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April 26, 2024
 

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Elizabeth Drew
For Elizabeth Drew's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2022
How to read the U.S. polls
Inflation, crime, and abortion have attracted the most attention so far in the U.S. midterm season, but concerns about the fate of democracy perhaps should not be underestimated.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2022
Can U.S. elections be made safe from rampaging mobs?
Irrespective of the effectiveness of the Jan. 6 committee report, the nature and safety of America's democratic system remain up for grabs.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2021
The Biden administration's Afghan nightmare
The handling of the retreat from Afghanistan has revealed much about the nature of Joe Biden's government and how he runs it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 24, 2021
'The Big Lie' and its consequences
Under President Donald Trump, the cooked-up issue was whether the count in the electoral college actually represented the popular vote in their states.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2021
Why would anyone want to be president?
More often than anyone might think, ample grounds exist for wondering why anyone would want to be president of the United States. Yes, there’s the glory of being elected to occupy the country’s most powerful office, hearing “Hail to the Chief,” receiving military salutes, and being called “Mr. President.” One presides over elegant state dinners. One never has to wait in line for a tee time. Still, time and again, we see presidential hair turn white (Joe Biden’s hair, of course, has already done so, but the strain of the office will turn up in some way).
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2021
Trump's impeachment faced partisan doom
Trump may have escaped being convicted by Congress for instigating a murderous mob attack on America's Capitol, yet it seems clear that he will be held accountable for it in history.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 14, 2020
Will Donald Trump cause a civil war?
A critical part of Trump's effort to undermine confidence in the election outcome, if it goes against him, is his attempt to discredit millions of ballots preemptively.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2020
April was Trump's cruelest month
The U.S. president became his own worst enemy over the course of 30 days.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2020
The Trump presidency turns deadly
How many people died needlessly as a result of the U.S. president's leadership.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 19, 2020
Who can beat Donald Trump?
U.S. President Donald Trump is such an alarming figure that many Democratic voters so far appear willing to overlook in Michael Bloomberg what they would never forgive otherwise. And that, perhaps, is the clearest sign yet that American democracy is in crisis.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 11, 2020
Trump presidency puts American democracy in peril
A determined president with a tight grip on his party and contempt for the rule of law can free himself from the U.S. Constitution's restraints.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 19, 2019
Trump's impeachment blues
How he views his job is why he's in the greatest trouble of his presidency so far.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 12, 2019
More troubles for Trump
The U.S. Republican Party has lashed its fate to an increasingly unhinged leader.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2019
Will Trump win a second term?
Logic would suggest that Trump can't win the 2020 election, but his success at solidifying his base could be his salvation in 2020.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 29, 2019
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's great wall of resistance
Trump has never had to deal with a woman as smart and tough as the house speaker.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2018
Apocalypse Trump may be upon us
With no one left in President Donald Trump's Cabinet who can restrain him, Americans and their allies are staring into the abyss that has been looming since the 2016 election.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 13, 2018
The strengthening case against Trump
The House of Representatives' incoming Democratic committee chairs insist that they have no interest in impeaching President Donald Trump, but as they continue to investigate his administration's wrongdoings, that outcome may become inevitable.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2018
America's midterm elections turn menacing
With the approach of crucial congressional and state elections, no one should be surprised that domestic terrorism has emerged from the ranks of U.S. President Donald Trump's hyper-partisan supporters.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 7, 2018
Trump's Manafort problem
Under normal circumstances, an American politician would be in trouble for having employed a figure as compromised as Paul Manafort. But these are not normal circumstances.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 17, 2018
Fifty shades of Donald Trump
For all of his many other legal and political problems, is it possible that the U.S. president could be brought down by a porn star?
'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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