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May 14, 2024
 

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William Pesek
For William Pesek's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2014
Australia flirts with messed-up American dream
It was fascinating to hear American economist Joseph Stiglitz take on Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott for trafficking in the same economic ideologies threatening to turn the American dream into a nightmare of permanent haves and have-nots.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 8, 2014
Xi's fumbles give Obama's pivot a second chance
Years from now, when the history of Barack Obama's much-maligned 'pivot to Asia' is written, he may owe a debt of gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose overbearing ways in the region are giving Obama a second wind.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 7, 2014
Can Japan's democracy survive Abe's designs?
Many Japanese are so happy to have a leader who's acting boldly that they seem willing to give Shinzo Abe the benefit of the doubt when he does exactly what they and others oppose.
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2014
Could Kim be ready to declare war over a movie?
Asian geopolitics may never be the same now that Kim Jong Un has Seth Rogen and James Franco in his cross hairs.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 28, 2014
Abe fishing for casino card to help growth
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is nudging lawmakers to legalize Las Vegas-style casino gambling in Japan to help boost economic growth, but he faces tough odds winning lawmakers over.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 23, 2014
Time to make 'Chindia' a reality
Ten years ago, Indian economist and politician Jairam Ramesh raised the idea of China and India joining forces to cooperate as much as they compete. With both countries now in the hands of self-described reformers, could 'Chindia' finally come to fruition?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 21, 2014
Ending Japan's sexism requires men to lean in, too
Ayaka Shiomura's tears show why Shinzo Abe's talk of empowering Japan's women is still more hot air than policy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 14, 2014
Noda says Abe buying into 'voodoo economics'
Sour grapes are in season in Tokyo as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's predecessor steps up and slams the incumbent's tax plans.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2014
Why Malaysia is riskier than India, Indonesia
From missing airplanes to jail-bound opposition leaders, Malaysia has recently made international headlines for all the wrong reasons. Will the nation's economy be next?
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2014
Circus may visit Bangkok, but it can't stay on
The generals who now control Thailand are making a big show of shifting their attention from guns to butter. They would have better luck if they could communicate their ultimate intentions to the rest of the world.
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2014
Thailand must stop preferring bullets over votes
There is no military solution to Thailand's former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Every time soldiers step up to restore order in the short run, they set back Thai democracy in the long run.
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2014
Indian banker has hardest job in economics
The most important contribution that Reserve Bank of India head Raghuram Rajan can make under the next government is to get the nation's inflation rate well below the growth rate.
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2014
Malaysia's jet, Korea's ferry tell larger stories
Tragedy has struck Malaysia and South Korea in recent weeks, with the travails of searching for a lost airliner and of recovering bodies from a sunken ferry played out in horrifying detail on the world's TV screens. Unlike Malaysia, though, South Korea is likely to come out of its crisis stronger than ever.
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2014
N. Korea won't disarm nukes so stop pushing it
Why shouldn't the U.S. and South Korea grudgingly accept the North's nuclear weapons status and focus on what they might actually be able to change: Pyongyang's belligerent behavior?
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 29, 2014
Ferry crisis transports South Korea back to 1997
If South Korean President Park Geun-hye acts boldly and transparently to investigate the many failures that led to the Sewol ferry tragedy, her administration can still recover, and the nation's loss of face globally will be fleeting.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 28, 2014
'Japanese' remark serves economist's purpose
Swedes must be stewing with regret for giving American economist Paul Krugman the Nobel Prize after one of his columns likened the trajectory of Scandinavia's biggest economy to Tokyo's battle with deflation.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2014
A moment of truth for the women of India
"The Power of 49": That's how Indian activists have started describing the potential influence of women, who make up just under 50 percent of the population, in the country's ongoing elections. Political parties are courting women for the first time as a bloc, a transformative force that could upend both caste-based voting patterns and the conventional wisdom in New Delhi if they cast their ballots along gender lines.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 17, 2014
Japan misses chance as Abe looks backward
For Abenomics bulls who still hold out hope that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe intends to make good on his pledges to revitalize Japan, the past week must have been at least a little disconcerting.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 11, 2014
How Malaysia can limit harm from lost Flight 370
Fairly or not, Malaysia has lost a great deal of its standing both in the region and around the world since Flight 370 disappeared on its way to Beijing a month ago.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2014
Pope and Xi Jinping should be sharing notes
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pope Francis would seem like natural enemies. Yet, these world leaders should really be sharing notes as their tasks of late are surprisingly similar.
Three men rearrested over brokering of overseas prostitution
A woman speaks of her experience of being sent to Macau by an overseas prostitution broker during an interview in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on April 8.
Money stolen via online transfers up fivefold in Tokyo
Special fraud cases in Tokyo in which stolen money was sent via online banking services grew some fivefold from the previous year in 2023.
How the discovery of a giant sword in Nara offers clues into ancient Japan
Archaeologists say a 1,600-year-old wooden coffin at the Tomio Maruyama tumulus in the city of Nara was kept in good condition probably because it was protected by a layer of clay and copper ions that had seeped out of the mirrors that were buried together.
In first month of operations, ride-hailing services used more than taxis in Tokyo
As of last Sunday, ride-hailing services, which use personal vehicles to offer paid rides, had been used a total of 12,628 times in five areas.
Tech giants start to treat Southeast Asia like the next big thing
Attendees arrive for Microsoft's event on AI technologies in Jakarta on April 30.
Is black the new green for Japan’s flagging tea farmers?
George Guttridge-Smith brews tea at Kyoto Obubu Tea Farm in Wazuka, Kyoto Prefecture, where he serves as head of international development.
Japan's logistics firms seek partnerships to cope with driver shortage
Japan Post CEO Tetsuya Senda (right) and his Seino Transportation counterpart Satoshi Takahashi announce their companies' agreement on joint long-haul truck operations, in Tokyo on Thursday.
How the discovery of a giant sword in Nara offers clues into ancient Japan
Archaeologists say a 1,600-year-old wooden coffin at the Tomio Maruyama tumulus in the city of Nara was kept in good condition probably because it was protected by a layer of clay and copper ions that had seeped out of the mirrors that were buried together.
Unlike 10 years ago, Japan's new security bill sparks little debate
The Lower House starts discussing a security clearance bill on April 19 in Tokyo.
Japan’s tween skateboarders get head start on preparations for 2028 Olympics
Ibuki Matsumoto competes at an event in Osaka on April 21.

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

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.
How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Cultural properties:A Fujiya Hotel insider’s view
Cultural properties:A Fujiya Hotel insider’s view

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