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May 03, 2024
 

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Kevin Rafferty
For Kevin Rafferty's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 26, 2015
Abe's magic doesn't work
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants Japan to believe there are magic solutions to the complex problems facing society, to the detriment of the nation.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2015
Too early for TPP cheers
The Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations were a major blow against democracy and good governance, and the deal is studded with measures distorting capitalism and free markets.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 13, 2015
Japan should avoid making suicidal education mistakes
Japan's educational system will suffer greatly if political ignoramuses who know the price of everything and the value of nothing are allowed to have their way.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 18, 2015
Shinzo Abe's sorry apology
Critics of Shinzo Abe have to concede that he used the right buzzwords in his address marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. But did he really mean them?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 4, 2015
Abe losing to his demons
On the 70th anniversary of Japan's defeat and surrender, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has a wonderful opportunity to set a new path for Japan, for Asia and the world. But will he take it?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 27, 2015
FT challenges Nikkei's values
The Financial Times is everything that Nikkei is not. It is questionable whether international and Japanese news values will fit easily together.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 22, 2015
Abe conjures himself up as the people's champion
The cancellation of Zaha Hadid's stadium smacks of cheap politicking by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2015
Dangerous deja vu all over
David Cameron's Conservatives are treading a dangerous path in renegotiating the U.K.'s membership and obligations in the EU.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 8, 2015
We need to talk about Abe
Shinzo Abe is bent on making Japan a 'normal' country, but has he thought out the consequences of elevating the SDF to a full-fledged military?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2015
Death and destruction in Nepal
Can the tragedy of Nepal be turned into an opportunity for that country and the world?
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2015
The BBC's worldwide coverage is losing its way
BBC worldwide coverage is increasingly losing its way, suffering from budget cuts, dumbing down of content, loss of news priorities and a sacrifice of a true world view.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2015
Singapore's iron patriarch
Lee Kuan Yew cut his teeth on politics, but his ruthlessness in ensuring the dominance of his People's Action Party removed political contenders who might one day take over. It's the age-old problem when a great philosopher-king departs.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2015
U.S. forfeiting its leadership in global finance to China
China's plans to set up the Asian International Investment Bank have demonstrated that the U.S. has lost its way and is rapidly forfeiting claims to global financial, economic, political or moral leadership.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 10, 2015
Abe's new policy on foreign aid risks playing with fire
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government is playing with fire in declaring that Japan may give non-lethal assistance to foreign military forces.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 27, 2015
Empire of petty shopkeepers
It is clear that British Prime Minister David Cameron as well as many leading lights of the government coalition do not believe in the EU, yet they do not have a strategy for a British exit without penalties.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2015
Time to rein in greedy airlines
Hundreds of millions of airline passengers are facing unnecessary turbulence as airlines squeeze as much money as possible from them, and governments look away rather than see that passengers get a fair deal.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2015
Obama's lovefest with Modi
There are questions about how deep the relationship is between India and the U.S., as opposed to that between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama.
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2015
New Sri Lankan president has delicate balancing act
Sri Lankans have sprung a surprise with their commitment to democracy. They have thrown out a strongman president who had brought an end to a three-decade-long civil war and restored high economic growth.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2015
We are all Charlie, too late
The hope must be that the assassinations of cartoonists and journalists at the weekly Charlie Hebdo will waken political and media leaders to understand that press freedoms have been badly eroded worldwide.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 8, 2015
Pakistan at a tipping point
It may be too much wishful thinking to expect the slaughter of 132 schoolchildren and nine teaching staff in Peshawar last month to mark a tipping point that forces Pakistan's squabbling factions, the nominal political rulers, army commanders and judges to put their heads together to prevent their country from becoming a failed state.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Number of vacant homes in Japan hits record high of 9 million
A vacant house in Tokyo is seen demolished in January 2020.
Saudi Arabia steps up Gaza-related arrests as Israel ties edge closer
The arrests for Gaza-related posts indicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s regime will take a hard line against citizens not toeing the line when it comes to normalizing ties with Israel.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

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