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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 / Japan
Apr 4, 2014
Abe's immigrant dream is a wage nightmare
Prime Miniser Shinzo Abe wants to import 200,000 foreign workers a year into Japan to counter the decline in the population. But the gambit might work at cross-purposes with his push to get companies to increase wages.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2014
Is China losing Taiwan?
Taiwan's president is learning a valuable lesson the hard way: If you want to cozy up to China, it's best not to be too Chinese about it.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 30, 2014
Japan might win more friends if it just shuts up
Although there's plenty of blame to go around for the sorry state of relations between Japan and its neighbors, there's something Abe could do to ratchet down tensions: Tell people in his inner circle to clam up.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 28, 2014
Ulterior motives behind China's anger?
China is doing its best to foster a sense of aggrievement, as if it has been intentionally wronged by this tragic accident. This is part of a broader pattern of exploiting international incidents for domestic gain.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2014
China no longer takes guff from U.S. about rebalancing
Just as China should be reducing savings and boosting domestic demand, it's equally important for the U.S. to be retooling its unbalanced economy. The big worry is denial in Washington.
COMMENTARY
Mar 20, 2014
Recent stimulus setting up debt crisis for China
The idea that China acted in economically rational ways that merit U.S. study and replication, as suggested by two Chinese economists, is just too much. Asia's biggest economy is merely delaying a debt crisis that will be much bigger and more spectacular than it had to be.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 11, 2014
Japanese jingoism won't help Fukushima's refugees
The Abe government's inability to handle its crisis at home belies its global ambitions.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 25, 2014
Vandalized Anne Frank diaries are troubling sign of the times
It would be an astounding coincidence if the shameful vandalism of copies of Anne Frank's memoirs was not related to the request by a southern Japanese city to have the U.N. World Heritage organization enshrine farewell letters written by World War II kamikaze suicide pilots alongside other historical documents.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 21, 2014
Golden opportunity to put the spotlight on Fukushima
Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu, whose hometown is Sendai, should demand that the government stop ignoring Tohoku.
BUSINESS
Feb 15, 2014
Sure winners in 2020 Tokyo Olympics? Gangsters
As Japan bets on a big economic boost from the 2020 Olympics, it might be dismayed by what's happening right now in Russia. Moody's doubts the Sochi Games will be much of a plus for that economy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 7, 2014
Abe pulls strings to put NHK under his thumb
The media in a democracy exists to police governments, even those largely footing the bill. But Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is intent on forcing NHK to propagate and reinforce his views.
COMMENTARY
Feb 6, 2014
Asia's dangerous nostalgia
What gives with the nostaglia in some Asian countries for strongmen of the past? The yearning for yesteryear speaks to our disorienting times and a dearth of visionary leadership when it's most needed.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 3, 2014
Torture happens when people are your export
It's simply easier for leaders of some countries to export their own people abroad and count the money than to take on vested interests and generate opportunities at home.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 30, 2014
Troubled Thailand is only the tip of Asia's iceberg
Thailand may offer the clearest example of how the U.S. Federal Reserve's ultralow interest rates have helped cover up deep-seated structural problems in emerging markets.Officials throughout Asia will regret ignoring the near suicidal course they're on.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 23, 2014
Nuclear energy fight highlights aging economy
The 'nuclear village' is at the root of the cronyism, corruption and inertia that continue to prolong Japan's malaise and dent its competitiveness. Tokyo gubernatorial candidate Morihiro Hosokawa threatens that village.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2014
Kim Jong Un's $5 trillion price worth unification's benefits
As Park Geun-hye searches for ways to compete with China and Japan, the South Korean president is eyeing a rather surprising ally: Kim Jong Un.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 17, 2014
'Allah,' the word that's pulling Malaysia apart
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's silence in the police investigtion of a Catholic priest for using the word 'Allah' when referring to God highlights misplaced priorities that are holding Malaysia back even as Indonesia and other neighbors zoom forward.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2014
Did Soros just predict an economic crash in China?
George Soros probably shouldn't expect any warm invitations to Beijing — not with the much-reviled short seller warning of a giant Chinese crash.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 10, 2014
Diplomatic dustup a worrying sign for Japan-China relations
It's tempting to roll one's eyes at the respective invocations of 'Harry Potter's' Lord Voldemort by the Chinese and Japanese ambassadors to Britain in a diplomatic tit-for-tat, but the exchange is a troubling sign.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 6, 2014
Abe squandering good will
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's weakening public standing doesn't bode well for the 'third arrow' of his economic plan — lower trade barriers, less regulation and a greater embrace of free-market principles.
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.

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