author

 
Menu
Search
 
October 24, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Michael MacArthur Bosack

Meta

Michael MacArthur Bosack
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 11, 2022
How ‘free-riding Japan’ came to embrace security multilateralism
Tokyo's foreign policy has seemed to take to heart the message from an old proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 14, 2022
Takeaways from Japan’s recent security meetings
Some observers have interpreted Japan's effort to foster relationships with other security partners as a sign of fissures in the U.S.-Japan alliance.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 12, 2022
Understanding Kishida's political landscape for 2022
To champion his own policy agenda, Kishida will have to wait and see how much political capital he has after the next Upper House election.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 22, 2021
How Japan-North Korea relations changed under Kim Jong Un
Last Friday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked 10 years in power. Recent observers have focused on nuclear weapons and diplomacy with South Korea and the United States, but there are under-discussed considerations related to Japan-North Korea ties.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 19, 2021
Looking back on Japan’s secrets protection law
The operative assumption from critics of the secrets legislation was that the new law would restrict freedom of information and make the Japanese government increasingly opaque.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 30, 2021
Center-left Kishida endorses bold moves in security realm
It's unlikely Kishida will usher in drastic changes that have not already been gestating inside the LDP and Defense Ministry, but it will be important to see which items gain top priority.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 17, 2021
Shinzo Abe became a faction boss. Now comes the tough part.
The former prime minister now leads the biggest LDP faction, but that doesn't automatically mean he will become kingmaker of the party
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 16, 2021
Tokyo and Canberra quietly reach a major security milestone
Japan and Australia reached a major milestone in their security relationship when, for the first time ever, the SDF executed an 'asset protection' mission with a non-U.S. military unit.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 9, 2021
Kishida's top diplomat pick highlights growing confidence
Kishida picking Yoshimasa Hayashi to be the foreign minister was a great choice for him. Had Hayashi and others not pushed Kishida, he may not have sought the country's top leadership job.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 2, 2021
What to make of Japan’s prediction-defying election
When the counting stopped, the ruling coalition defied expectations — only losing a net total of 12 seats.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 20, 2021
The LDP says the party will double Japan’s defense spending. Can it?
Abe waited until after the 2013 Upper House election to roll out his new National Security Strategy. The Kishida government will probably do the same.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 12, 2021
How the LDP keeps winning
It's precisely because of the LDP and Komeito's massive vote-generating machine that the ruling coalition has an edge over the opposition in the coming election.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 4, 2021
What Kishida's Cabinet picks tell us
It is important to look at not only who gets tapped, but which LDP factions they represent.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Perspectives
Oct 1, 2021
How Kishida can avoid becoming another revolving-door prime minister
The new LDP president will focus on expanding his power, implementing policies that benefit the electorate and ensuring success in the upcoming elections before widening his policy window.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 27, 2021
Who the opposition wants to win the LDP presidential race
The opposition are strategizing on how to erode the ruling LDP-Komeito coalition's Lower House majority, a task all the more difficult without knowing who their principal opponent will be.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 22, 2021
Will Japan’s next PM take a shot at constitutional amendment?
An important political factor at play here is that every single LDP candidate has to voice support for constitutional amendment if they hope to win the party presidential race.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 17, 2021
Why Shinzo Abe is backing a little-known hawk
The move by the former prime minister is aimed at allowing LDP heavyweights to maintain control of an increasingly fluid political situation.
JAPAN / Politics / The LDP's game of thrones
Sep 10, 2021
What to watch once official campaigning begins in the LDP race
While previous presidential elections have subscribed to a typical formula, this year's vote will be anything but dull.
JAPAN / Politics / The LDP's game of thrones
Sep 10, 2021
The outliers hoping to be heard in the LDP election
While the race front-runners are clear, don't count these names out
JAPAN / Politics / The LDP's game of thrones
Sep 9, 2021
The LDP's outspoken 'maverick' steps up to fight for the party's top spot
Cosmopolitan and media savvy, Taro Kono is a reformist but has his share of liabilities.
For three key Cabinet posts, Takaichi turns to an eclectic trio
Shinjiro Koizumi — son of a former prime minister and rival to the current one — was appointed defense chief after falling short in his bid for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency earlier this month.
Rare female yakuza walks path to redemption in Japan
Retired yakuza Mako Nishimura sorts fallen leaves during a clean-up activity at the Gifu Gokoku shrine in Gifu Prefecture on Sept. 28.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.
The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
New ‘immigration minister’ post signals Takaichi Cabinet’s priorities
Kimi Onoda, economic security minister and minister for harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals, arrives at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japan's first female PM promised more women in her Cabinet. She picked two.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi poses with members of the newly formed Cabinet on Tuesday night.
The newly formed LDP-JIP coalition may not be as solid as it seems
Ruling Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi and Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura sign a policy agreement between the two parties at the Diet in Tokyo on Monday.
AI-optimized cybercrime increasingly targeting Japan
A recent cyberattack on brewer Asahi Group Holdings resulted in the company suspending shipments.
K-pop idol Chanyeol does J-pop his own way on ‘Hibi’
South Korean singer Chanyeol made his Japanese-language solo debut with the EP “Hibi,” which features six tracks inspired by his love of Japanese music.
In pictures: The day Japan’s glass ceiling finally cracked
Takaichi, surrounded by LDP influencers

Podcast

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

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.
By Thu-Huong Ha and Mike Fu

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons
Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER