May 11, 2013
The belly dance came originally by way of the Middle East. Amalyn Gomez came from Venezuela. The two came together in Tokyo to create a new career for the young woman who once aspired to be a computer engineer.
May 02, 2013
For Chechen journalist Zara Imaeva, the fate of Japanese displaced by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters two years ago mirrored her life as a refugee.
May 01, 2013
HIROSHIMA--One of Myanmar's leading human rights activists who recently visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum for the first time said her nation can learn a lot from Hiroshima's recovery from the atomic bombing as it moves toward democracy.
April 28, 2013
Even at the age of 96, Shuntaro Hida, a physician who survived the first-ever atomic bombing in history, has no plans to stop working toward the abolition of nuclear weapons.
April 26, 2013
When Yumeno Nito was a high school student, she felt like the world's biggest loser.
April 25, 2013
JAKARTA--At 4 a.m., Kengo Ozaki sits down with a copy of Kompas newspaper and gets to work.
April 19, 2013
KYOTANGO, Kyoto Prefecture--Jiroemon Kimura celebrated his 116th birthday on April 19 with two visits, one from his city's mayor and one from Guinness World Records.
April 17, 2013
World-renowned architect Zaha Hadid, who won the contract to design Tokyo's New National Stadium, said she became inspired by Japan’s progressive architecture after she visited the country about 30 years ago.
April 16, 2013
It is an iconic image that turned a nation against a war: A young girl, naked and badly burned, her injured arms held from her body, flees screaming and crying from her smoking village in South Vietnam toward the unseen camera.
April 16, 2013
OSAKA--As the oldest woman in the world at age 115, Misao Okawa is a fascinating interview for gerontology scholars trying to piece together the keys to longevity.
April 15, 2013
Actor Rentaro Mikuni, well known for his nuanced performances in such classics as "Kiga Kaikyo" (Hunger straits) and "The Burmese Harp," died on April 14 of acute respiratory failure. He was 90.
April 14, 2013
Noriko Otsu leafs through a photo album at her home in Kyoto and recalls her reluctant words of advice to a friend the last time they were together in Japan in the mid-1980s.
April 10, 2013
Katsunosuke Maeda, former president of Japanese chemical giant Toray Industries Inc. and former vice chairman of Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), died of pneumonia on April 7. He was 82.
April 05, 2013
As anyone who has moved to Japan knows, the start-up costs of renting accommodation can be draining. Next to that, finding a school to study the Japanese language can be daunting.
April 05, 2013
Just a year into her marriage and on her 22nd birthday, Nobue Iwata’s husband died of an illness. In his coffin, she placed a letter that said, "I will never marry again."
April 02, 2013
HONG KONG--Almost 2 million origami made by fans in memory of singer-actor Leslie Cheung are being displayed in Hong Kong at an exhibition marking the 10th anniversary of his death.
March 28, 2013
A much slimmer and somewhat haggard-looking Takafumi Horie appeared in public for the first time in 21 months on March 27 following his release on parole from prison in Nagano Prefecture.
March 27, 2013
In a rare media interview, "Dragon Ball" creator Akira Toriyama admitted he was at a loss to explain the tremendous global success of the battle-action manga series and its anime adaptations.
March 25, 2013
TAIPEI—A Japanese graduate student who is visually impaired, cannot speak and cannot move shared his experiences with a Taiwanese poet who has also lost her vision, speech and physical mobility.
March 23, 2013
Leather, fur and kimono-like draped fabric met in bold fusion on March 21 as designer Hiroko Koshino showed off skills honed through decades of rivalry with her two sisters, both also designers in a fashion family spanning several generations.