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May 19, 2024
 

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Leonid Bershidsky
For Leonid Bershidsky's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2015
The first Olympic hurdle should be voter support
Making plebiscites obligatory for all bidding cities could be the first step toward restoring the tattered reputation of the Olympics.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2015
Germany leads the way with energy transition
As Germany is demonstrating with its Energiewende program, transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy is a matter of resolve.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 27, 2015
Sex and drugs on the road to jihad in Paris
Jobs and education programs for young people in poor neighborhoods would help put Islamic State out of business in Europe.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 25, 2015
Russia is waging war on far too many fronts
Putin's Russia is not exactly weak, it's just alone and unloved after alienating even potential friends such as Turkey and Ukraine.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 20, 2015
Putin wants victory against IS, not detente
Putin wants to win the war against Islamic State and be acknowledged as the leader who brought about victory.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2015
No city is safe while the war continues in Syria
France and other U.S.-led coalition countries must all now assume they are potential targets for attacks like the ones in Paris. They need to decide whether they should subscribe to Putin's method of stamping out terror.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2015
Russia's travel ban on Egypt taking a heavy toll
Vladimir Putin's decision to stop flights to Egypt is having a major impact not just on the Russian travel industry but also on a public that has few other inexpensive alternatives for overseas travel.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 9, 2015
Putin's Fortress Russia takes an economic toll
Hit by Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, Vladimir Putin has adopted an isolationist policy that is crippling the Russian economy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 15, 2015
Syrian war gives Russia a chance to test weapons
The Kremlin appears to only be setting short-term tactical goals in Syria; one of which is to battle-test and show off new military hardware.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 7, 2015
Kiev learning hard lesson about Western support
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has underestimated the determination of France and Germany to get the Ukrainian matter out of the way in the most efficient manner possible.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 5, 2015
Putin in Syria is like Putin in Ukraine
What Syrian President Bashar Assad may not realize is that once Russian President Vladimir Putin comes in, it's hard to get him out.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 29, 2015
A failed tech revolution continues to haunt Kiev
Ukraine has the human resources to create a world-class technology hub, but the government is ignoring the industry and doing little to stop a brain drain.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2015
Something is rotten in the state of Germany
Malfeasance like that at Volkswagen, Deutsche Bank and Siemens, and the lack of executive responsibility for it, may be built into the German corporate governance system.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2015
Nature of sovereignty a key issue in Russia-U.S. divide
While Russia adheres to the traditional notion that state sovereignty is inviolable, the U.S. now believes it's trumped by humanitarian considerations.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 20, 2015
Did Charlie Hebdo mock the dead refugee boy?
If the people who now wax indignant about the Aylan Kurdi cartoons supported Charlie Hebdo last winter and joined demonstrations carrying 'Je suis Charlie' signs, they clearly did it for the wrong reasons.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 10, 2015
Putin could be planning a big gamble in Syria
Is Vladimir Putin taking the risky step of dramatically increasing Russia's military role in Syria's civil war?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 1, 2015
Norwegian television taps into fear of Russia
Norway's new TV series called 'Occupied' taps into Norwegians' wariness of Russia and their uneasiness about being the EU's gas station.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 12, 2015
How America lost Russia
The U.S. provoked Russian President Vladimir Putin by appeasing him and then abruptly reversing course. The damage won't be easily undone.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 10, 2015
Trump's risky bet against political correctness
For a U.S. candidate, political correctness — making sure no chance remark can be construed as racist, sexist, ageist, offensive to a religion, elitist or otherwise insensitive — can be a ball and chain.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 9, 2015
The world hates Russia. Russia hates it back
A new report by Pew Research Center show how effectively President Vladimir Putin has managed to isolate Russia and breed a siege mentality in it against the West.
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
America wasn’t made for walking, and it’s killing them
A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
U.S. envoy to Japan makes landmark visit to front-line island near Taiwan
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel meets with members of the Self-Defense Forces stationed on Yonaguni, Okinawa Prefecture, on Friday.
Japan passes bill to introduce 'blue ticket' fines for cyclists
A new system under which bicycle riders pay fines for minor traffic violations to escape criminal punishment is expected to be introduced in Japan no later than 2026.
Japan changes law to allow joint custody after divorce
Legislation that allows the option of joint custody of children after divorce is passed at the Upper House plenary session on Friday.
Can AI-generated inventions be patented? A Tokyo court says no.
The Tokyo court's ruling comes amid ongoing debates on how to regulate generative AI and is part of a transnational class action lawsuit.
A new initiative rethinks old Tohoku crafts
The colored patterns of Tsuguru "nuri," made in Aomori Prefecture, are achieved by applying multiple coatings of lacquer, which are later polished down to reveal layers of colors beneath.
Xi and Putin mark ‘new era’ amid efforts to counter U.S. ‘containment’
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend an event in Beijing on Thursday. During Putin's visit, the leaders showed off their growing alignment amid efforts to push back against the U.S.-led world order.
Unraveling the Japanese prose of Yukio Mishima
Author Yukio Mishima accepts the Arts Festival Award in the drama category at the 20th Arts Festival Award Ceremony on Jan. 22, 1966.

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

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How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

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