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Robert E. Kelly
For Robert E. Kelly's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2022
Does South Korea need an aircraft carrier?
South Korea would be wise to develop the capability to act independently in defense of its own needs, as Japan has done. An aircraft carrier is a first step in that direction.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2022
South Korea eyes China with growing concern
China's territorial assertiveness and bullying are becoming harder for South Korea to ignore.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 28, 2022
Biden shores up U.S. alliances with Japan and South Korea
After four years of alliance management chaos under former U.S. President Donald Trump, the language and consideration used during Joe Biden's Asia trip were a change.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2022
Will South Korea prosecute another president once again?
Questions are being raised as to whether Moon Jae-in will be investigated for abuse of power, much like the presidents who came before him.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 13, 2022
South Korea’s new president is likely a bland centrist, and that is OK
The real divide between South Korea's right and left is over foreign policy. Change will be most evident here, and Japan particularly is likely to find a Yoon presidency easier.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2022
A unified Korea would be a good thing
The best answer to North Korean nuclear weapons is Southern-led unification of the peninsula u2013 especially for Japan
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2022
South Korea's bewildering stance on the Ukraine conflict
Elevating economics and trade over politics like Seoul has done with the Ukraine invasion will haunt it — especially with China, which has long used economic leverage as a policy weapon.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 8, 2022
Tokyo’s tough stand against Moscow comes at a cost
Tokyo's recent decision to line up with the West on sanctioning Russia is a serious shift for Japan, and one with the obvious cost of alienating Moscow in the Northern Territories dispute.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2022
North Korean missile tests could eventually trigger a Japanese response
With nuclear weapons atop North Korea's missiles, they become a genuinely serious, if not existential, threat to South Korea, Japan and the United States.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2022
Why the left lost South Korea’s election
Less reported in the press is the fact that an alternative left-wing candidate, Sim Sang-jung, also ran, splitting the South Korean vote.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Perspectives
Feb 26, 2022
Will the Ukraine crisis upend political ambitions in Asia?
The Russian invasion sets an alarming precedent, but China is unlikely to follow Putin's bellicose playbook.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2019
Why the world shouldn't expect North Korea to denuclearize
We likely need to adjust to the medium-term reality of North Korea as a nuclear weapons state.

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