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July 31, 2025
 

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JAPANESE LANGUAGE

For non-native speakers of the language, diving into Japanese books on a whim might just broaden your horizons and offer a fresh perspective on any topic imaginable.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jun 30, 2025
Japanese language is your gateway to seeing the world anew
Whether you want to learn about regional geopolitics or the history of cheese, reading Japanese books can offer a whole world of new perspectives for non-native speakers.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2020
Viral hit: 'Sanmitsu' — the 'Three Cs' — declared Japan's buzzword of 2020
The 'Three Cs” approach to the pandemic, popularized by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, refers to avoiding closed spaces, crowds and close-contact situations.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Sep 11, 2019
How much Japanese-language skill do you need to work in Japan?
Back in the bubble period, I was able to get a job at a Japanese bank in Tokyo with language skills that were intermediate at best. With a lot of intensive effort (and classes kindly paid for by my employer) I was able to improve quickly and was eventually writing reports in Japanese.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 11, 2019
How to carefully express carelessness in Japanese
You might be surprised how often you will use the Japanese expressions for 'carelessness' and 'without intention' once you've learned them
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 11, 2019
Japan's 2018 plastic waste shipments fall 30% after China's import ban
Following China implementing a restriction on the import of plastic waste, Japan has looked to Southeast Asia as a possible destination for its plastic rubbish.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Mar 4, 2019
Navigating the tricky world of permission when speaking Japanese
When speaking Japanese, getting the basics of language relating to permission can be helpful, from asking a colleague to pick up your slack to requesting a photo with a celebrity.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 4, 2019
Japan sees high demand for coins in final year of Heisei Era
A set of commemorative coins, released to mark the final year of the Heisei era, has seen high demand from buyers, leading to a lottery for those who wish to purchase a set.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Feb 27, 2019
Dogen: Humor that's not lost in translation
Living in Japan can, from time to time, present a fair amount of frustration for non-Japanese, especially if they can't speak the language well. Long-term resident Kevin O'Donnell, who creates YouTube videos about Japan under the name "Dogen," isn't afraid to vent but avoids any vitriol.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2018
Justice Ministry to enforce rule designating number of weeks Japanese-language schools must be in session
The measure is intended to ensure that students who enter Japan to learn the language do not spend the majority of their stay working.
JAPAN / Politics
May 29, 2018
Diet group drafts bill that aims to promote Japanese language learning at home and abroad
A bipartisan group of lawmakers unveils a draft version of what might become Japan's first-ever law defining the government's responsibility to systematically promote Japanese language education.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2017
New kid on the block gets the least help in Japan's schools
Ever since 16-year-old Rabina Dangol moved from Nepal to Japan in 2014 to live with her parents, a nonprofit organization in Fussa, western Tokyo, has been a boon in helping her learn enough Japanese to survive the school system.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Aug 2, 2014
Emperor, councilors weigh war declaration; simplified Japanese created for foreigners; Russian musicians defect; foreigners' office hears thousands of problems
100 YEARS AGO
LIFE / Language
Jun 29, 2014
Particles create the chemistry of adjectives and adverbs
I first started studying Japanese the summer after my first year of college. I was still promising my parents that I would take the med school prerequisites and eventually become a doctor, but I knew going in to college that all I really wanted to do was learn Japanese. I must have had science on my...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2014
Japan urged to do more to promote its language overseas
Japan needs to make bigger efforts to promote its culture and gain public support for the promotion of Japanese-language education overseas, according to a linguistics scholar who has taught the language for more than 40 years in the United States.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 20, 2014
I heart cherry blossoms — the rise of Japan's petit nationalism
My friend Naoki has a new strategy when it comes to getting dates; these days he says the best bet is to kusuguru (くすぐる, tickle, or appeal to) a woman's sense of aikokushin (愛国心, patriotism).
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 23, 2014
Being laughed at can help your Japanese evolve
Students of Japanese are often Japanese-as-a-second-language (JSL) cavemen. JSL cavemen live a mostly pleasant existence of blissful ignorance, using a devolved form of the language as best they can. However, JSL cavemen are not total ignoramuses — their thick hide can be penetrated by awkward social...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 15, 2013
December: A last tango with soba
Some men go out to buy that flaming red sportscar. Others embark on a messy but absorbing divorce process. Then there is of course, nirvana: the gorufujō (ゴルフ場, golf course). But in Japan, when men hit a certain age they have another option to turn to. The authentic mark of a honmono (本物,...
EDITORIALS
Oct 5, 2013
Japanese language diplomacy
An expert panel has proposed increasing the number of Japanese teachers sent abroad to teach the Japanese language as a way of improving relations with Southeast Asian nations.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2013
More Japanese teachers needed in ASEAN, Abe is told
An expert panel to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has proposed bolstering support for Japanese-language education in ASEAN countries by increasing the number of teachers, as more people in the region are learning Japanese.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 25, 2013
When does one's native language stop being native?
A 71-year-old man in Gifu Prefecture made headlines recently when he attempted to initiate a lawsuit against broadcaster NHK. Through its excessive use of foreign derived words, the man claimed, NHK had caused him 精神的苦痛 (seishinteki kutsū, psychological pain). He demanded ¥1.41 million...
Japan on edge but prepared for tsunami after huge Kamchatka earthquake
Police officers ask a man to evacuate from an empty beach following a tsunami warning, in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.
Japan to start new residency system for foreign workers
Students hoping to work in Japan attend a Japanese class at a job placement company in Hanoi in October 2022.
Last soldiers of Imperial Japanese Army have a warning for younger generations
Kunshiro Kiyozumi, 97, who was the youngest crew member of the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58 in World War II, on his way to a restaurant to have lunch in Matsuyama, Japan, on April 29.
Japan marks highest-ever temperature of 41.2 C in Hyogo
Japan's temperature soared to a record 41.2 degrees Celsius in Tanba, Hyogo Prefecture, on Wednesday, surpassing the previous high of 41.1 C.
Japan should take all possible measures to raise wages, white paper says
Prolonged high prices for food and other goods have pushed down consumer sentiment and real wages, according to the Annual Report on the Japanese Economy and Public Finance for fiscal 2025.
Why Ishiba refuses to quit even amid intense pressure for him to go
Supporters of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba take part in a rally across the street from the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
Behind the scenes at the Baseball Hall of Fame's new Yakyu/Baseball exhibit
“Yakyu / Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game” is set to remain on display in Cooperstown for at least five to 10 years — and possibly indefinitely.
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
Wakana, a Japanese fan of Thai BL, visits a temple in Thon Buri, Bangkok featured in the Thai adaptation of the Japanese series “Cherry Magic.” Her media consumption kindled an interest in Thai culture and language, and ultimately led her to relocate to Thailand. “I fell in love with the whole country,” she says.
Amid fossil fuel shift in U.S., hope emerges for India and Japan tie-up on solar
A technician works on the assembly line at a solar panel manufacturing hub on the outskirts of New Delhi last October.
Traditional Japanese swordsmanship — with modern matches
This year marked the eighth annual championship put on by the Hogyokukai school of traditional Japanese swordsmanship.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear
By Jason Coskrey

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