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Ditas Lopez
For Ditas Lopez's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos answers questions from the media in Manila on Monday. Marcos has said that the Philippines will invoke its defense treaty with the U.S. if a Filipino soldier dies from a foreign attack.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 16, 2024
Philippines may invoke U.S. pact if foreign attack proves deadly, says Marcos
Making the comments Monday, the Philippine president referred to his conversation with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week at the Pentagon.
In late 2023, a Chinese hacker group was blamed for an attack that compromised a Philippine government agency around the same time the two countries clashed in the South China Sea.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 8, 2024
Philippines turns to hackers amid Chinese cyberthreat
In a November report, a Chinese group known as Stately Taurus was blamed for an attack that had compromised a Philippine government agency for five days earlier in 2023.
Hackers have attacked the Philippines’ state health insurer, which didn’t have cyber protection software, leaving the data of millions of the country's citizens vulnerable.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 10, 2023
Hacked Philippine health insurer had no cyber protection software
The lapse, partly caused by a change in procurement processes, adds to a series of attacks on Philippine government agencies.
Fishermen ride wooden boats in Manila Bay, the Philippines, in June.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 24, 2023
Typhoon Doksuri rapidly intensifies, may hit northern Philippines
The typhoon, called Egay in the Philippines, has maximum sustained winds of 140 kph and gusts of up to 170 kph, the country's weather agency has said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 23, 2023
Marcos pitches ‘New Philippines’ plan with nod to father’s rule
The president must steer one of Asia’s best-performing economies amid a bleak global outlook and significant domestic challenges.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 23, 2023
U.S. to gain military access in north Philippines near Taiwan
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday that the sites will be identified once formalized with the U.S.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 19, 2022
Japanese tycoon Kazuo Okada held in Philippines amid row over casino management
Okada and his group face arrest for alleged coercion when his men physically took over a resort after the Philippine Supreme Court reinstated him as chairman of the casino's operator.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 12, 2022
Years of pandemic school closures leave Philippines with deep scars
Protracted school closures worsen basic literacy standards and will likely reduce the productivity and earnings of children once they enter the workforce, the World Bank has warned.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 29, 2022
One woman is trying to prevent the revival of a Marcos dynasty
Leni Robredo is attracting some of the biggest pre-election crowds in decades, but the question is whether the groundswell of support for her is too little, too late.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2022
Rising fertilizer costs are catching up to rice farmers, threatening supplies
Yields could drop 10% in the next season, translating to a loss of 36 million tons of rice, or the equivalent of feeding 500 million people.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 24, 2021
Benigno Aquino III, who led Philippine growth spurt, dies at 61
Aquino, who served as the nation's president from 2010 to 2016, was rushed to a hospital in Quezon City where he died after heart failure, the Manila Bulletin reported on Thursday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 2, 2018
Two years of Rodrigo Duterte: A mixed picture of drug war and economic boom
President Rodrigo Duterte's two years in office in the Philippines have been marred by controversy, but with one big success: A booming economy. The jury is still out if that's because, or in spite, of him.

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