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May 05, 2024
 

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Jiro Yamaguchi
For Jiro Yamaguchi's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 27, 2016
Rallying to stop Abe from gutting Japan's democracy
Shinzo Abe is treading dangerously close to shutting down freedom of the press and expression, and the opposition must come together to stop his drive to alter the Constitution.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 25, 2015
The scourge of conformism besetting Japanese society
The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the law requiring married couples to use the same surname is rooted in a society that stifles those outside the norm.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 25, 2015
Japan and the war on terror
The Abe administration must not be allowed to use 'the war on terror' to enact sweeping security laws.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 28, 2015
Opposition must work out unified campaign strategy
If Japan is to have a thriving democracy, the opposition camp must come together and offer the Liberal Democratic Party real competition.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 29, 2015
Tough challenge awaits both ruling and opposition parties
The Liberal Democratic Party badly needs a course correction, but the lack of internal opposition to Shinzo Abe makes this nearly impossible.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 25, 2015
Protecting Japan's democracy
Japanese voters need to punish politicians who ignore the Constitution, but first a viable alternative to the LDP must be established.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 30, 2015
Nation's political culture stands at major crossroads
Will Japan be dragged down by egocentric anti-intellectualism and suspension of judgment, or will a new civic culture turn the nation into a more mature democracy?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 23, 2015
Abe's security legislation and freedom of expression
The Abe administration appears keen to sweep critical intellect out of Japanese society.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 25, 2015
Correctly understanding Japan's postwar history
Japan's mission should be to provide humanitarian solutions to the problems confronting the victims of conflicts rather than engage in war in the name of collective self-defense.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 26, 2015
LDP fails to live up to its name
The Abe administration and the Liberal Democratic Party have gone too far in their abuse of power.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 19, 2015
Politicizing personal beliefs will invite distrust of Japan
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will invite distrust of Japan as well as create a big risk for himself if he insists on politicizing his personal beliefs.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 17, 2015
Japan needs a strong intellect that doesn't yield to terrorism
The murder of two Japanese citizens by Islamic State terrorists shouldn't be used as an excuse to eliminate the Constitution's restraints on the use of military force.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 26, 2015
Protecting a tolerant society
How people who champion tolerance should deal with intolerant people who violently attempt to force certain values on others is one of the thorniest challenges for a pluralistic democracy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 25, 2014
A realistic agenda for voters to prevent the worst results
One wonders if the Japanese are realistic enough to vote against political parties and candidates in order to prevent the worst results even if they don't see candidates of their choice.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 27, 2014
Shinzo Abe's political agenda
People should be aware that Japan has such an unstable person in its leadership position, who can make the final decision for the nation to take military action.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 28, 2014
Perilous spirit of the times
A gap has emerged between Japanese and foreign media in their appraisal of Japan's political scene. Some overseas media are growing skeptical that Japan is indeed a champion of freedom and democracy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 25, 2014
McCarthyism, Japan-style
The inordinate attacks by right-wing media and politicians on the Asahi Shimbun after the newspaper retracted and apologized for past reporting errors on two controversial topics does not bode well for the spirit of future press inquiry in Japan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 2, 2014
Wrong path to full sovereignty
The change in the government's long-standing interpretation of Article 9 of the Constitution may lift some restrictions on Japan's use of military force, but Japan will not become a full-fledged sovereign state as long as it has a leader who can neither think autonomously nor press a case on behalf of Japan with a negotiating partner.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 31, 2014
Abe undermining rule of law
Recent decisions involving security and nuclear power policies demonstrate that Japan's leaders appear to believe that rules were made to be reinterpreted.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 23, 2014
War history lessons ignored
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is ignoring history as he tries to have the Constitution reintrepreted to enable Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense.
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.
Harajuku strives to reclaim its former glory — and surpass it
Laforet Harajuku, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, has been a witness to the district's evolution over the years.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Debate on constitutional revision at a standstill despite Kishida's pledges
With less than two months left before the conclusion of the current session of parliament, any possibility that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can deliver constitutional reform before the end of his term as Liberal Democratic Party president in late September, as he has promised, appears remote.
Japan's May 1 intervention may have cost ¥3.66 trillion, BOJ data suggests
An electronic screen displays a graph showing Japanese yen exchange rates surging against the dollar amid signs of intervention by authorities, in Tokyo on Thursday.
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.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.

Podcast

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