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April 26, 2024
 

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Cass R. Sunstein
For Cass R. Sunstein's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2021
Was the Capitol riot sedition? Just read the law
In many nations, the threat of sedition prosecutions has been used to criminalize dissent — to intimidate, and even imprison people who object to what the government is doing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 20, 2021
Can ex-presidents be impeached? No. Convicted? Yes.
Under the Constitution, the House of Representatives is authorized to impeach a president, and then the Senate is authorized to convict him.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2021
Trump can’t pardon himself
If a president can be impeached for pardoning someone with whom he is 'connected, in any suspicious manner,” then he certainly can be impeached for pardoning himself.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2020
Undoing Trump regulations may divide Biden’s coalition
Some of the Trump administration's midnight rules will deserve wholesale repudiation. But others should be approached with a scalpel, not an ax.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2020
Don’t invoke Bush v. Gore to challenge 2020 voting
A note to Republicans and Democrats alike: Bush v. Gore does not draw into legal doubt the right of local authorities to decide how to conduct their elections.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2020
Coronavirus safety can be fun
Nobody likes masks or social distancing. But everybody can be nudged.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 13, 2020
The right way for leaders to address 'fear itself'
The Great Depression was worse than coronavirus. Yet FDR found a way to warn and reassure all Americans, all at once.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2020
Facebook's 'deepfake' ban doesn't go far enough
The company's new safety filter to reduce high-tech doctored media is has big holes
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2020
2019's best movies (for lessons in behavioral economics)
The annual Becons single out 'Luce,' a perfect example of 'motivated reasoning.'
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 30, 2019
Why dogs and people rule the world
Evolution has favored the friendliest canine and human species over more aggressive competition.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 5, 2019
Facebook bums us out, but we'll pay for it anyway
Those who deactivated their accounts for a month were less anxious and depressed.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 2, 2017
A glimmer of good news about fake news
Some people just might be more open to changing their minds than we thought.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 17, 2016
Dylan surpassed Whitman as the American poet
Bob Dylan has surpassed Walt Whitman as the defining American artist, celebrating the capacity for self-invention as the highest form of freedom.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 8, 2016
Meet the machines that know what's funny
Algorithms are outperforming human beings in a variety of unexpected contexts.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 16, 2016
The real reason women still get paid less
Despite progress in some areas of discrimination in the United States, the male-female wage gap persists, and it's big.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2016
How using Facebook makes people dumber
Facebook reinforces people's tendency to seek out information that confirms their beliefs, and to ignore contrary information.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 25, 2015
Behavioral science's take on the Iran debate
'Loss aversion,' the ideal that people dislike losses a lot more than they like equivalent gains, can badly confuse political debate — such as that on the Iran nuclear deal.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2015
Picking the right words to ban from campus
American universities have been trying to reduce use of words or behavior that might stigmatize or humiliate people, but they are overshooting the mark.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 25, 2014
What global warming? Pass me a blanket
Unfortunately for proponents of climate change, people subconsciously use the current local temperature as a clue to whether global temperatures are increasing.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Sep 11, 2014
Apple's new payment system could pose threat to wallets
The new Apple payment system has extraordinary promise. With Apple Pay, you might not need a wallet, and you can leave your credit and debit cards at home. In terms of ease and convenience, payment cards represented a big leap from the era of cash. Apple hopes its system will be a comparable leap from the era of cards.
'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.
Over 40% of Japan's municipalities at risk of vanishing, study finds
Of 1,729 local municipalities nationwide, 744 have been identified as being at risk of disappearing.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Japan's former PM Aso meets Trump for talks on security and economy
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Taro Aso, vice president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in New York on Tuesday. The Japanese government’s top spokesman on Wednesday played down the meeting as one conducted "in the capacity of one lawmaker" and “without the government’s involvement.”
For amateur sumo, a fresh start offers hope against time-wasting and gamesmanship
Wrestlers prepare for the start of a bout at the 2023 Sumo World Championships in Tokyo. Starting this month, placing one hand on the clay first is no longer allowed.
LDP veteran Nikai's youngest son expected to succeed him in Wakayama
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.

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

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
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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