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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 2, 2023

Asia is loosening rules on masks. Here’s why people still wear them.

Many other countries dropped pandemic mask requirements months ago. But in places like South Korea, which got rid of its rule this week, masks remain common.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 2, 2023

Afghans seeking haven in U.S. skyrocket despite risky passage through 11 countries

More than a year after the chaotic withdrawal, hundreds each month are risking their lives to reach U.S. soil on a human smuggling route notorious for kidnapping, robbery and assault.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 2, 2023

Canada commits to taking in 10,000 Uyghur refugees from 2024

Rights groups believe at least 1 million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been incarcerated in internment camps in China's northwestern Xinjiang region.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2023

China resumes issuing visas for Japanese after dispute over border measures

China halted visas earlier this month following tough new border control rules imposed by Tokyo as Beijing ended its nationwide 'zero-COVID' policy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / New Wine Frontier
Jan 29, 2023

The ‘bugs, microbes and wild yeast’ of Japan’s umami wine master

Takahiko Soga embraces the potentially destructive elements of winemaking that many other vintners try their best to avoid.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Jan 28, 2023

China celebrated the Lunar New Year like COVID no longer exists

More than 300 million trips were made during the holiday, nearly 90% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 28, 2023

Translations and books about Japan for your 2023 reading list

From Osamu Dazai to Yu Miri, the year ahead promises of trove of books about Japan and newly translated literature.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 27, 2023

Begging Japanese companies to hike wages is not the answer

Japan’s prime minister is asking employers to pay workers more. He should make the market do that instead.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 27, 2023

Are ‘white’ companies proving to be too much of a good thing for Japan's Gen Z?

'Black' companies are places of excess: excess overtime, excess chores — not excess pay! And the best way to express the idea of 'too much' in Japanese is with the verb-suffix 'sugiru.'
Japan Times
Rugby
Jan 26, 2023

England's Launchbury says more players could move to Japan

The 31-year-old lock left stricken English giants Wasps in November to sign a one-season deal with Toyota Verblitz.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 25, 2023

The growing comprehension gap that isolates Japan

Japan's central bank governor and the market are talking at cross-purposes. It shows a country that’s both badly understood and a poor communicator.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2023

Is Malaysia poised for a new dawn?

The challenges Malaysia are undoubtedly formidable. But perhaps no one is better equipped to confront them than its new prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 22, 2023

Can a new art fair finally put Tokyo on the map?

Tokyo Gendai puts on a good event but still needs to change Japanese opinions on contemporary art.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 20, 2023

Like strongman, like son? Cambodia's Hun Manet makes political debut

The political debut of Prime Minister Hun Sen's eldest son marks one of the final steps in a decadeslong grooming process that is expected to end with him succeeding his father.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2023

Not all firms are ready for a four-day week — yet

The largest-ever trial of the four-day work week found that most U.K. businesses participating don’t want to return to the five-day standard.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2023

'Deeply hurt': Anti-trans hostility rises in Japan

Disinformation 'linking transgender women to sexual violence in public spaces' is being 'disseminated extremely widely,' the Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation warned earlier this year.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 18, 2023

In Chinese media, the U.S. is invariably the villain

China believes it is laying the foundation for a new global order more respectful and accommodating to other nations, potentially strengthening its position in the world.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 16, 2023

The world’s fastest-growing whisky market is South Korea

South Koreans consumed 14.2 million liters of whisky in 2022, a small amount compared with other nations, but up 46% from 2021.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Chef’s Table
Jul 16, 2023

Grace Choy: Japan is so close, yet so far, from authentic Chinese cuisine

It might be an impossible task to teach everyone in Japan that Chinese cuisine isn’t just greasy fried rice and oily wontons.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 15, 2023

Tennoz Isle: Tokyo’s new contemporary art hub

The goal of making Tennoz Isle a vital art hub is closely tied to opening up the Japanese art market. With plans for artist residencies and business expansion, the bayside area's future is bright.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2023

Scratch a tech bro and you’ll find a naked ape

The fitness antics of Silicon Valley titans suggest that 21st-century business leadership is as much about displaying physical dominance as it is about showing foresight.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 13, 2023

Google’s AI chatbot is trained by humans who say they’re overworked, underpaid and frustrated

Thousands of outside contractors work to make Google's Bard reliable, but its also becoming an increasingly thankless job.
Japan Times
BOILING POINT
Jul 13, 2023

From Japan to France, Ajinomoto Foods Europe is umami’s unwavering advocate

Food is essential to survival; flavorful food, however, is essential to truly living. 
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jul 12, 2023

TV personality and LGBTQ advocate ryuchell dies at 27

Harajuku fashion influencer Ryuji Higa, better known as ryuchell, was found unconscious in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2023

Japan’s bid to nurture startups lags global rivals on tax breaks

Struggling with a far lower business entry rate than the U.S. or Europe, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government in 2022 launched a five-year plan to encourage new ventures.
Japan Times
Events / Stage
Jul 11, 2023

'Once' comes to Tokyo speaking the universal languages of music and love

Award-winning Irish theatrical production brings its dry wit and catchy songs to Tokyo for a midsummer musical experience.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2023

Yellen hails ‘productive’ China talks, but tensions still close to surface

There are hopes that the more civil tone will help the world’s largest economies forge greater compatibility in some areas, but it is also not expected to represent a major turning point.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 6, 2023

Spain wants to be a green energy hub, but risks moving too fast

Trailing only the United States, Spain is home to almost one in every five strategic hydrogen projects around the world.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb