author

 
 

Meta

Lisa Friedman
For Lisa Friedman's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at a news conference in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Friday. Biden will not attend a major United Nations climate summit that begins Thursday in Dubai.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 27, 2023
Biden to skip U.N. climate summit, White House official says
Climate activists are likely to be angered by the decision, but analysts said it was not typical for a U.S. president to attend every climate summit.
U.S. President Joe Biden at an event in Tempe, Arizona, on Thursday
WORLD / Politics
Sep 29, 2023
Biden said he would stop drilling. Then reality hit.
The tug of war over one drilling lease in the Gulf of Mexico involving the president, Congress and the courts illustrates the limits of executive power.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 20, 2022
In a first, rich countries agree to pay for climate damages in poor nations
The COP27 climate talks in Egypt neared resolution Sunday with a last-minute deal to create a fund to aid poor countries harmed by the impacts of climate change.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 12, 2022
Biden casts America as climate leader, while activists push him to do more
At climate talks in Egypt, President Biden apologized for his predecessor's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 20, 2022
Trying to salvage his climate agenda, Biden weighs remaining options
The U.S. president will not declare a national climate emergency, the White House confirmed, disappointing Democratic lawmakers and activists who had called on him to take the step.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 11, 2022
As war rages, a struggle to balance energy crunch and climate crisis
Nations remain extraordinarily dependent on fossil fuels and are struggling to shore up supplies precisely at a moment when scientists say the world must slash its use.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 11, 2021
China and the United States agree to work together to tackle climate change
The United States and China announced a joint agreement Wednesday to "enhance ambition” on climate change, saying they would work together to do more to cut emissions this decade while China committed for the first time to reduce methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 2, 2021
Leaders warn of climate ‘doomsday’ as old rifts divide summit’s first day
Long-running fault lines in the global debate over who should be the most responsible for cutting emissions emerged in the opening speeches of the assembled heads of state.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 19, 2021
Amid extreme weather, a shift among U.S. Republicans on climate change
Despite a growing acceptance of the reality of climate change, lawmakers have not thrown their support behind policies aimed at phasing out fossil fuels.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 21, 2021
Biden will pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions nearly in half
The president will commit the United States to deep cuts in emissions at an Earth Day summit meeting that starts on Thursday, according to people familiar with the plan.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 27, 2021
The battle lines are forming in Biden’s climate push
What may well stand in the U.S. president's way is political intransigence from senators from fossil-fuel states in both parties.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 21, 2021
Biden, in a burst of climate orders, rejoins the Paris Agreement
The moves represent a first step in healing one of the deepest rifts between the United States and the rest of the world after Trump defiantly rejected the Paris pact.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 12, 2020
For Biden’s economic team, an early focus on climate
One issue that could distinguish Biden's core economic team from its predecessors? Climate change.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 24, 2020
Biden's debate pledge to ‘transition’ from oil puts climate at center of campaign finale
The comment gave President Donald Trump what his campaign saw as an enormous opportunity to blunt his opponent's appeal to working-class voters.

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