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May 03, 2024
 

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Peter Singer
For Peter Singer's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2022
Unvaccinated creating another kind of COVID-19 victim
People who make choices that are likely to harm others, such as refusing vaccinations, and have been warned of the consequences of those choices must take responsibility for them.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 15, 2021
How to give away a million dollars
It is surprisingly easy for most people in affluent countries to make a huge difference to those living in extreme poverty in low-income countries.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 5, 2021
Why vaccination should be compulsory
Laws requiring people to be vaccinated may be restricting one kind of freedom, but they are doing so in order to protect the freedom of others to go about their business safely.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2021
'Beefatarians' not wanted
Now that we can see that eating red meat affects the entire planet in a manner that none of us want, it is time for governments to end their support for it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2021
Keeping free speech safe
There was a time when the threat to academic freedom in democratic countries came primarily from the right. Today, however, most of the opposition to freedom of thought comes from the left.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2021
Extending the right to die
The issue of allowing advance requests for assistance in dying will become more pressing as populations age and more people develop dementia.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2021
When vaccination is a 'crime'
It is not difficult to think of something better than throwing away potentially life-saving vaccines.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 20, 2021
The ethics of prioritizing COVID-19 vaccinations when considering race and ethnicity
A relevant fact is that in many countries, disadvantaged racial and ethnic minorities have a lower-than-average life expectancy, raising questions as to who should be vaccinated first.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2021
What is your moral plan for 2021?
Few people when making their New Year's resolutions— just 12%, according to one U.S. study — resolve to become a better person in general, meaning better in a moral sense.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 8, 2020
Giving with the heart and the mind
Very few charities are outright frauds. The bigger issue is that following your heart ignores research on which charities are the most effective.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2020
Are riots ever justifiable?
Three criteria can help assess whether rioting is defensible.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2020
When will the cure be worse than the disease?
How should we weigh the benefits against the costs of unemployment, social isolation and widespread bankruptcies?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 4, 2020
The two dark sides of COVID-19
Wet markets, which sell and slaughter live animals, should be banned worldwide.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 14, 2019
Looking at the lives you can still save
Living ethically involves helping people suffering in ways we could easily prevent. Many people seem to have taken that message to heart.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 10, 2019
Why climb Mount Everest?
Reaching the summit of the world's tallest peak has become an immoral, personal act
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 8, 2019
Just how honest are we?
A new study covering 40 countries provides solid evidence that people not nearly as dishonest as we tend to think.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2019
Who needs more white saviors?
Critics need to understand that very few people in need care about the color of the skin of those who are helping them or where they're from.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 16, 2018
The lethal consequences of misclassifying dolphins
Japan's animal welfare regulations could halt the Taiji slaughter if Japanese law categorized dolphins as mammals instead of fish.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2018
Are you buying oil from Saudi Arabia?
To rein in the Saudi regime, the West must not only stop selling it arms, but also stop filling its coffers.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 13, 2018
Choosing the best students isn't easy
In sharply unequal societies, elite universities receiving government funds can properly be expected to play a role in fostering social mobility.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Number of vacant homes in Japan hits record high of 9 million
A vacant house in Tokyo is seen demolished in January 2020.
Saudi Arabia steps up Gaza-related arrests as Israel ties edge closer
The arrests for Gaza-related posts indicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s regime will take a hard line against citizens not toeing the line when it comes to normalizing ties with Israel.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
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.

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

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