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April 30, 2024
 

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Robert Samuelson
For Robert Samuelson's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2016
Sorry Donald, America is not a poor country
Americans may feel poor, but that's only because the U.S.' stunted economic growth can't satisfy all their demands.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 21, 2016
Good news for discouraged American workers
America's job market is looking unexpectedly robust.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 4, 2016
Think life is hard now? Look back 100 years
Americans tend to forget the vast improvements that they've made in the past century.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 8, 2016
Just like in 1992, it's still the economy, stupid
Americans tend to vote on their pocketbooks, and that could be bad for Democrats if the economy drifts into recession.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 18, 2016
Why economic growth lags
A new book offers a sobering reminder of technology's limits.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2016
What happens after China's bubble goes pop?
Will China be a source of stability and strength for the world economy — or the opposite?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2016
Can the Republican Party survive its civil war?
The clash of values and policies among Republicans goes beyond Donald Trump.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2015
Solving America's stubborn poverty problem
To succeed, any new war on poverty in America must reverse several socially corrosive trends.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2015
Donald Trump and the politics of self-esteem
The more Trump flouts prevailing norms on the divisive moral issues that are now dominating U.S. politics, the more popular he becomes among Republicans.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2015
The troubling slump in American startups
Data on startups provide robust evidence of a pervasive decline in U.S. business dynamism over the last several decades.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 8, 2015
Will the 'cybergeddon' nightmare materialize?
The more functions we put on the Internet, the more dependent on it we become. And today's dependency is tomorrow's vulnerability.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 28, 2015
Ideology of shared prosperity under fire
Significant blocs of humanity are ignoring or repudiating the West's faith in the power of shared prosperity, turning instead to nationalism or radical Islam.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 26, 2015
Are Americans No. 1? It depends
Americans have long been fascinated with global rankings and where they stand in them, but sometimes the results aren't all that impressive.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2015
U.S. presidential candidates' flight from reality
There is a sobering disconnect between what America's presidential candidates are advocating and the large problems the country actually faces.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 17, 2015
Cyberwarfare's vast potential for mayhem
Countries have begun to build up their cyberweaponry, and no one can yet say where this new form of military technology will lead.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 5, 2015
Don't rule out a global recession next year
The global economy is not flirting with a new recession yet, but it's not a remote possibility either.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2015
Will China crash and follow in Japan's footsteps?
If China experiences an economic fate similar to that of Japan, will it become more nationalistic abroad to distract from domestic disappointments?
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2015
Beijing playing a risky money game
The main danger is that China will destabilize the global economy through excessive currency depreciation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 11, 2015
Curbing global warming: mission impossible?
There is a 'mission impossible' quality to curbing global warming, though few say it so openly. The dependence of economic growth on fossil fules seems to strong to overcome.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2015
Figuring out the world's economic funk
Forecasters have repeatedly overestimated the global economy's strength because they underestimate the influence of the financial crisis and Great Recession on people's confidence.
When will Japan intervene to support the yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki has reiterated the government's readiness to take an appropriate action as the yen continues to slide against the U.S. dollar.
'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.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
Yen rebounds strongly after first slide past ¥160 since 1990
The yen dropped to ¥160.245 per dollar on Monday before heading into the other direction to ¥155.01 amid speculation of an intervention by Japanese currency authorities.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
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.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima
Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima

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