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July 08, 2025
 

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Matthew Fulco
The most significant outcome of Taiwan’s elections is not President-elect Lai Ching-te and the DPP’s victory, but rather the party's loss of the legislature and the return of divided government after a 16-year hiatus.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 27, 2024
A divided government awaits Taiwan's new president
The most significant outcome of Taiwan’s elections is not the DPP’s victory, but rather its loss of the legislature and the return of divided government.
A supporter of KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih in Taipei on Tuesday
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2024
Cross-strait relations hang in the balance with Taiwan election
Despite voter fatigue with the DPP and Lai Ching-te’s own lackluster campaign, his opponents have failed to articulate a compelling alternative.
Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-wen, leads a political rally in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Nov. 4.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2023
How Tsai Ing-wen aligned Taiwan with the free world
The question now is to what extent Tsai’s foreign policy legacy will endure after Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election on Jan. 13.
Then-U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (center) meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Chiao Kuan-Hua (left) and Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping in New York in 1974. Kissinger died last Wednesday at age 100.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 4, 2023
Kissinger had a profound impact on Taiwan
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger shifted Washington away from Taiwan in favor of Beijing, catalyzing the island’s diplomatic isolation.
A protest against the visit by then-U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in August 2022
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 4, 2023
The truth about ‘America skepticism’ in Taiwan
Distrust of the U.S. among Taiwanese people stems more from Washington’s policies than propaganda or misinformation.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2023
Taiwan’s ‘silicon shield’ against China is an illusion
China may be reliant on Taiwanese semiconductors, but that doesn't stop Beijing from harboring a military takeover.
Children play on a beach near a Taiwan Navy supply ship on Nangan Island, which is part of the Matsu Archipelago that is controlled by Taipei and located close to the coast of mainland China.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 4, 2023
A year after Nancy Pelosi’s historic visit, is Taiwan more secure?
Though both U.S. and broader international support for Taipei has accelerated, the Chinese military is regularly operating closer to the island than ever.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2023
Why Macron’s state visit to China was a dud
French President Emmanuel Macron is building castles in the air with his quest for 'strategic autonomy' and undermining the trans-Atlantic alliance by wooing Beijing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 12, 2023
Dueling trips lay bare Taiwan of tomorrow and yesterday
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s U.S. 'stopover' was forward-looking, while her predecessor Ma Ying-jeou focused on the past in his trip to China.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2023
Why South Korea still handles China with kid gloves
South Korea is wary of angering China, its top trading partner and the one country it sees as having influence over North Korea
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2023
Why there is no going back for Australia-China relations
An ostensible thaw in diplomatic ties between Australia and China cannot mask deep-seated differences on national security.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 19, 2023
China succeeding in diplomatic push to win over Europe
A cold war between Beijing and Brussels will remain unlikely as the two do not compete ideologically or militarily like the U.S. and China.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 5, 2023
What are the prospects for a cross-strait detente?
Taiwan and China both seem keen to dial down tensions while the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang could well win the island’s 2024 presidential election.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2022
Can China win its ‘people’s war’ against the pandemic without 'zero-COVID'?
Easing COVID-19 restrictions and shifting messaging are the easy part for China. Preventing a public health disaster will be harder.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 30, 2022
Are China’s ‘COVID-zero’ protests a game changer?
Xi Jinping's unwillingness thus far to adjust coronavirus containment measures could have grave consequences for the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2022
Why China won't cooperate on finding the origins of COVID-19
For Beijing, winning its u2018people's war' against the coronavirus by controlling the propaganda narrative is more important than learning the truth about the pandemic.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 15, 2022
Why China won’t end its 'COVID zero' policy
Chinese President Xi Jinping early on took ownership of the battle against the coronavirus — now his political legitimacy rests on the outcome.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 9, 2022
Will China use force to unite with Taiwan?
The results of China's 20th Party Congress suggest that Xi Jinping and his government are determined to annex Taiwan, but remain flexible about how to achieve that goal.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Oct 30, 2022
Is the Taiwan Policy Act good for Taipei?
The contentious legislation will bring the island and the U.S. closer together than ever — a necessary evolution in their relationship, given the rising threat from China.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 2, 2022
Can Taiwan stop China's attempt to change the status quo?
For Taiwan and its allies, there a is fine line between strengthening deterrence and averting escalation with China.
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
China’s housing crisis is worse than it seems
Residential buildings under construction in Shanghai in July 2022. The Chinese government risks long-term decline by repeating Japan’s policy mistakes in handling its real estate and demographic crises.
Lawson to let visitors use larger parking lots as paid car campsites
A Lawson convenience store in Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture. A new service from the company comes amid the rise in inbound tourists, making hotels and inns harder to book and more expensive.
The future is bright inside the visionary mind of architect Sou Fujimoto
The exhibition of Fujimoto’s architecture surveys his career to date, as well as looks ahead as shown in his proposal of a future floating city designed in collaboration with data scientist Hiroaki Miyata.
A tiny mountain hamlet keeps traditional log rafting afloat
Once a way to transport lumber from the mountains to the coast, log rafting is now Kitayama's biggest attraction.
A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan
Dog ownership may seem daunting in Japan, but with the right tools and logistical knowledge, you can ensure a healthy, happy life for your pet.
Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste
A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.

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