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April 25, 2024
 

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Matthew Fulco
For Matthew Fulco's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
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.
A Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing plant under construction in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture
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.
'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.
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.
Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
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.”
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.
Tsukiji 2030s: A stadium, culinary center and transportation hub
A computer-generated image shows redevelopment plans for the former site of the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.

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