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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
Aug 3, 2015
Putin would eat President Trump for lunch
Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't make deals with brash, showy businessmen like Donald Trump. He crushes them.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 2, 2015
Why Russia vetoed bid to set up MH17 tribunal
Like the U.S., Russia wants to retain the right to try its own war criminals under its own laws rather than hand them over to an international tribunal.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 23, 2015
Did Putin sell out Greece to Western leaders?
Did Vladimir Putin withdraw Russia's support for helping Greece exit the euro to score points with the West?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2015
Want the euro? Be more like the Germans
The lesson of the Greek crisis is that if you want to use an essentially German currency, you have to be a little German.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2015
Watch as Riyadh cozies up to the Russians
Saudi Arabia is building up ties with Russia, not least because it would like help in building 16 nuclear reactors.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 9, 2015
Greeks, Germans and these so-called deadlines
Some of what has gone wrong with the tedious bailout talks between Greece and its northern European creditors can probably be attributed to cultural differences.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 7, 2015
The Greeks have voted, now kick them out
Now that Greece has voted overwhelmingly against a compromise that would have allowed Europe to continue financing it, it must be forced out of the eurozone and perhaps the EU.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 5, 2015
RIP Land Rover Defender, the greatest car ever
Regulation and marketing-driven blandness, the enemies of everything original, have killed one of the world's last real cars.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 28, 2015
Pushed by sanctions, Russia pivots to China
The Russian government has become willing to contemplate deals with China that would have been unthinkable before the sanctions.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 23, 2015
Germany should buy — and show — Hitler's art
The German government should exhibit Adolf Hitler's artwork publically to help people better undersand what happened to Germany in the 1930s and '40s.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2015
Vladimir Putin in his bubble
Given Russia's economic performance, much of Vladimir Putin's speech at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum was first-class stand-up comedy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2015
Tragedy should prompt a zoo rethink
The Tbilisi zoo tragedy should make governments reconsider the rules for keeping wild animals in captivity.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2015
Putin is no James Bond villain
Vladimir Putin is a rogue dictator, but that doesn't mean that he is intent on destroying the world with nuclear weapons unless it bends to his will.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 8, 2015
Poroshenko makes Putin look like a wimp
If Ukraine manages to pull out of the deepest crisis in its history and re-emerge as a functioning democratic country with a liberal economic model, it will do more to undermine Russians' passive support for Vladimir Putin than any Western pressure ever could.
COMMENTARY / World
May 30, 2015
FIFA's shocking calls awakened a U.S. giant
American law enforcement is looking to dismantle the cozy old-boy hierarchy that Seth Blatter has learned to play since he joined FIFA in 1975.
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2015
Effort to revive Soviet glory backfire on Putin
Failed attempts by Vladimir Putin to reclaim glory for Russia in areas where the Soviet Union once excelled may present a bigger threat to his regime than falling living standards.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2015
Putin tries to freeze Ukraine conflict
The latest proposals put forth by Ukraine's separatists are designed to be rejected by the government of Ukraine as a way to produce a permanent frozen conflict zone.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2015
Why self-driving cars will always need oversight
Self-driving cars are incapable of making moral decisions so they will always need human oversight.
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2015
Why Putin treats fantasy as history
In the worldview of Russian President Vladimir Putin, winning matters more than truth.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2015
Putin needs neither war nor peace in Ukraine
It makes sense for Russian President Vladimir Putin to freeze the conflict in Ukraine, allowing his country's investment rebound to gain momentum while keeping Ukraine on the hook.
South Korea couple beat same-sex barriers to parenthood
South Korean lesbian couple Kim Kyu-jin (left) and her wife, Kim Sae-yeon, pose with a "pregnant woman" badge during an interview in Seoul last month.
Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
Opportunities await the bold in the Year of the Wood Dragon
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, with the year predicted to be a good time for fresh starts.
Don’t worry about global population collapse
Most projections show the world will hit peak humanity in the 21st century as people choose to have smaller families and women gain power over their own reproduction.
Japan pharma startup developing world-first drug to grow new teeth
A new tooth is seen in a ferret's mouth after it was administered a drug to stimulate the growth of tooth buds.
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.
New Taiwan president to set tone for ties with China at inauguration
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te arrives at the CyberSec 2024 Exhibition in Taipei on Wednesday.

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

Spotlighting a Niigata castle town through sushi
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