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David Fickling
For David Fickling's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 14, 2020
New Zealand gives U.S. a lesson in pandemic democracy
The U.S., a nation founded on the principle that all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights, would do well to heed the example given by New Zealand.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 5, 2020
Australia's miners carve themselves an ugly heritage
Digging iron ore out of the ground and carrying it to port inevitably involves conflicts between miners and the Aboriginal traditional owners.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2020
Coal’s last refuge crumbles with China’s renewables plan
If Asia — and in particular China, which accounts for about half the world's coal consumption — can't break the habit, devastating climate change will be unavoidable.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2020
The 737 MAX debacle won’t be the end of Boeing
Is Boeing Co. capable of making commercial aircraft at all?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 6, 2020
Beijing may be more addicted to coal than oil
PetroChina's announcement in its half-year results last week that it would seek a 'near-zero” target for emissions by 2050 was unexpected.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 10, 2020
Blocking TikTok opens a can of worms for Facebook and Google
Trump reminds the world of the importance of foreign ownership of media. Big Tech would rather you forget.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 3, 2020
Hong Kong brokers are already reading from Beijing’s script
Some worry that the national security law will compromise analysts' credibility. It's a bit late for that.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 27, 2020
Our phones can serve as a virus tool
Justified civil liberties concerns shouldn't prevent us from using technology to combat a pandemic that could kill millions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2020
COVID-19 could very well slow by summer
Evidence suggests that warmer temperatures and higher humidity could indeed affect the disease's spread.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2020
The coronavirus end game
The disease will eventually become an endemic nuisance rather than a terror.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 26, 2020
COVID-19 complacency is worse than panic
A degree of fear isn't out of place if it encourages people to adopt behaviors that will limit the outbreak.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 23, 2020
Big data won't save you from COVID-19
In an era where everything seems quantifiable, it's unsettling that the information we've got on this deadly outbreak is approximate at best.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 3, 2019
Stimulus can fix a lot of policy errors
Japan's misguided consumption tax hike makes a big fiscal package inevitiable.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 21, 2019
Winter is coming; Japan should turn up the 'air-con'
Frosty dispute with South Korea requires an unlikely alternative to home kerosene heaters.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 6, 2019
Nissan's loveless Renault marriage is laid bare
Coaxing Renault to sell down its stake shows the Japanese automaker is just going through the motions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 7, 2019
Boeing's 737 defense a textbook mess
Quibbling over the meaning of 'safety feature' adds to a litany of errors.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2019
We should let China spy on us
States that have knowledge of rivals' motivations and capabilities are likely to be more circumspect about actions that can lead to war
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 26, 2018
Renault-Nissan's Mexican standoff
The danger of all-out war has receded, but the guns are still loaded and pointed in this fractured French-Japanese alliance.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 21, 2018
Renault and Nissan lurch toward war
There's one thing that's clear amid the uncertain future for this carmaking alliance: The Japanese company wants Ghosn gone.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 10, 2018
The end of coal could be closer than it looks
Despite a pessimistic forecast, it's possible to meet consumption-cut targets on the current path.

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
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