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Michel Rose
For Michel Rose's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends a European Union leaders summit in Brussels on March 22.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 29, 2024
Meloni-Le Pen rift mars far right's prospects of wielding EU power
Divisions within Europe's nationalist right that may stymie efforts to wield power at an EU level despite record support.
French President Emmanuel Macron's comments fitted with his reputation as a diplomatic disruptor who likes to break taboos and challenge conventional thinking.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 28, 2024
Macron's Ukraine troop talk shakes up NATO allies
The French president's idea of possibly sending troops to Ukraine was so ambiguous that he sparked confusion and irritation among some allies.
French President Emmanuel Macron  invited his European counterparts to the Elysee palace for a hastily arranged meeting to discuss how to ramp up ammunition supplies to Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 27, 2024
France's Macron doesn't rule out Europeans sending troops to Ukraine
The French President also cautioned that there was no consensus at this stage as allies agreed to ramp up efforts to deliver more munitions to Kyiv.
Tractors block the A6 highway during a protest by French farmers in the Chilly-Mazarin district of Paris on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 1, 2024
Farmers angry with green policy rebel against EU ahead of vote
Blockades and pickets by farmers are exposing a clash between the EU's drive to cut carbon dioxide emissions and its aim of becoming more self-sufficient.
Rassemblement National member of Parliament Marine Le Pen (left), and the president of the far-right party Jordan Bardella (right) march during a demonstration against antisemitism in Paris on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
Nov 16, 2023
EU's far right joins rally against antisemitism, unsettling some Jews
The strategy is to normalize the party's image, helping politicians bolster their anti-migration agenda while rebutting suggestions they are racist.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 29, 2023
Braving boos, Macron hopes 'cathartic' walkabouts will soothe pension anger
After weeks of protests against his decision to raise the minimum pension age by two years, Macron's popularity ratings have plunged to near record-low levels.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 6, 2023
'A new starting point': EU and Chinese leaders meet in Beijing
French President Emmanuel Macron has said Europe must resist reducing ties with China and reject what some have cast as an 'inescapable spiral' of tension between China and the West.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Mar 17, 2023
Macron wins Pyrrhic victory on pension bill, but risks fueling anger
By using special constitutional powers instead of risking lawmakers rejecting the reform, Macron has given ammunition to the opposition.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 2, 2022
Biden and Macron vow unity on Ukraine and commit to easing trade tensions
The U.S. leader has so far resisted talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin since the invasion was launched in February, while the France's Macron has kept lines of communication open.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 13, 2022
Proposed Pyrenees pipeline puts EU's energy divisions in stark relief
Russia supplied 40% of Europe's gas before its invasion of Ukraine. Now the region is scrambling to diversify its energy sources.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 6, 2022
Euroskeptic left-wing coalition could put France on collision course with Brussels
Winning next month's legislative election may be a long shot for France's new hard-left alliance, but the fact President Emmanuel Macron now faces two euroskeptic opposition blocs should cause concern among France's European Union partners.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 25, 2022
In troubled France, no honeymoon for re-elected Macron
The president's second term could be even rockier than the first with mounting political opposition and boiling social discontent.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 21, 2022
Macron cements French presidential frontrunner status with combative debate performance
Although Le Pen came across as more polished and composed than in a TV duel for the presidency in 2017, Macron went on the offensive over her ties to Russian leadership.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 30, 2021
In post-Merkel EU, Macron can't exert leadership without allies
Macron's abrasive style and willingness to go it alone indicate he'll struggle to fill Merkel's EU shoes, say senior diplomats.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 14, 2021
Data gaps hinder European efforts to assess Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine
Approval delays could allow rival vaccine-makers to sew up key markets.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 4, 2020
Bad blood: Why France-Turkey cartoon row could leave lasting impact
Slights and barbs have marred relations between France's Emmanuel Macron and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan for years, but the row over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad has dragged them to a new low which could have more lasting consequences.

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