people to enjoy because there's a small number of players who pay for extras, like special weapons or more lives. Game developers have to strike a delicate balance in this free-to-play model between drawing the masses...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 24, 2017

Is Abe's free day care and kindergarten worth the cost?

Sunday's general election is over and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's gamble seems to have paid off. But politics never stops and Abe is now obliged to carry out what he promised during the campaign.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 24, 2017

Low-pitched, rumbling rocks could help predict when earthquakes strike, research says

Rocks under increasing pressure before earthquakes strike send out low-pitched rumbling sounds that the human ear cannot detect but could be used to predict when a tremor will strike, scientists said Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / UNITED NATIONS DAY
Oct 24, 2017

Today, a revitalized and responsive U.N.

Anniversaries always present an opportunity to look back. But today, as we commemorate the establishment of the United Nations on Oct. 24, 1945, we must not focus solely on past lessons and progress.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Oct 24, 2017

Starving Rohingya girls and women in refugee camps seen forced to engage in clandestine prostitution

As Rohingya women struggle to access even the very basics such as food and water in Bangladesh's overcrowded camps, a flourishing sex trade offers cash in times of desperation.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 23, 2017

How Japan could respond to the North Korean threat

Japan cannot afford to slumber in pseudo-peace while leaving this issue for other nations to resolve.
JAPAN / Media / Pulsations
Oct 21, 2017

#MeToo assault campaign hits Japan

The hashtag #MeToo went viral on social media platforms last week, with people using it to speak out against sexual harassment and assault in the wake of the allegations made against disgraced U.S. film mogul Harvey Weinstein. In a tweet posted on Oct. 15, actor Alyssa Milano asked women who have been...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 20, 2017

Laundry-folding robot maker will represent Japan at startup competition

A Tokyo-based startup recognized for its laundry-folding robot has gained entry to an international competition for venture firms, and hopes to represent Japan as a country of innovation.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Oct 20, 2017

Ines Rau, Playboy's first transgender 'playmate,' hopes to 'pave way for all women'

Playboy magazine has featured its first ever transgender playmate centerfold in its November issue, a move that the model hopes will pave the way for "all women — trans or otherwise — in fashion and other sectors."
JAPAN / Politics / Decision 2017
Oct 19, 2017

'Manifesto' era may be over but election campaigns still rife with rosy pledges and vague bottom lines

Eight years is a long time in Japanese politics and people are quick to forget, but things were vastly different then.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 19, 2017

Voters in Abe's heartland fear future sales tax hike as they struggle with stagnant wages

Chiyoko Yamamoto works in one of the best regions in Japan — a place with one of the lowest rates of unemployment, a growing economy, and the highest level of female employment in the country.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 18, 2017

Japan's oldest village by age sees LDP leadership as key for survival

Chikara Imai, 73, is quick to dismiss the new parties in Sunday's national election, saying old ties with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party is what the country's most elderly village needs for survival.
JAPAN / Politics / Decision 2017
Oct 18, 2017

In a small Nara city, Lower House vote set to test Kibo no To's strength against LDP

Ikoma, a small city of about 120,000 people, lies just over the border from Osaka in northern Nara Prefecture. It's known for its bamboo products, especially whisks used in the traditional tea ceremony. A cable car that travels up Mount Ikoma, opened in 1918, is said to be the oldest in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 17, 2017

Sony unveils family-friendly robot aimed at spurring communication

Sony Mobile Communications Inc. announced Tuesday it will begin selling a new communications robot targeted at families next month, furthering its foray into the trending robot market.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 17, 2017

Austria's millennial hope walks a fine line

If Sebastian Kurz fails to control the scary forces bubbling under the Freedom Party's surface, both Austria and the EU will regret that he got his chance to run a nation as early as he did.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 16, 2017

Diplomacy with North Korea will continue 'until the first bomb drops,' Tillerson says

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said diplomatic efforts to rein in Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program "will continue until the first bomb drops," as the U.S. and South Korean navies kicked off a massive, five-day joint military exercise Monday in the waters surrounding North Korea.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 15, 2017

How Japan's service industry is trying to adapt to the worst labor crunch in 25 years

Before Hisashi Kanbe in 2013 introduced BakeryScan, the world's first image recognition checkout system designed specifically for bread, it was the job of every bakery worker in Japan to memorize the assorted prices of each baked good — from baguettes back to bagels.
BUSINESS
Oct 14, 2017

Balance of power: Shift toward renewable energy appears to be picking up steam

Five years ago, Japan introduced a feed-in tariff system in a bid to promote the introduction of renewable energy on a large scale following the collapse of public trust in nuclear power due to the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, and subsequent triple meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 14, 2017

Shake Shack experiments with automated order kiosks in U.S.

Beloved burger chain Shake Shack recently announced plans to use automated kiosks in lieu of employees to take orders at its new Astor Place location in New York.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 14, 2017

The bottom line in publicly shaming celebrities

Anyone interested in Japanese television is familiar with the term "yarase," which refers to on-air situations staged to look natural and spontaneous.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 14, 2017

A Nobel for humility in field of economics

Instead of trying to design a new theory-of-everything to explain anomalies, Richard Thaler borrowed or created situation-specific theories.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight