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July 27, 2024
 

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Kuni Miyake
Supporters of former president Donald Trump pray during a benediction on the second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 19, 2024
Unpacking America's puzzling election dynamics
If the Republican Party sacrifices the true interests of the U.S. and its allies in order to win the presidency, it will no longer be the Grand Old Party.
Baseballs fans wear jerseys of the South Korean-born San Diego Padres player Kim Ha-Seong and the Los Angeles Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani in Seoul. Many South Koreans have embraced Ohtani, who is Japanese, despite the countries' historic rivalry.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 5, 2024
How long do the memories of a generation last?
The dominant culture of an era can be passed on to the next generation, but struggles to reach the one after that. This has implications for Japan-South Korea relations.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un holds a reception for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang on Wednesday. Agreements reached by the two leaders this time were tactical in nature and hardly strategic.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2024
Putin’s Pyongyang visit, pivotal talks and a generational shift reshape regional dynamics
The move by Russia and North Korea this time is tactical in nature and hardly strategic.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivers the work report at the opening session of the National People's Congress in Beijing on March 5. Li dropped the mention of "peaceful" from unification with Taiwan this year.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2024
The Taiwan question: 'Strategic ambiguity' and U.S. foreign policy
Chinese Premier Li Qiang in a government report delivered at the opening of the National People's Congress dropped the mention of "peaceful" for unification with Taiwan.
The Japanese view of China is deteriorating, characterized by a fear of arbitrary detention and the belief the country, economically, is past its peak. The Chinese see Japan as declining and too reliant on the United States. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 15, 2024
Can Japan and China bridge their ever-widening ‘perception gap’?
Despite the fear, many of the worries Japanese have about visiting China are unfounded. Bridging the gap requires both nations to resume exchanges.
Japan has entered an era of full-fledged population decline. If current trends remain unchanged, the nation's population is expected to decline by about half from 124 million in 2023 to 63 million by 2100.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 26, 2024
Japan’s shrinking population is a big problem for the nation
An expert panel sounds the alarm on the nation's declining birthrate and population crisis.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses a news conference during his state visit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 11, 2024
Kishida's U.S. state visit may be a turning point in the nation's foreign policy
What was most striking during Kishida's visit to the U.S. was Biden's remarks at the beginning of a joint news conference on their nations' military ties.
Beijing's repression of its Muslim citizens, including Uyghurs in Xinjiang Province, could make it the target of Islamic State attacks.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 28, 2024
After Russia, is China the Islamic State's next target?
As Russia mourns the victims of the Moscow attack, China should be on guard. Its repression of Uyghurs has provoked the Islamic State group before.
Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Fumio Kishida delivers a speech during the LDP's 91st party convention in Tokyo on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2024
What is being missed about the funding scandal
In discussions about the LDP funding scandal, certain considerations are missing. Beyond lambasting the party, these must be addressed for a clear vision.
Donald Trump supporters wait for the former U.S. president to speak at a campaign rally in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 29, 2024
Wake up America! What happened to your exceptionalism?
What is tragic is that both the Democratic and Republican parties effectively decided on their final presidential nominees long before the primaries began.
Shanghai's financial district under heavy rain. China's economy has slowed down, with some pointing to a possible balance sheet recession.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2024
Mr. Xi, only change will help China weather the storm
How does Xi Jinping plan to address China's growing economic woes? Only openness to change will allow the global power to survive these turbulent times.
Japan remains largely unresponsive as the U.S. moves toward the escalation of retaliatory strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen and other Iranian-supported militants in the Middle East.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 2, 2024
As the U.S. and Iran inch toward war, Tokyo bickers about political factions
Japan remains largely unresponsive as U.S. moves toward retaliatory strikes in the Middle East, and possibly war.
The Democratic Progressive Party's presidential candidate, Lai Ching-te, the eventual winner, casts his vote during the island's election in Tainan, Taiwan, on Saturday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 18, 2024
Taiwan's election and its potential impact on East Asian politics
China tried to interfere in the Taiwanese elections through the systematic use of "cognitive warfare," but failed.
The Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo. In the wake of a political funding scandal, some are calling for the dissolution of the LDP's factions.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 16, 2024
Eliminating factions isn’t the answer to the funding scandal
In the wake of a political funding scandal that has embroiled the LDP, some are calling for the dissolution of the party's factions. That would be a mistake.
Police officers stand guard outside the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 14. The ruling party is currently trying to contain a funding scandal that threatens the future of the Kishida administration. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 20, 2023
'Strategic Communication' is a missing link in Japan's crisis management
From gaffes to governance, lessons in "strategic communications" for Japanese politicians.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in November 2018.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 7, 2023
If Kissinger was serving as the U.S. secretary of state
There was no other U.S. diplomat whose reputation in Japan and China was as polar opposite as that of Henry Kissinger.
Indian leader Narendra Modi greets Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Group of 20 Summit in New Delhi in September.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2023
Are India and Thailand revising their diplomatic balancing acts?
New Delhi and Bangkok share an 'omnidirectional' approach to diplomacy, the limits of which are being tested.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa attends a news conference during the Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday. The Oct. 7 surprise attack by Hamas on Israel fundamentally changed the nature of this year's meeting.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 9, 2023
Dispelling myths about Japan’s ‘balanced’ Middle East diplomacy
Unfortunately, many in the Japanese media do not seem to understand what is really happening in the Middle East.
Israeli soldiers gather around a tank near the border with the Gaza Strip on Oct. 15. The IDF is preparing to conduct a ground offensive into the Palestinian territory.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 26, 2023
When history rhymes: Are we back in 2003, at the dawn of the Iraq War?
Given the parallels between the Israeli position today and the U.S. invasion of Iraq a decade ago, history can offer important lessons.
Various student and left-wing organizations march in support of Palestinians in New Delhi on Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2023
Hamas' war and what it means for India
Some strategic thinkers are calling for a broader "Indo-Abrahamic Alliance" that includes not only the I2U2 but also Egypt and Saudi Arabia
Japan's population continues to fall even as foreign resident count rises
The number of residents in Tokyo as of Jan. 1 rose by 0.03% from a year before, data shows, marking a year-on-year increase for the first time in three years, while the country's other 46 prefectures saw their populations continue to decline.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
One dead, three missing as heavy rain batters Tohoku
Camera footage shows the Mogami River bursting its banks in Tozawa, Yamagata Prefecture, on Friday morning.
Yen melt-up nudges Japanese stocks into correction territory
Japanese stocks are down 10% from their July peak as the yen strengthens.
Yen rally could help end crushing wage decay in Japan
Some economists say a sticky weak yen trend would have a negative impact on Japan's real wage growth.
When did summer in Japan stop being fun?
Summer in Japan is now consistently brutal enough to drive you indoors and keep you there until autumn.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
Why Japan's mysterious stash of classified funds escapes scrutiny
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japan eyes gold — and the future — as Olympic men's soccer campaign begins
Japan midfielder Yu Hirakawa controls the ball during a match against the United States in Kansas City, Kansas, on June 11.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals
By Alex K.T. Martin

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