Society
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Cherry blossom: why is the fragrant springtime flower causing such a stink?
The Japanese town of Fujiyoshida has cancelled its annual blossom festival citing unmanageable amounts of tour…
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Peter Smith obituary
My father, Peter Smith, who has died aged 97, set up a pioneering health food store in the unlikely setting of…
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‘People ought to know’: Blue Boy Trial brings Japan’s trans history up to date
Kasho Iizuka’s feature casts trans actors to revisit a notorious 1965 trial that made gender reassignment ille…
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Sanae Takaichi appoints just two women to cabinet after becoming Japan’s first female PM
New leader had promised levels of female representation comparable to those in Iceland, where six of cabinet o…
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Japanese man becomes oldest person to reach Mount Fuji summit at 102
Kokichi Akuzawa climbed with 70-year-old daughter to break record for oldest person to make ascent – a second …
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She compared motherhood in four countries. The US isn’t looking good
A new book examines childcare policies across the globe – and asks whether parenthood in the US needs to be so…
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New daily weight-loss pill shows success at clinical trial
Orforglipron also reduced blood sugar levels in participants with type 2 diabetesA significant trial of a dail…
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Bland, soggy slop or scratch-cooked chilli and pancakes? The best and worst hospital food around the world – in pictures
From Kenya to Brazil, patients need tasty, nutritious food more than most – so which countries do it best?• ‘W…
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Black Box Diaries review – inside the remarkable events that triggered Japan’s #MeToo movement
Japanese journalist Shiori Itō tells how she pursued her rape case against a prominent TV executive This is th…
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Pathogenic microbes blown vast distances by winds, scientists discover
Living microbes that cause disease in humans and host antibiotic-resistance genes carried 1,200 milesMicrobes …
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Japan’s LGBTQ+ photo weddings – in pictures
Unable to marry legally in Japan, LGBTQ+ couples are celebrating their bond in traditional kimonos, suits and …
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Life at the heart of Japan’s lonely deaths epidemic: ‘I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried’
Some 68,000 people are expected to die alone and unnoticed in Japan this year, police say, as the population c…
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Tobacco giant accused of ‘manipulating science’ to attract non-smokers
Leaked documents from Philip Morris reveal ‘secret’ strategy to market its heated tobacco product IQOSThe toba…
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A Tokyo developer will demolish a building for spoiling the view. Why doesn’t Britain care about beauty? | Simon Jenkins
Politicians and planners are allowing the Thames to become an urban canyon – greed always seems to win out A J…
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Akira Endo, ‘remarkable’ scientist who discovered statins, dies aged 90
Biochemist found cholesterol-lowering compound in 1973 and the drugs have prolonged millions of livesThe scien…
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Sake takes UK by storm as Japan’s national drink goes mainstream
No longer just drunk for courage at karaoke clubs, the ‘food-friendly’ rice spirit is becoming a first choice …
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Write down your thoughts and shred them to relieve anger, researchers say
Writing negative reactions on paper and shredding it or scrunching and throwing in the bin eliminates angry fe…
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‘I am not very good at design’: architecture’s top honour goes to Riken Yamamoto
The Pritzker prize has been won by the 78-year-old Japaneses master whose whose work ranges from an open-acces…
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Births in Japan hit record low as government warns crisis at ‘critical state’
Birthrate continues to fall as young people increasingly reluctant to have children due to bleak job prospects…
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Japan court lets transgender man change official status without sterilisation in legal first
Ruling comes months after supreme court ruled that requiring sterilisation before a change of gender in offici…