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Kuni Miyake
For Kuni Miyake's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Fumio Kishida delivers a speech during the LDP's 91st party convention in Tokyo on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2024
What is being missed about the funding scandal
In discussions about the LDP funding scandal, certain considerations are missing. Beyond lambasting the party, these must be addressed for a clear vision.
Donald Trump supporters wait for the former U.S. president to speak at a campaign rally in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 29, 2024
Wake up America! What happened to your exceptionalism?
What is tragic is that both the Democratic and Republican parties effectively decided on their final presidential nominees long before the primaries began.
Shanghai's financial district under heavy rain. China's economy has slowed down, with some pointing to a possible balance sheet recession.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2024
Mr. Xi, only change will help China weather the storm
How does Xi Jinping plan to address China's growing economic woes? Only openness to change will allow the global power to survive these turbulent times.
Japan remains largely unresponsive as the U.S. moves toward the escalation of retaliatory strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen and other Iranian-supported militants in the Middle East.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 2, 2024
As the U.S. and Iran inch toward war, Tokyo bickers about political factions
Japan remains largely unresponsive as U.S. moves toward retaliatory strikes in the Middle East, and possibly war.
The Democratic Progressive Party's presidential candidate, Lai Ching-te, the eventual winner, casts his vote during the island's election in Tainan, Taiwan, on Saturday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 18, 2024
Taiwan's election and its potential impact on East Asian politics
China tried to interfere in the Taiwanese elections through the systematic use of "cognitive warfare," but failed.
The Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo. In the wake of a political funding scandal, some are calling for the dissolution of the LDP's factions.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 16, 2024
Eliminating factions isn’t the answer to the funding scandal
In the wake of a political funding scandal that has embroiled the LDP, some are calling for the dissolution of the party's factions. That would be a mistake.
Police officers stand guard outside the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 14. The ruling party is currently trying to contain a funding scandal that threatens the future of the Kishida administration. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 20, 2023
'Strategic Communication' is a missing link in Japan's crisis management
From gaffes to governance, lessons in "strategic communications" for Japanese politicians.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in November 2018.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 7, 2023
If Kissinger was serving as the U.S. secretary of state
There was no other U.S. diplomat whose reputation in Japan and China was as polar opposite as that of Henry Kissinger.
Indian leader Narendra Modi greets Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Group of 20 Summit in New Delhi in September.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2023
Are India and Thailand revising their diplomatic balancing acts?
New Delhi and Bangkok share an 'omnidirectional' approach to diplomacy, the limits of which are being tested.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa attends a news conference during the Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday. The Oct. 7 surprise attack by Hamas on Israel fundamentally changed the nature of this year's meeting.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 9, 2023
Dispelling myths about Japan’s ‘balanced’ Middle East diplomacy
Unfortunately, many in the Japanese media do not seem to understand what is really happening in the Middle East.
Israeli soldiers gather around a tank near the border with the Gaza Strip on Oct. 15. The IDF is preparing to conduct a ground offensive into the Palestinian territory.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 26, 2023
When history rhymes: Are we back in 2003, at the dawn of the Iraq War?
Given the parallels between the Israeli position today and the U.S. invasion of Iraq a decade ago, history can offer important lessons.
Various student and left-wing organizations march in support of Palestinians in New Delhi on Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2023
Hamas' war and what it means for India
Some strategic thinkers are calling for a broader "Indo-Abrahamic Alliance" that includes not only the I2U2 but also Egypt and Saudi Arabia
A Palm Sunday procession makes its way toward a government-sanctioned Catholic church in Youtong village in China's Hebei province
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 2, 2023
The Holy See shows how to deal with China
In China, the relationship between politics and religion is unique, and the Holy See has adopted a sophisticated approach to diplomacy with Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in South Africa on Aug. 23
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 14, 2023
What does Xi really mean? Chinese diplomacy’s true intentions
Decoding the true meaning behind Xi Jinping's words, and his silences, reveals an increasingly isolated China.
A sign reading "suspend the sale of all fish products imported from Japan" in an area of Japanese restaurants in Beijing
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2023
China’s actions on Japan and religion are cut from the same cloth
Beijing’s stoking of anti-Japanese sentiment based on unscientific accusations mirrors its suppression of religious freedom in Xinjiang.
Social division and the polarization of the American political system are becoming more and more apparent.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2023
Where is the America I once knew headed?
The sociopolitical transformation I witnessed in San Francisco is not just a West Coast phenomenon, but perhaps a nationwide trend.
People lie passed out on a sidewalk in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco in February 2020.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2023
Is America’s soft power eroding?
San Francisco has changed from a hub of hippie culture and freedom in the 1960s and '70s, suggesting America's soft power is abating.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 20, 2023
Kishida’s Middle East visit creates a great opportunity for Japan
Kishida visit shows Japan"s policy vis-a-vis the Middle East is shifting from the traditional energy-securing economic diplomacy to a more strategic foreign policy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 7, 2023
Tips for better diplomatic commentary
As I grow older and wiser, here are seven lessons I have learned as a career Japanese diplomat.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2023
Blinken’s visit to China was neither a success nor a failure
The Japanese media are divided in their assessment over the success of the U.S. secretary of state"s trip to Beijing for talks to better relations.

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A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world