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July 03, 2026
 

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LANGUAGE

Yoshiko Koide, a professor at Nagoya College, and 12 female students delved deep into otaku culture to create “Otaku Dictionary Daigenkai,” a dictionary of terms from all walks of fandom.
LIFE / Language
Nov 20, 2023
Test your otaku vocabulary, from ‘oshi’ to ‘bacon lettuce’
“Otaku Dictionary Daigenkai” has gathered the language of fandom, from idols to games and anime.
A sculpture of Confucius at the Temple of Confucius in Beijing. A new report has found that almost all of the China-funded Confucius Institutes in the U.S. have closed, showing how far ties between Beijing and Washington have soured.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 3, 2023
China’s Confucius Institutes are disappearing from U.S. campuses
All but five of the institutes, which were created in 2004 to promote Chinese language, are now closed,
The words of encouragement that star player Shohei Ohtani gave his teammates before their final game against the United States during the World Baseball Classic in March were among those nominated on Thursday to be the buzzwords of the year.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 2, 2023
Japan’s 2023 buzzwords reflect light and dark sides of the year
From the year’s scandals to its champions, the annual list of buzzword candidates highlights the nation’s hope, fears and diversions.
Ashleigh Surma (second from right) assists Elva Case (left), Linda Lupe (second from left) and Joycelene Johnson in recording indigenous languages during the ICILDER 2023 Conference in Bloomington, Indiana
WORLD / Society
Oct 20, 2023
Tech breathes new life into endangered Native American languages
Of the more than 6,000 Indigenous languages recognized globally, nearly half of them are at risk of disappearing.
The cast of Chelfitsch’s play “The Window of Spaceship ‘In-Between’” includes individuals with different levels of Japanese-language proficiency. They participated in workshops hosted by the theater company to promote more inclusivity in Japanese theater.
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 29, 2023
Chelfitsch challenges Japanese theater’s language barriers
The theater company questions the status quo of the Japanese stage by casting non-native speakers in new project, ‘The Window of Spaceship “In-Between.“’
Migrants from Venezuela, seeking asylum in the United States, sit before crossing the Rio Bravo river with the intention of turning themselves in to the U.S. Border Patrol agents, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Thursday.
WORLD / Society
Sep 24, 2023
AI’s ‘insane’ translation mistakes endanger U.S. asylum cases
Machine translation has made huge leaps but is still nowhere near good enough for complex, high-stakes situations like the asylum process.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2023
Seibu Railway tests new translation device to boost communication
The window-like interface creates real-time translations that appear as text bubbles as people converse on either side of the screen.
BUSINESS
Jul 7, 2023
NEC develops Japanese-language generative AI
NEC’s generative AI features lower server load and power consumption and can be tailored according to customers’ usage environments.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 15, 2023
A chatbot that won’t take bribes for giving advice is a hit in India
While the change that was ushered in by ChatGPT caused alarm about AI’s role in the spread of disinformation and job losses, it’s also a tool that can aid social equality.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 19, 2023
Last known speaker fights to preserve South African indigenous language
N|uu was spoken by one of many hunter-gatherer groups that populated Southern Africa before the arrival of European colonizers.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 2, 2023
Scientists use brain scans and AI to ‘decode’ thoughts
While the main goal is to help people who have lost the ability to communicate, the research raises concerns about ‘mental privacy.’
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 23, 2023
Zelenskyy signs ban on Russian place names in struggle over national identity
Streets across Ukraine are being renamed, and statues of figures like Catherine the Great are toppling down in what officials call ‘de-Russification” projects.
Japan Times
CARTOONS / ZERO GRAVITY
Apr 22, 2023
Roger Dahl on giving a hand
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2023
Junior high pupils take first online English speaking test in nationwide assessment
In the new online speaking test, some 54,000 third graders at roughly 500 junior high schools used their own personal computers to take the test.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 10, 2023
The idiocy that will come with a reliance on AI
The real danger with AI is not that people will mistake a chatbot for a real person, it is that communicating with them will make real persons talk like chatbots.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 10, 2023
Indigenous groups fear culture distortion as AI learns their languages
Critics warn Indigenous groups are at risk from bias that can be embedded within algorithms, while generative AI models may also spread incorrect information.
Japan Times
Rugby
Mar 5, 2023
Fijian Drua coach says language barrier an issue in Super Rugby
Mick Byrne said he hoped the language barrier issue would be addressed by tournament organizers.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 16, 2023
Tensions over Mandarin on the rise in Hong Kong after reopening
Debate over discrimination against Mandarin speakers in the city has been reignited following an influx of visitors from mainland China, with a viral video stoking concerns.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2023
New AI smartphone app will be able to decipher Japanese cursive manuscripts
The app’s beta version is set for release later this month, while the full version is scheduled to become available to the public this March.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Why is the yen so weak and what can Japan do about it?
Japan spent ¥11.7 trillion ($73 billion) between late April and late May to prop up the weak yen.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.

Podcast

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

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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