EDITORIALS

People gather at the site of the Nova music festival in southern Israel on Monday to commemorate the anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack in which some 1,200 people were killed and 250 others abducted.
EDITORIALS
Oct 11, 2024
The never-ending tragedy in the Middle East grinds on
The red lines — both real and imagined — that once separated foes have been erased as the combatants inflict new and increasingly painful wounds upon each other.
If the Liberal Democratic Party does not perform well and loses seats in the coming election, Shigeru Ishiba’s tenure may be one of the shortest in modern Japanese political history.
EDITORIALS
Oct 4, 2024
Ishiba faces challenges from the opposition — and his own party
Ishiba needs to be ready for challenges coming from all directions: outside the country, from the opposition and from his own party.
A Japanese Self-Defense Force jet was forced to fire flares recently as a warning to Russian aircraft that violated the country's airspace, highlighting how both China and Russia tried to test Japan’s leadership during a period of political transition.
EDITORIALS
Sep 27, 2024
China tests Japan. Are its new leaders ready?
Most of China's moves require considerable planning. That means that the signals they sent were anticipated and approved by political decision-makers.
Hashim Safieddine, a Shiite Muslim cleric and the head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, speaks Wednesday during a funeral in Beirut for some of those killed after paging devices exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon the previous day.
EDITORIALS
Sep 20, 2024
Pager bombs just add more fuel to the Middle East fire
The tale that is emerging after the pager bombs is one that resembles a spy novel, a feat of derring-do by Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency.
An attendee wears an Apple Vision Pro while holding the Apple iPhone 16 Pro during an event at Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, on Monday. Apple introduced the latest version of its flagship device, the iPhone 16.
EDITORIALS
Sep 13, 2024
The genie is out of the bottle and headed for your phone
The touchscreen smartphone is now humankind's ubiquitous companion, and with each new product release, phone makers unveil new innovations.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife, Yuko, are welcomed upon their arrival at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, South Korea, on Friday.
EDITORIALS
Sep 6, 2024
Never take Japan-South Korea relations for granted
The two leader’s final meeting is both an opportunity to review recent achievements and to underscore the centrality of the Japan-South Korean partnership.
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on Zibqin, in southern Lebanon, on Sunday. AFP-JIJI
EDITORIALS
Aug 30, 2024
The Middle East remains on a precipice
Israel's retaliations in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have not led to a wider conflict. But neither Iran nor its proxies seem eager to expand the fighting either.

Longform

Akira Oishi (left) and Shinichi Okanobori have taken on the responsibility of surveying the flora and fauna of Mount Tenran and Mount Tonosu in Saitama Prefecture.
Inside Japan's 100-year project to monitor its deteriorating biodiversity