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John Geddie
For John Geddie's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
A Wheeling-Nippon Steel facility in in Follansbee, West Virginia. Four senior Japanese officials speaking on condition of anonymity said it is still premature to declare the deal dead.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Apr 5, 2024
Why Japan is not giving up on fraught U.S. Steel deal
Four senior Japanese officials speaking on condition of anonymity said it is still premature to declare the deal dead.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (right) meets with UNRWA head  Philippe Lazzarini in Tokyo on March 28.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2024
Japan resumes funding to embattled Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA
Japan on Tuesday said it will lift its suspension of funding to the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) as the relief body works to regain trust after an allegation that some of its staff were involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Sunao Takao (center) interprets as then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump talk prior to a working lunch at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka on June 28, 2019.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 26, 2024
Japan tees up Abe's ex-interpreter to help chart course with Trump
Japanese officials are preparing to deploy the Harvard-educated bureaucrat to bolster engagement with the Republican candidate's campaign.
U.S. Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues Julie Turner speaks to media at the U.S. embassy in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 15, 2024
U.S. supports Japan's push for talks with North Korea, envoy says
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told parliament last week that he wants to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks in Washington on Wednesday. Japan has stepped up attempts to engage with people close to Trump in recent weeks, worrying that if he returns to power he may seek some kind of deal with Beijing that could undermine recent efforts by the Group of Seven countries to counter China.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2024
Japan's message for Donald Trump: Don't cut a deal with China
Tokyo has stepped up attempts to engage with people close to Trump in recent weeks.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa attend a working dinner during G7 ministerial meetings, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 7, 2023
G7 support for Ukraine will not waver due to Gaza crisis, Japan says
The G7 nations, as well as the European Union, meet in Tokyo on Nov. 7 to 8 to discuss issues including the Ukraine war and the Israel-Gaza crisis.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel speaks during an interview at the ambassador's residence in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 30, 2023
U.S. military begins Japan seafood purchases to counter China ban
China, which had been the biggest buyer of Japanese seafood, says its ban is due to food safety fears.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2022
U.N. treaty must tackle production of problematic plastics, Japan says
Studies have shown that plastics output must be curbed to rein in skyrocketing plastic pollution, which is clogging waterways, despoiling oceans and killing wildlife.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 4, 2022
Big Oil's plastic boom threatens U.N.'s 'historic' pollution pact
When the U.N. agreed on a deal to create the world's first ever global plastic pollution treaty, every party was quick to claim victory, but that could spell trouble.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 22, 2022
Ban on single-use plastics favored by 75%, global survey finds
Governments will meet in Nairobi this month to press ahead with an ambitious treaty on tackling plastic waste.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2022
A U.N. pact may restrict plastic production. Big Oil aims to stop it.
U.N. members are set to meet this month to draft the blueprint for a global plastics treaty. That's a problem for Big Oil, with the plastic industry set to double output within 20 years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2021
Trash and burn: Big brands' new plastic waste plan faces skepticism
Experts say that burning plastic in cement kilns, a practice firms are promoting, emits harmful emissions and amounts to swapping one dirty fuel for another.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 8, 2021
How family of a Myanmar junta leader are trying to cash in
Family members of the air force chief have enjoyed a lifestyle that is out of reach for the vast majority of Myanmar's people.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 4, 2021
The day the music died: Afghanistan's all-female orchestra falls silent
The last time the Taliban were in power, they banned music and women were not allowed to work.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 2, 2021
The recycling myth: Big Oil’s plastic waste solution littered with failure
While residents have dutifully packaged up their trash, expecting it to be put to a green use, many have been left disappointed.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
May 9, 2021
Military coup puts Telenor's future in Myanmar on the line
The firm, one of the biggest foreign investors in Myanmar, must now decide whether to ride out the turmoil, or withdraw from the market.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2021
Myanmar crisis sounds death knell for garment industry, jobs and hope
Even before the Feb. 1 coup, the sector had been rocked by the pandemic.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 24, 2021
Japan state-funded hotel deal pays rent to Myanmar Defense Ministry
The payments, starting in 2017, are not illegal but are potentially embarrassing for Tokyo given alleged human rights abuses by Myanmar's military.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jan 19, 2021
Big Oil’s flagship plastic waste project sinks on the Ganges
The failure is a sign that the industry is falling short of its targets to curb an increase in waste, two environmental groups say.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 16, 2020
Singapore's rulers fret over generational shift in big election win
A resounding election win for Singapore's perennial rulers has been tainted by concerns about a generational voter shift that could in time weaken the People's Action Party's (PAP) unyielding grip on power.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores