Deep Dive from The Japan Times

Could drinking help the environment and rural communities? You might be surprised. Researchers in Japan have figured out how to make drinkable alcohol from wood, and the knock-on effects are much bigger than a hangover. This week, Alex K.T. Martin joins us to talk about the science — and sustainable process — behind the process that may bring cedar, oak and sakura to your next cocktail session. 

Hosted by Jason Jenkins and produced by Dave Cortez...

As news about Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter continues to emerge, we’ll talk to Elizabeth Beattie about how the social media platform’s Japan team has been affected. Are you thinking of jumping the Twitter ship? Well, tech reporter Daisuke Kikuchi later joins us to discuss what social media services are doing well in Japan before recapping some of the year’s big tech and tech-related stories. 

Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez...

The Samurai Blue are headed for Qatar to play in this year’s World Cup. This year also marks 20 years since Japan co-hosted the event with South Korea and a lot has happened in this country’s soccer scene since then. 

Sports writer Dan Orlowitz joins the show to catch us up on where Japan stands in the global soccer landscape, the controversies swirling around the host nation of Qatar, and how fandoms here interact with “the beautiful game...

Despite a recent spate of North Korean missile tests, Japan’s larger concerns have mainly focused on activities taking place to the south of the country — specifically, those involving China and Taiwan.

This week on Deep Dive from The Japan Times we speak with senior staff writer Jesse Johnson about Japan’s new alliance with Australia, the recent increase in defense spending and, of course, North Korea...

If you’ve ever had to endure a Tokyo commute at rush hour, you may not get the sense that the Japanese are very happy. However, Japan Times senior staff writer Alex K.T. Martin has been keeping track of the mood of the nation, and he thinks the country could be a lot happier than we are usually led to believe...

Despite having played a major role entertaining Chinese citizens following the Cultural Revolution, Japanese musicians are finding it increasingly difficult to grab a toehold in the region thanks to government censors and somewhat militant netizens. 

This week, Japan Times contributing writer Patrick St...