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Sarah Wu
For Sarah Wu's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Wei Hsin-hsi and his wife pose for a picture outside their family’s temple that is located inside the proposed expansion area of an industrial park in the Longtan district of Taoyuan, in Taoyuan, Taiwan September 22, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 8, 2023
Taiwan's land squeeze pits advanced chips against ancestral temples
If TSMC shifts more production outside Taiwan, it could weaken the backbone of Taiwan's economy.
A TSMC plant under construction in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023
TSMC prizes Japan's chips skills after U.S. stumbles
The chipmaker is taking an increasingly optimistic view of Japan as a production base, as problems persist at its new factory in Arizona.
A supporter of the main opposition Kuomintang party shows their fingernails painted with the Taiwan flag, during the party's annual conference in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on July 23.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 31, 2023
Taiwan parties spar for young vote as high-stakes elections loom
The outcome of the closely watched January 2024 vote will set the tone for Taipei's tumultuous relationship with Beijing.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 11, 2023
Cross-strait tensions no deterrent for Taiwan's embrace of clean wind energy
For now, economic arguments trump concerns about placing critical energy assets in what some security analysts believe could one day become a theater of war.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 11, 2023
A punch in the face for Xi caricature: Taiwan air force badge goes viral
Chinese censors have long targeted representations of Winnie the Pooh over internet memes that compare the fictional bear to China's president.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Mar 16, 2023
Fear of the dark: Taiwan sees wartime frailty in communication links with world
War in Ukraine lends new urgency to Taiwan's security needs, especially against cyberattacks or attempts to sever cables that connect the island to the internet.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Nov 17, 2022
Beijing's freeze on Taipei contact fuels concern over risk of military clash
China ended formal high-level communication with Taiwan's government in 2016 after the island's voters elected Tsai Ing-wen, whom Beijing considers a separatist, as president.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 22, 2022
Taiwan touts 'democracy chips' in meeting with Indiana governor
Gov. Eric Holcomb was making the third trip to Taiwan this month by a U.S. delegation after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited briefly, infuriating China.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2022
Chipmakers have a message for carmakers: Your turn to pay
The shortages of computer chips that forced global automakers to scrap production plans over the past two years are easing — at a new and permanent cost to the car companies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2022
How China became ground zero for the auto chip shortage
Despite being the world's largest producer of cars, and leader in electric vehicles, China relies almost entirely on chips imported from Europe, the United States and Taiwan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 3, 2022
Supply chains snarl Taiwan tech firms as some strive to meet demand
Companies are reporting a strong market for products, especially in automotives and high-end computing, but difficulty in securing inputs.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2022
With 'chip schools,' Taiwan invests in next generation of tech talent
The plans, championed by President Tsai Ing-wen, come as chip companies plow billions of dollars into capacity expansion.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Mar 16, 2022
On Taiwanese island, drills underscore strategic importance and vulnerability
Taiwan held live-fire drills in its northernmost territory on Wednesday, putting the spotlight on a remote island that is strategically located at a chokepoint near China — and potentially vulnerable to attack.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 13, 2021
Chip giant Taiwan's energy security on the line with LNG referendum
The referendum, which seeks to relocate the project away from an ancient algal reef and would likely delay it for years, has a reasonable chance of passing.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 30, 2021
As China menaces Taiwan, the island's friends aid its secretive submarine project
Taipei has stealthily sourced technology, components and talent from at least seven nations to help it build a fleet with the potential to exact a heavy toll on any Chinese attack.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 20, 2021
Odds of war with China in the next year 'very low,' top Taiwan official says
At the same time, National Security Bureau Director-General Chen Ming-tong warned that the island must still pay attention to 'contingent events.'
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 5, 2021
Canada’s Hong Kong diaspora helps new arrivals with jobs, housing and psychotherapy
Hong Kongers in Canada are banding together to help the latest wave of immigrants fleeing Beijing's tightening grip on their city.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 10, 2021
For Hong Kongers, Canada is beaten path out of China’s grip
With recent pro-democracy protests virtually snuffed out and Beijing enshrining control last year via a national security law, bags are being packed once more.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 29, 2020
China wields patriotic education to tame Hong Kong's rebellious youth
Targeting the city's teachers has become part of a broader plan by China's leaders to reform the city's youth after last year's sometimes-violent pro-democracy demonstrations.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Oct 31, 2020
Revised Chinese law sparks debate on sexuality education
While the country does have some sex education, there are calls for it to go beyond biology and cover relationships and sexuality.

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