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April 29, 2024
 

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Mark Leonard
For Mark Leonard's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2021
Germany’s patriotism paradox
As German public sentiment in the EU collapses, its leaders could come under public pressure to go it alone on policies ranging from vaccine procurement, migration, trade and energy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2021
The new China shock
Chinese President Xi Jinping's new strategy centers on the concept of “dual circulation.” Behind the technical-sounding phrase lies an idea that could change the global economic order.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2021
The Russia strategy Europe needs
Europe no longer has any illusions that Russia is on a trajectory toward liberal democracy that could be accelerated through engagement.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2021
Five cheers for 2021
But as 2021 nears, things look a lot better than they did just a few months ago. We now have at least five reasons to celebrate the New Year.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 15, 2020
Building back a better trans-Atlantic alliance
Trump may just be the accidental father of European sovereignty
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 28, 2020
The Middle Eastern past is never dead
If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fails to develop a viable Palestinian state, his escape from history could prove very short-lived.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2020
The European Union’s self-help moment
The COVID-19 crisis has created an opening for stronger collective European action.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 27, 2020
The end of Europe's Chinese dream
Three developments have led the EU to abandon its goal of closer economic ties.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2020
The end of the EU's Brexit bounce
Negotiations over the future of U.K.-EU relations will divide Europeans and offer fodder to Euroskeptics
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 26, 2019
The accidental Atlanticist
Europeans must heed Mike Pence's dark warnings to achieve Joe Biden's bright vision
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2018
The U.S. and China are the closest of enemies
Both countries are becoming more alike — particularly in their belief that there can be only one winner.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2018
The new tyranny of the dollar
Under U.S. President Donald Trump, however, a sophisticated set of tools known as secondary sanctions has become a bludgeon with which to threaten allies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 26, 2018
Europe must stand for itself
Europeans can no longer assume that their interests are synonymous with those of the U.S.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 5, 2018
London bridges to nowhere
U.K. leaders' apparent belief that they can muddle through Brexit is setting the U.K. up for a rude awakening.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2017
The EU's crisis starts at home
A deep divide within EU states poses the biggest threat to the European project.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2017
The illusion of freedom in the digital age
Both governments and big tech companies are getting really good at controlling people through data.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2017
Nazis and elite hipsters
German Deputy Finance Minister Jens Spahn's apparent bet on the rise of Trump-style populism is risky.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 4, 2017
Can the 'Mercron' dynamic duo deliver for Europe?
Ideally, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will enter into an open political marriage from which all of Europe will benefit, rather than an exclusive relationship that breeds resentment.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 6, 2017
What liberal world order?
As global power has shifted from the West to the 'rest,' the liberal world order has become an increasingly contested idea, with rising powers like Russia, China and India increasingly challenging Western perspectives.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2016
The world is witnessing a new interventionism
The consequences of Russia's intervention in Syria stretch far beyond the Middle East, heralding a new era in geopolitics.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Putin’s war will soon reach Russians’ tax bills
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting in St. Petersburg on Friday.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
Kyotographie's strong 12th edition shines light into the margins
Yassine Alaoui Ismaili, who goes by Yoriyas, turned to photography, shooting motion while in motion himself, after an injury forced him to give up his career as a professional breakdancer.

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

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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