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Satohiro Akimoto
For Satohiro Akimoto's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 23, 2022
Can Japan at last do away with its 'postwar' mindset?
The time has come for pacifist Japan to fundamentally change its security strategy to reflect a changing world and new challenges and threats.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 8, 2021
It's in America's interest to court ASEAN
ASEAN is of tremendous strategic importance to the U.S. and Japan and should not be downplayed.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 19, 2021
Why sanctions could worsen the tragedy in Myanmar
The modest democratic progress Myanmar made during the period of awkward coexistence between the NLD and the military over the last decade appears to have been completely wiped out.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 11, 2021
Diversity is key to Japan’s relations with the U.S.
In the words of a recent study by the Brookings Institution, “the Biden team is on track to assemble the most diverse set of Senate-confirmed appointees in American history.”
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 25, 2020
Remembering a mentor: Ezra Vogel's big vision on Asia
There are many scholars who are well-versed in matters related to Japan and China, but Vogel was simply in his own league in terms of his academic work.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 19, 2020
All eyes on Suga's foreign-policy agenda
His pledge for a continuity of Abe's policies has been welcomed, but still many questions loom among the foreign-policy community about Japan's new leader.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 23, 2020
How the U.S. and its allies should prepare for the post-COVID-19 world
With many nations looking to the United States for leadership, the country risks being hemmed in by its economic ties with China.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Commentary
Apr 14, 2020
Japan and U.S. must lead preparations for next pandemic
The global crisis over the COVID-19 pandemic calls for a global solution, but so far the international community has not shown a strong desire to get on the same page.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Commentary
Jan 19, 2020
The Japan-U.S. alliance is stronger than ever, but that doesn't mean it's on autopilot
When the Japan-U.S. security treaty was revised 60 years ago, nobody expected that it would become one of the most remarkable security alliances in history.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Commentary
Dec 24, 2019
The great power game in the Pacific: What Japan can do
The Pacific island states have never been at the center of geopolitical discussion. The names of the 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) — nations such as Fiji, Kiribati, Palau and Samoa — may evoke a romanticized image of a remote paradise in the Pacific, but certainly not as a point of strategic importance.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Commentary
Sep 12, 2019
This time it's for real: U.S. must help Tokyo and Seoul end crisis
For years, tension between Japan and South Korea has waxed and waned in a cyclical pattern.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / Commentary
Aug 29, 2019
U.S. leader's chaotic diplomacy offers chance with Kim
Two months after the dramatic Trump-Kim meeting at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, the world's most heavily fortified border is back to its perpetual state of tension, as if nothing happened.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Commentary
May 24, 2019
As a rare ally on good terms with Trump, Japan has the chance to raise its global standing
Japan has established itself as the single most important ally for the U.S. in the region — and arguably in the world.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 24, 2018
A U.S.-China great power competition?
Asian nations are anxious about Trump's aggressive approach toward China.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 24, 2018
How Japan can save the Indo-Pacific strategy
The Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy presents Japan an opportunity to play a leadership role in the region.

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