Tag - insights

 
 

INSIGHTS

BUSINESS / Tech / Deep Dive
May 20, 2018
Drone deliveries ready to soar in Japan but lingering issues likely to keep post office in business
A drone carrying a package sails through the air, touching down to make a delivery right on a customer's doorstep.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Apr 22, 2018
For foreign nationals over 150 years ago, Kyoto’s Fushimi was end of the line
Just before reaching Chushojima Station on the Keihan Line heading into Kyoto from Osaka, or just after crossing the Uji River on the almost parallel Kintetsu train that runs between Kyoto and Nara, two towers that look old and of European design flash briefly into view before disappearing among the...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Taking the Lead
Apr 1, 2018
Zozotown founder Yusaku Maezawa follows eclectic path
Andy Warhol's iconic Campbell's Soup cans, a painting by Takashi Murakami and a word sculpture by Jack Pierson are some of the pieces decorating the head office of Start Today Co., operator of Japan's largest online fashion mall, Zozotown.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 29, 2018
Unregulated ICOs threaten funding source for startups
The rising cryptocurrency boom has sparked a fundraising scheme called initial coin offerings that have become a money-pumping machine for startups but also have a problematic reputation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2018
Marriage quest finds some Japanese men looking to share household duties with female partners
Tokyoite Kiyoshi is 38 years old and is still waiting for luck in love. But when he finds his future life partner, he says he will be willing to handle family duties in the belief that men's and women's roles at home are equal.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2018
Amid tourism rise, Tsushima Island could play evacuation role if tensions flare with North Korea
Within sight of the bright lights and bustling beaches of Busan, sleepy Tsushima Island has little in common with its neighbor located a mere 50 kilometers north, but the island of about 31,000 people has recently become a hot spot for South Korean tourists.
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Mar 25, 2018
Kyoto gubernatorial race puts focus on demographic and economic challenges to come
Faced with a rapidly aging society and a growing socioeconomic gap between its prosperous capital and the rest of the prefecture, Kyoto voters go to the polls April 8 to choose a new governor who will be either a well-connected insider or a complete outsider.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Mar 25, 2018
Osaka begins prep for largest international gathering in decades
With the summit for the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies coming to Osaka next year, preparations are underway to host the largest international gathering the city has seen in over two decades.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2018
Tourism industry tailors more services to well-heeled visitors from overseas as it looks to boost numbers and revenue
In 2017 a record 28.7 million foreigners visited Japan, up 19.3 percent from the previous year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Taking the Lead
Mar 22, 2018
Lawson chief bets on health, tech as future of convenience
Back in 2014, Sadanobu Takemasu was asked by his boss to go to Lawson, the convenience store chain known for its white milk can logo on a blue signboard.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / Deep Dive
Mar 20, 2018
Children of condemned Aum guru Shoko Asahara reviled by society as criminals
In the early hours of May 16, 1995, police raided the Aum Shinrikyo cult's facilities in Kamikuishiki, Yamanashi Prefecture. At 9:45 a.m., cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was arrested and taken into custody.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / Deep Dive
Mar 19, 2018
1995 Aum sarin attack on Tokyo subway still haunts, leaving questions unanswered
Hitoshi Jin describes his younger brother spending the booming 1980s "cult surfing," exploring what new religions had to offer to fill the gaping spiritual void left by a childhood scarred by an abusive father.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Mar 13, 2018
Kanagawa computer programmer, 82, recognized worldwide for efforts to keep seniors digitally engaged
People say it is never too late to start new things. No one would object to that. But in reality, not many people have the guts to tackle things that are totally unfamiliar to them as they get older.
JAPAN / 3/11: Rebuilding Tohoku
Mar 11, 2018
In shadow of nuclear disaster, Fukushima's rice farmers look to rebuild their market
For 36-year-old rice farmer Emi Kato, the first few years after the 2011 core meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant were grueling.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 3/11: Rebuilding Tohoku
Mar 9, 2018
Radiation monitoring group formed during Fukushima nuclear disaster now a source of global data
Back in 2011, soon after the 3/11 disaster, Safecast was born. Today, the global volunteer-centered citizen science organization is home to the world's largest open data set of radiation measurements.
JAPAN / 3/11: Rebuilding Tohoku
Mar 9, 2018
Fukushima No. 1 cleanup continues but radioactive water, and rumors, also prove toxic
Seven years have passed since the core meltdowns occurred in March 2011 at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which shocked the world and fractured the local community.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 3/11: Rebuilding Tohoku
Mar 8, 2018
Tohoku communities slow to regroup as tsunami-hit cities rebuild on higher ground
Takashi Ito's family-owned book and stationery store is one of the 20 or so shops occupying a new mall that opened last year in Rikuzentakata, a tsunami-ravaged city in Iwate Prefecture once known for the towering pine trees that lined its scenic coast.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Feb 25, 2018
Kyoto executives consider making nightlife in Kyoto more tourist-friendly
As residents and tourists in Kyoto complain more about higher prices, hotel shortages and crowds at train stations, shrines and temples, Kansai's corporate leaders are searching for ways to keep visitors coming.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 2018
Kyoto develops new niche, hosting wedding ceremonies for international couples who cherish traditional Japan
More and more couples from overseas are holding wedding ceremonies in Kyoto, attracted by the ancient capital's reputation as symbolizing traditional Japanese culture.
JAPAN
Feb 22, 2018
Scenarios abound for Japan getting dragged into a U.S.-China conflict: expert
Could a few tiny islets in the East China Sea help light the fire that sparks a wider conflagration in East Asia? What about preventive strikes on North Korean nuclear and missile sites? A collision near one of Beijing's man-made islands in the South China Sea?

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