Menu
Search
The Japan Times
  • Subscribe
    Digital Print
  • Login
  • My Account
 
July 05, 2026
The Japan Times
 

Subscribe

Digital Print
  • World Cup
  • China
  • Falling yen
  • Latest News

Today's print edition

Home Delivery

  • JAPAN
    • Politics
    • Society
    • Crime & Legal
    • Science & Health
    • Explainer
    • History
  • WORLD
    • Politics
    • Crime & Legal
    • Science & Health
    • Society
  • ASIA PACIFIC
    • Politics
    • Crime & Legal
    • Science & Health
    • Society
  • BUSINESS
    • Companies
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Tech
  • SPORTS
    • Sumo
    • Soccer
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • More sports
  • OPINION
    • Editorials
    • Commentary
    • Geoeconomic Briefing
  • Environment
    • CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Energy
    • SUSTAINABILITY
    • WILDLIFE
    • EARTH SCIENCE
  • LIFE
    • Travel
    • Digital
    • Food & Drink
    • Style & Design
    • Language
    • Lifestyle
  • CULTURE
    • Film
    • Books
    • Music
    • Art
    • TV & Streaming
    • Stage
    • Entertainment news
  • COMMUNITY
    • Voices
    • Issues
    • How-tos
    • Our Lives
  • My Account
  • My Bookmarks
  • Logout
Subscribe for more access
The Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA

An imaginary hell

By Mark Thompson
SHARE/SAVE
X Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Threads Email Print Bookmark story Bookmark story Copy link
May 24, 2013

In a time of both misinformation and too much information,
quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

SUBSCRIBE NOW

With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.

Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ

  • WHAT’S TRENDING
  •  
  • Editors' Picks
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.
Japanese police arrest nine over Sierra Leone-based special fraud
Japanese police have arrested nine individuals for their alleged involvement in a special fraud case using Sierra Leone as a base.
Japanese-language education is at a turning point
The country is gradually transforming Japanese-language education from a volunteer-driven system into a professional, government-supported network to better serve its growing foreign population. 
Iran war exposed, but hasn’t changed, Japan’s reliance on imported oil
Wind turbines generate energy from strong easterly winds on the Shonai Plain in Yamagata Prefecture. Despite the oil crisis caused by conflict near the Strait of Hormuz, and concerns instability in the region could continue to impact supply and the price of imports, the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi does not seem to be drawing on the war as a pretext to hasten progress toward Japan's renewable goals.
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.

Our Planet

Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
By Shoaib Mir and Parthu Venkatesh P

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency
New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division.

広告出稿に関するおといあわせはこちらまで

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

international-reports
  • Bridges by SMS
  • Global Insight
  • GMI Post
  • World Eye Reports

Latest News

Sharp targets ¥300 billion new business sales by fiscal 2030
7 hours ago
China launches coast guard patrol east of Taiwan despite international pushback
9 hours ago
Huge crowds gather as funeral ceremonies for Iranian supreme leader Khamenei begin
9 hours ago
Lithium battery fires hit record high in Japan in fiscal 2025
10 hours ago
Micron breaks ground on $9 billion western Japan plant expansion
10 hours ago
SUBSCRIBE
In your social network
Stay up to date with us on your social media platform of choice.
Facebook
In your inbox
Get updates, insights and more via our newsletters.
SIGN ME UP SIGN ME UP
  • products & services
  • Print subscriptions
  • Academic & Business subscriptions
  • Student subscription
  • JT Digital Archives
  • Epaper Edition
  • RSS feeds
  • help & support
  • Support
  • FAQs
  • Link policy
  • Republishing
  • Contact us
  • about us
  • Company info
  • Privacy policy
  • Link policy
  • Announcements
  • Work with us
  • Advertise with us
  • Press releases
  • our sites
  • The Japan Times Alpha
  • JT Bookclub
  • The Japan Times Jobs
  • Education In Japan
  • Classifieds
  • Public notices
  • Disaster information
  • Comfacts
  • our activities
  • Sustainable Japan
  • Destination Restaurants
  • Satoyama Consortium
  • ESG Consortium
SUBSCRIBE
In your social network
Stay up to date with us on your social media platform of choice.
Facebook
In your inbox
Get updates, insights and more via our newsletters.
SIGN ME UP SIGN ME UP
The Japan Times
THE JAPAN TIMES LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.