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Adam Minter
For Adam Minter's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 7, 2019
For the White House, getting back to the moon is the easy part
Several manned lunar landings are needed if the U.S. wants to head off China in space.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2019
China's pig pandemic should worry everyone
The way officials have responded to the spread of African swine fever has brought back uncomfortable memories of SARS.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2019
No silver bullet for China's plastics problem
The country could make biodegradable products mainstream, but that won't stop its trash from choking the oceans.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 22, 2019
Chinese tourists won't be weapons for much longer
As the number of independent travelers rises, Beijing will have a harder time using them to punish countries such as New Zealand.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 1, 2019
Japan should let Naomi Osaka play doubles
This would be a good moment for Asian countries to recognize the economic value of allowing dual citizenship.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2019
Why California's crusade against receipts is pointless
A proposal to ban the paper slips, like plastic straws, asks little of citizens and will have just as little impact on the environment.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2018
The electric vehicle future will run on two wheels
For much of the emerging world, the key to reducing pollution is making the transition to battery-powered motorcycles and scooters.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 23, 2018
Trendy bans on plastic straws are bunk
Skipping straws may be hip. But there are much better ways to fight pollution.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2018
'Fake news' laws are a fake solution
In the waning days of Malaysia's recent election campaign, then-opposition leader Mahathir Mohamad was investigated under the country's anti-fake news law.
COMMENTARY / World
May 14, 2018
Open skies can clear Beijing's 'Orwellian nonsense'
An agreement to expand market access in China would be the best way to Chinese government avoid censorship.
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2018
Why can't China make decent semiconductors?
Although China long ago mastered the art of making products with semiconductors produced elsewhere, it wants to move beyond being a mere assembler.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2018
Asia couldn't quit Facebook even if it wanted to
The social network is conquering e-commerce in emerging economies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2018
As acceptance grows, gay China wants rights
A ban on gay content has set off a furious backlash.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2018
Stephen Hawking taught us it was right to be wrong
By making bets he was happy to lose, the English physicist showed that science progressed with each mistake.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 12, 2018
China giving lithium batteries a second life
Repurposing lithium-ion batteries instead of recycling them is a simple idea, but it may have profound consequences.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 5, 2018
Asia rethinks drug wars that Trump admires
The region is tilting away from executions and toward rehab.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 5, 2018
China could seize the lead in self-driving cars
Alibaba is building systems that will link vehicles to the roads they drive on.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 18, 2018
Huge oil spill isn't China's real offshore debacle
Thanks to massive overfishing in China's territorial waters, there isn't much marine life left to kill in the disaster zone.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2017
What online retailers hate about holiday shopping
You can send back that ugly sweater for free. But for merchants, it's a huge expense.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 28, 2017
Africa's plastic-bag bans won't solve anything
Plastic bags are just the most tangible symptoms of Africa's inability to collect and dispose of its surging volumes of garbage.

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