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April 24, 2024
 

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Justin Fox
For Justin Fox's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Recent research suggests that within developed countries, the old positive relationship between status and fertility is re-emerging.
COMMENTARY
Apr 3, 2024
The wealthy are starting to have more babies than the poor again
After a century during which higher income and status meant fewer children, the current trend is potentially a momentous change.
California’s share of U.S. wine production, around 90% in the 1990s and 2000s, dropped below 80% for the first time on record in 2022.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 27, 2024
Who will save the U.S. wine industry? Not California boomers.
California’s share of U.S. wine production, around 90% in the 1990s and 2000s, dropped below 80% for the first time on record in 2022.
A new report by the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility estimates that it could take up to 320 years for Black Americans to catch up to their white counterparts in quality of life.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 8, 2024
Black Americans gain no ground on income and wealth
One study estimates that it could take up to 320 years for Black Americans to catch up to their white counterparts' in quality of life.
A health care worker administers the COVID-19 vaccine to a child in Rio de Janeiro in January 2022.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2023
How we got COVID’s risk right but the response wrong
It was not the initial consensus on the fatality rate that drove the response but rather the way the risks of COVID-19 were balanced with the costs.
The Black unemployment rate fell to 5% in March, the lowest level ever recorded in the monthly data, but then rose to 6% in June, showing how erratic it can be.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 25, 2023
The mysterious fall and rise of Black unemployment
After a roller-coaster move this spring, it’s now essentially back to where it was in February. How much is statistical noise?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 11, 2023
New York’s subways have less crime but more violence
New York City subway pickpocketing is down. Senseless assaults are up. That’s not a great trade.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 6, 2023
Flight of affluent taxpayers catches up with New York
The latest personal income tax data from New York shows the state bringing in less revenue than it did before the pandemic, which could hamper its ability to pay its bills.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2023
China may not need Western technology very much longer
The latest ranking of global spending on research and development has U.S. tech companies on top and Chinese rivals on the rise.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2023
Pandemic murder wave has crested. Here’s the postmortem.
Homicides were down in the U.S. in 2022 and continue to fall in the biggest cities. The cause of the spike during COVID-19 is still being determined.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 29, 2023
Big Tech binged on workers during COVID-19 — now, comes the purge
The spate of Big Tech layoffs is a reaction to a hiring wave during the pandemic that got out of hand. But will it be an overreaction?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 22, 2022
China's economic engine is about to start shrinking
The nation's working-age population could decline by two-thirds or more by the end of the century, according to new U.N. projections.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2022
How often do we have to get COVID to stop getting COVID?
Natural immunity will be key to downshifting the pandemic to endemic status. That doesn't mean you should go out and try to catch the virus tomorrow.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2022
'Air worse than Beijing' isn't much of an insult anymore
China's progress in reducing pollution in its capital city justifies a little environmental optimism, if only the world would catch up.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 26, 2022
We’ll all have some immunity to COVID-19 soon
The end of immunological naivete to COVID-19 in the U.S. should change how we think about the disease and what policies we put in place to manage it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2021
America’s superstar cities aren’t what they used to be
The 10 biggest U.S. cities, while large and growing, now account for less than 7.9% of the country's population.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2021
Millennials getting raises have retiring baby boomers to thank
Retiring baby boomers and massive government aid in response to the COVID-19 pandemic may help explain the rising incomes and workers quitting in huge numbers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 26, 2020
What a 95% effective vaccine could do is pretty exciting
A rough estimate based on the infectiousness of COVID-19 is that about 70% of the population would have to be immune for its spread to slow without any other preventative measures.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 8, 2020
Who’s still working at home? The affluent is who
Many of the U.S. ZIP codes hit hardest by the pandemic's economic fallout are those where affluent stay-at-home workers have stopped spending money on local services.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Aug 19, 2020
Coal’s days may be over in the U.S.
Renewables will most likely surpass the fossil fuel in electricity generation this year despite Trump's best efforts.
Japan Times
WORLD / Commentary
Jan 30, 2020
Why is Tokyo defying population outflows among world's 'superstar' cities?
Like a lot of big cities in the developed world, Amsterdam lost population in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s as its inhabitants opted for newer dwellings and more space outside the city. During those same decades, newcomers arrived in large numbers from former and current Dutch territories as well as Turkey and Morocco. But there weren't enough of them to make up for the domestic exodus, and their presence led some longtime Amsterdammers to decide the city was no longer for them.
'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.
Japan’s cannabis market growing rapidly amid regulatory shift
The legality of products that contain cannabinoids, a group of substances derived from the cannabis plant, has been somewhat murky in Japan.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
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.
Hybrid work takes root in Japan, survey finds
A dealer works in the trading room at a foreign exchange brokerage in Tokyo on March 28. An overwhelming majority of respondents who currently work remotely in some capacity say they wish to continue to do so.
Shohei Ohtani signs deal with sports technology company Rapsodo
Shohei Ohtani has been appointed as the new technology ambassador for Rapsodo, the company announced Monday.
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.
Hearing the impact of climate change in Okinawa, one bird call at a time
Toshihiro Kinjo (center), a research support technician at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, inspects an audio recording device in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on April 3 as Masako Ogasawara, a research support specialist at OIST, looks on.
Japan’s cannabis market growing rapidly amid regulatory shift
The legality of products that contain cannabinoids, a group of substances derived from the cannabis plant, has been somewhat murky in Japan.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability
Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

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