author

 
 

Meta

Alistair Smout
For Alistair Smout's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Feb 16, 2023
Scotland's Nicola Sturgeon bows out at 'critical moment' for independence fight
Her success has silenced many critics, but internal fault lines could be exposed by the vacuum she leaves behind.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 3, 2023
In a health system in crisis, Britain's heart care suffers
The British Heart Foundation charity says full treatment after a heart attack should begin within 18 weeks but a third of patients are currently not being seen within that time.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 12, 2022
Lockerbie plane bombing suspect taken into U.S. custody
Court documents described Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi as an expert bombmaker who joined Libya's External Security Organization intelligence service in the 1970s.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 15, 2022
U.K. announces plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda while claims are assessed
Concerns over immigration were a big factor in the 2016 Brexit vote, and Johnson has been under pressure to deliver on his promise to 'take back control' of the country's borders.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 19, 2022
U.K.'s Johnson, facing plot to oust him, says he will not resign
The prime minister is struggling to quell an internal revolt by his own lawmakers who are angry over a series of lockdown parties in Downing Street.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 6, 2022
COVID-19 testing policies under scrutiny worldwide as omicron surge drives up demand
This time last year, vaccines offered hope that the pandemic might be over by now. Instead, the new variant is overloading public health systems.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 1, 2021
The race is on to trace the omicron variant
The pace of research highlights the pressure on governments and public health authorities to decide quickly whether they need to take strict steps to curb omicron's spread.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Nov 5, 2021
Johnson's COVID-19 gambit steers Britain's health care system into uncharted waters
Britain, its hospitals and its COVID-19 strategy are under the microscope as the country enters the dangerous winter period.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 26, 2021
How the delta variant upends assumptions about the coronavirus
The delta variant is the fastest, fittest and most formidable version of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 the world has encountered.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Nov 24, 2020
Decades of work, and half a dose of fortune, drove Oxford vaccine success
The Oxford vaccinologists were exhilarated on Monday when drugmaker AstraZeneca, with whom they developed the shot, announced that it could be around 90% effective.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 2, 2020
Johnny Depp loses 'wife beater' libel case against The Sun
Hollywood star Johnny Depp on Monday lost his libel battle with a British tabloid that labelled him a “wife beater,” after a London High Court judge ruled he had repeatedly assaulted his former partner and put her in fear for her life.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 8, 2015
Scottish nationalists crush opponents, setting stage for new independence bid
Scottish nationalists rampaged to victory north of the border in Britain's national election, obliterating their opponents and setting the stage for a new battle over independence.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 21, 2014
After Scottish vote, U.K. faces monumental shift in governance — and all that comes with it
When 3.6 million Scots voted Thursday on whether to leave or stay within the United Kingdom, they were answering one simple question: Should Scotland be an independent country?
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 5, 2014
A Scottish 'yes' vote may not be such a big change for the queen
Scotland's vote on independence this month means Queen Elizabeth II faces a division in her kingdom not seen since the days of her namesake, Elizabeth I, at the start of the 17th century.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 18, 2014
As Scotland decides, not all Scots get a say
Ruth McPherson was born and educated in Scotland but left to work in London two years ago and so has no say on whether her native country should end three centuries of union with England.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on