author

 
Menu
Search
 
April 17, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Jonathan Bernstein
For Jonathan Bernstein's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in Falls Church, Virginia, on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY
Nov 9, 2023
U.S. elections show Republicans have clear voter problems
Abortion as an issue that breaks strongly for the Democrats doesn’t seem to be going away at any point soon.
Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy speaks to reporters after he was ousted as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 4, 2023
McCarthy’s ouster highlights the depths of GOP dysfunction
The recent removal of Kevin McCarthy as U.S. House speaker is symptom of the wider malaise in a fractious Republican Party.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 19, 2023
What should America make of Trump’s mad power grab plan?
Former U.S. President Donald is campaigning on a pledge to remake the office, concentrating more power in the Oval Office.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2023
Democrats should cheer up about Biden’s bid for another four years
Voters have understandable hesitation about the Joe Biden’s age, but they ought to feel good about his accomplishments.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2022
Democrats were smart to meddle in GOP primaries
Democrats' meddlingu00a0in GOP primaries is aimed at helping extremist Republican candidates advance in order to improve the general election chances of Democrats.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Jun 30, 2022
Trump has steered himself into a legal morass
Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony describing an attempt by Donald Trump to grab the wheel of his car on Jan. 6 revealed a lack of control in more ways than one.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 8, 2022
Here come the Jan. 6 hearings
No, these events won't change everything. And very few people will really be watching. But an awful lot is still at stake
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2022
Don’t jump to conclusions on politics of ending Roe v. Wade
Americans favor abortion rights, but most aren't intense pro-life or pro-choice partisans. A definitive Supreme Court ruling might alter the current landscape.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 17, 2022
Is Donald Trump a lock for the 2024 nomination?
The argument that Trump has the nomination locked up is pretty straightforward. Still, we don't know for sure that he'll be running in 2024 but he is certainly running for 2024 right now.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2022
A judge says Trump broke the law. Here’s why that matters.
A legal opinion affirming the “illegality” of a plan to overturn the 2020 election won't end partisan polarization, but there's value in stating what's obviously true.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2022
Five ways to look at Biden’s State of the Union speech
Biden's first formal State of the Union checked off all the required boxes. It was fine, most of it wasn't memorable and It will neither help him nor hurt him politically.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 25, 2022
Six early thoughts on Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Be wary of anyone who is certain about how all of this will turn out. No one knows today whether the Ukraine invasion will be a great success or total disaster for Putin.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2022
The Jan. 6 story should be told to bolster more than just Democrats
No matter the evidence and no matter how damning the information may be, it's unlikely that the American people will rise up and seek to banish Trump and his followers from public life.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2021
What’s next for the U.S. Democrats’ big bill?
While the success or failure of Build Back Better has important consequences for the nation, it will likely have limited direct effects on midterm or presidential elections.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2021
Biden can promise action, but omicron is in charge right now
The U.S. president's biggest policy promise during the 2020 campaign was perhaps his vow to attack COVID-19 in a professional and competent way.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2021
America's campaign silly season is already under way
People are far more interested in the candidates than they are in policy and they're most interested in the candidates who are already well known, whether or not they're serious contenders.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2021
For Trump, no conviction, but a historic repudiation
One thing that Trump made clear was that nothing in the constitutional system makes presidents respect the U.S. political system and respond to that system's incentives.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2021
This time, Trump impeached himself
Trump had given himself no room for error. He built no relationships with any Democrats, and relatively few with Republicans.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 19, 2017
A presidential news conference like none before
Not only did Donald Trump rant and rave at his first presidential news conference, he denied he was ranting and raving — which is even more bizarre than actually ranting and raving.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2017
Republicans must save Trump from himself
If Republicans don't demand that Donald Trump bring in a tough chief of staff who knows Washington, they'll only have themselves to blame for the next scandal, and the next one, and the one after that.
Akebono's human side eclipsed his incredible sumo achievements
The heights Akebono reached in sumo helped pave the way for future foreign-born yokozuna Asashoryu and Hakuho.
Death-row inmates' lawsuit targeting same-day notifications of executions dismissed
Two plaintiffs filed a lawsuit with Osaka District Court in hopes of sparking a wider discussion on the rights of death row prisoners.
Japan’s young workers head abroad as huge wage gap persists
The departure hall at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Now with inflation at its strongest in decades, Japanese are starting to realize that years of static wages leave many of them budgeting each month before their next pay check.
By-elections to determine Kishida’s fate within LDP
LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi and election strategy committee chair Yuko Obuchi speak to reporters in Tokyo on April 2.
For Modi, the Indian election is less about winning and more about by how much
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses supporters during an election campaign rally in Pushkar, India, on April 6, ahead of the country's upcoming general election starting Friday.
For Modi, the Indian election is less about winning and more about by how much
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses supporters during an election campaign rally in Pushkar, India, on April 6, ahead of the country's upcoming general election starting Friday.
Akebono's human side eclipsed his incredible sumo achievements
The heights Akebono reached in sumo helped pave the way for future foreign-born yokozuna Asashoryu and Hakuho.
Ohtani’s dizzying three weeks end in exoneration by authorities
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani during a spring training game on March 12.
How ‘winged’ gyōza took flight from a Tokyo suburb
The creator of "hanetsuki gyōza" is Isao Yagi, and his restaurant, Nihao, can be found right on the border of Tokyo and Kawasaki in Ota Ward.
How Ippei Mizuhara allegedly wired millions from Shohei Ohtani’s account
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, in December at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California

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

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
By Lance Henderstein

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER