NEWSWORTHY
The painterly prayers of Higashiyama
Kaii Higashiyama's best-known works are often called "quintessentially Japanese landscapes," but they were also examples of the artist's conservative dialogue with European and American abstraction.
Diary tells of Emperor Hirohito's anguish in final years over blame for war
The journal reveals that the aging Emperor did not wish to live much longer due to pain he felt at sad personal events and accusations of his wartime responsibility.
Japanese government unlikely to name its next era until at least February 2019
The government is considering delaying the announcement of the name of the nation's next era — or gengo — until February or later, giving up its initial plan to quickly deal with concerns over the name change, a government source said Tuesday. The announcement of ...
Minakata: Japan's pioneer of ecology
In an old black-and-white photograph on show at the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Minakata Kumagusu — with a shaved head and dressed only in a waistcloth — stands by a huge tree, arms crossed in seeming defiance. He could easily be ...
Showa's not giving up without a fight
The government has decided that the 31st year of Heisei will end with the abdication of Emperor Akihito 120 days into 2019, on April 30. Then on May 1, Crown Prince Naruhito will become emperor and a new nengō (name of the period of ...
The enduring mystique of the Showa Era
For many Japanese, life is divided into two distinctly historical time lines: before and after the Showa Era.
Government mulls new titles for incoming and outgoing emperors: sources
The government is considering giving Emperor Akihito the title of “joko,” an abbreviation of “daijo tenno,” meaning retired sovereign, should he abdicate.
Imperial abdication talk poses question of Japan's next era
As the news reverberated throughout Japan earlier this month that Emperor Akihito intended to relinquish his throne while alive — in the first such move in about 200 years — the nation was struck by one of the biggest implications of his exit: the ...
The Imperial Household Agency is scheduled to finish compiling an official record of the life of Emperor Hirohito in late March for submission to Emperor Akihito as soon as the following month, an official said. The agency intends to release the entire record of the ...
Pearl Harbor: The Day of Infamy that won't go away
Dec. 8 (Japan time) is the 72nd anniversary of Pearl Harbor, the infamous attack launched by Imperial Japanese forces against the United States that continues to reverberate in the popular imagination. Certainly, the 2,402 deaths made this raid unforgettable. So too the sunken and savaged ...
Take the kids back in time this summer
Japanese people are rediscovering the charms of a simpler life, if only for a weekend.
