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Kevin Rafferty
For Kevin Rafferty's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 5, 2017
Can Abe show global vision?
Japan's way forward is to be the prophet of a new global order, not the hegemony of Washington or Beijing.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 15, 2017
Abe's dangerous 2020 vision
It is time to come into the open to consider the costs and benefits — psychological, diplomatic and financial — of revising Japan's Constitution.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 26, 2017
Abe's dreams and nightmares
The issue of North Korea is instructive for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Japan because the room for maneuver is limited and Japan is trapped.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2017
May threatening mayhem
Theresa May's vision for post-Brexit Britain is 50 years too late in its official articulation, and 150-200 years too late in having the means of accomplishment.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 19, 2017
Abe needs to place Japan's interests ahead of Trump's
Prime Minister Abe should be pursuing a more Asian-oriented policy with the aim of creating a peaceful backyard that can withstand any future Trump tantrums.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 2, 2017
Abe, beware being 'Trumpled'
Donald Trump is wrong: The world needs leaders with global, not greedy nationalistic, solutions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 25, 2016
Will Trump's foreign policy push Japan to go nuclear?
Japan is dancing with the devil in thinking of an arms race or the nuclear option to make up for lack of Donald Trump's support.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 2, 2016
Universities' failing grades
Japanese university bureaucracy must be prized open to let the nation's hopes and dreams flourish.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 20, 2016
Japan's Brexit challenge
Japan is being surprisingly forceful in demanding answers from the U.K. on Brexit.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 28, 2016
Building dreams in Japan
Buying or building your dream home in Japan can be nearly impossible.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 9, 2016
Is Abe a true nationalist?
Prime Minister Abe should focus on reviving the economy, not revising the Constitution.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 1, 2016
Abe's wand has lost its magic
Prime Minister Abe's failing is that he sees Abenomics as a magic wand that he can wave and all will be well.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 27, 2016
'Trumpetings' mean trouble for Japan and Asia
The last thing this region needs is more tension and conflict, which is what would come with a Trump presidency.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 26, 2016
Japan has reasons to be scared
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe himself seems to have forgotten Abenomics in his quest for Japan to be a "normal" nation with a constitution to his personal liking.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 1, 2016
Time for Japan's academia and media to wake up
Japan's media and academia are failing in their duty to question government policies.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 13, 2016
Abe's global contradictions
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talks big about Japan playing a greater role on the global stage, but the reality has been disappointing.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 31, 2015
Why Abe's 'womenomics' program isn't working
There is a contradiction between the demands of 'womenomics' and Abe's call for women to have more babies.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 22, 2015
Oxford lessons for Todai
An international outlook, a dedication to research and a spirit of enterprise are among the qualities that universities need to become world-leading institutions.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 16, 2015
Abe flubs great opportunity to be a green global leader
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could have stood forward at the Paris climate talks as a world leader in the fight against climate change. Instead, he offered nothing new.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 6, 2015
It should be home sweet home, but not in Japan
The destructive nexus between construction companies, bureaucracy and politicians is largely responsible for Japan's glut of rapidly depreciating houses.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world