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July 16, 2025
 

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LANGUAGES

ChatGPT’s advanced voice mode is able to seamlessly go back-and-forth between languages with live, human-sounding responses and minimal errors.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 4, 2024
ChatGPT is now a creepy cultural chameleon
This uncanny tool that can speak 50 languages with human-like candor has the potential to forever change how people around the world interact with AI.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 30, 2022
For Russian-speaking Ukrainians, language clubs offer way to defy invaders
Many Ukraine citizens speak Russian as their first language. Volunteer organizations are helping them improve their Ukrainian and abandon “the occupiers' language.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Oct 11, 2021
Netflix hit show 'Squid Game' spurs interest in learning Korean
Duolingo reported a 76% rise in new users signing up to learn Korean in Britain and 40% in the United States over the two weeks following the show's premiere.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2018
Common Japanese language test eyed for new visas
To pass the test, applicants will need to have Japanese skills good enough for daily life.
WORLD
Nov 20, 2018
French universities to offer more courses in English to attract foreign students
France wants to boost the number of foreign students at its universities by more than half over the next decade and will offer more courses taught in English to attract them.
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2018
America is one of the few cultures with insults for smart people
Americans enjoy the dubious distinction of having a high degree of linguistic diversity it comes to mocking the smart and the educated.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 14, 2018
Trump calls Comey a 'slime ball,' sparking rush to dictionaries
U.S. President Donald Trump's denunciation of former FBI Director James Comey as a "slime ball" on Friday triggered a jump of 60,000 percent in look-ups for the word on the website of dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster's.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jan 8, 2018
Iran bans English in primary schools after leaders' warning of 'cultural invasion'
Iran has banned the teaching of English in primary schools, a senior education official said, after Islamic leaders warned that early learning of the language opened the way to a Western "cultural invasion."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 19, 2017
'Gamified' language app Duolingo finally adds Japanese
Just as many readers are swapping paperbacks for tablets, many language learners are trading in their textbooks for apps so they can study on the go.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 25, 2017
China to push Mandarin for minorities, protect dying tongues
China will "unswervingly" stick to the promotion of Mandarin for ethnic minorities, the government said on Tuesday of a policy that has ignited sporadic protests. The government will also step up protection for threatened tongues on the verge of extinction.
WORLD / Society
Jan 17, 2017
Want to learn Arabic, Korean or Swahili? Refugee language tutors can help
As university students mill around a bright and airy study hall in London, Eiad Zinah converses in his native Arabic with a female student from Germany.
WORLD
Dec 20, 2016
'Surreal' declared Merriam-Webster's 2016 word of the year
In a word, 2016 was "surreal."
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 8, 2015
Wanted: cosmopolitan, foreign language-speaking Chinese graft busters to hunt suspects abroad
China's efforts to take its anti-graft campaign global are being crimped by a serious lack of officials familiar with foreign languages and laws, the country's top newspaper said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2015
Foreign-studies universities to train volunteer army of interpreters
The nation's seven foreign-studies universities are planning to train a battalion of potentially thousands of students to work as interpreters during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
WORLD / Society
Oct 7, 2014
Pope ditches Latin as official language of key Vatican gathering
In a break with the past, Pope Francis has decided that Latin will not be the official language of a worldwide gathering of bishops at the Vatican.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 20, 2014
Language professionals call for court interpreter qualification regime
Legal and linguistic professionals think a qualification system is needed for court interpreters to weed out incompetent ones who might be doing more harm than good, a recent survey says.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
May 11, 2014
Returnees' experiences drive a will to give something back
The returnees profiled here highlight the potential that can be unlocked within individuals lucky enough to have the chance to live overseas and, crucially, receive the right support on their return to Japan.
Students in Japan struggle with Japanese language and math sections on national exam
The correct answer rate for the Japanese language section on a national test dropped to 67.0% from 67.8% the previous year among elementary school sixth-graders.
Japan team finds ancient ocean full of squids
The ancient ocean was full of squids, whose population exceeded that of fish or ammonites, a Japanese research team mainly from Hokkaido University has found through a new method using technology.
Japan researchers identify gut bacteria strain that boosts anticancer drugs
Researchers at the National Cancer Center Japan say a new type of gut bacteria named YB328 could help unlock the potential of cancer immunotherapy.
Tourists in Japan have telemedicine options before calling 119
Foreign tourists at Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo. More than 1 million international visitors have a medical issue in Japan every year.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
Japanese scientists discover clue to why women burn more fat than men
Scientists say a recently-published study could help explain why women are typically less prone to weight-related conditions and may lead to new therapies that target calorie-burning mechanisms.
Music idol and anime fandom merch is big business
Businesses who cater to fandoms gathered at Tokyo Lifestyle Week for the second annual Oshikatsu — Merch Collection Expo, a trade show devoted to fandom goods.
U.S. urges clarity on Japan’s role in potential war over Taiwan, report says
A Ground Self-Defense Force member conducts a military drill with an anti-ship missiles unit, at the GSDF's base on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture in April 2022.
Tourists in Japan have telemedicine options before calling 119
Foreign tourists at Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo. More than 1 million international visitors have a medical issue in Japan every year.
Is Japanese skin really ‘too smooth’ for Hideo Kojima’s games?
Hideo Kojima, the leading auteur in Japanese video games, has skirted controversy in the wake of the release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Podcast

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

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
By Megha Wadhwa

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