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EDITORIALS
Nov 23, 2019

Abe's report card and tasks ahead

Shinzo Abe has brought political stability with his long reign, but not a lot more.
SOCCER / From the Spot
Nov 20, 2019

JFA takes leap with new women's pro league

Eight years ago, Japan won the FIFA Women's World Cup and earned its place among women's soccer's elite nations.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 11, 2019

NRA turmoil creates rift among big donors

Joe Olson was once such a passionate supporter of the National Rifle Association that he pledged to bequeath millions of dollars from his estate to the gun organization upon his death.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 5, 2019

Democracy is on the march worldwide, not in retreat

Mass protests in country after country show how powerful the demand for social equality remains
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 29, 2019

Generation X faces a bleak future

As Gen Xers passed through each stage of life, they have been living through the worst possible time to be whatever age they happened to be.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2019

Former Canadian PM on democracy's role in world affairs

The fifth Global Opinion Leaders Summit was held in Tokyo on Oct. 17 with former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivering the keynote before a panel discussion on geopolitical and economic issues.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Sep 29, 2019

Stand-up plans: Trading caricatures for awareness

A half-hour into chatting with Patrick Harlan over coffee at a Yotsuya bakery, two women grab seats nearby.
EDITORIALS
Sep 27, 2019

U.S. takes fateful step toward impeachment

The impeachment process will have many political and policy implications. Japan must be prepared for the impacts.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2019

Japan-South Korea feud starts to cast shadow over 2020 Olympics

A deepening feud between Japan and South Korea threatens to undercut next year's Tokyo Olympic Games as the two sides spar over whether spectators could wave Rising Sun flags during the event.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 13, 2019

Abe's lesson in stability and pragmatism

Team Abe is not afraid to use power and has an agenda that is pro-growth and pro-business.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 5, 2019

Former PM Hatoyama regrets reneging on pledge to move Futenma airbase out of Okinawa

Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama says it was a "big mistake" to abandon his pledge to move U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma out of Okinawa.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Sep 5, 2019

Morocco and Spain to bolster cooperation to curb illegal EU-bound migration

Morocco and Spain pledged on Wednesday to cooperate more closely to curb illegal migration, an issue fueling the growth of far right and populist politics in Europe, following a near halving of migrant arrivals in mainland Spain this year from 2018.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 2, 2019

The blackest hand in Hong Kong is Beijing's

Beijing will do anything necessary to pacify 'Chinese' territory and doesn't care much what the rest of the world thinks about it.
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
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2019

Real freedom of the press doesn't exist in the U.S.

Since few other countries have the equivalent of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment, learning that it ranks below Botswana and Slovenia may come as a surprise.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 19, 2019

The root cause of U.S. mass shootings is the rage of alienation

The only thing surprising about mass shootings is that they don't happen more frequently.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 14, 2019

Trade spat sees K-pop caught in the middle

The Japanese debut performance of Korean pop group Stray Kids planned for next month should be an unquestionably good thing. The fledgling male outfit has been gaining steam since emerging in 2017, with its nine members having already played shows in Southeast Asia, Australia, the United States and Europe....
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 3, 2019

Low voter turnout in Upper House election may reflect an indifference to democracy

In May 1993, general elections were held in Cambodia. Voter turnout was 89.56 percent.
EDITORIALS
Aug 2, 2019

China-U.S. trade woes drag on

Japan must brace for the impact of the U.S.-China trade dispute.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jul 24, 2019

'Love it or leave it' is not a real choice

When U.S. President Donald Trump told four congresswomen of color they could 'go back' where they came from if they weren't happy, some of us in Japan recognized the line as being one used here for far too long.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 22, 2019

Okinawa contradictions need to be fixed

The LDP has lost almost all elections in Okinawa despite the government's candidates consistently being the more qualified and experienced.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 22, 2019

Abe's push to amend Japan's Constitution faces uncertain future after Upper House vote

Undaunted by the failure to capture a two-thirds supermajority in the upper chamber, Abe pushes on with his goal to rewrite the charter, with an eye on Article 9.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 17, 2019

'Dear young people, don't vote!' say Japan's senior citizens in campaign viral video

As the nation readies for the upcoming Upper House election set for this Sunday, a video targeted at Japan's youths is going viral owing to its controversial message delivered by a group of senior citizens: "Dear young people, don't vote!"
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 16, 2019

For U.S., Japan-South Korea ties are too important to fail

One of the biggest disappointments of the Trump administration has been its inability to facilitate stronger relations between Japan and South Korea
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 14, 2019

Thousands of protesters attend rally in Hong Kong suburb

Tens of thousands rallied in a large Hong Kong suburb on Sunday, driven by abiding anger at the government's handling of an extradition bill that has revived fears of China tightening its grip over the ex-British colony and dismantling its freedoms.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 9, 2019

U.K. diplomat gets run over by Brexit bus

Kim Darroch's memos aren't shocking because of what they say about Donald Trump. What the leak says about the state of U.K. politics is worse.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 4, 2019

Trump casts himself, military and Republican VIPs as stars of July 4 pageant

U.S. military armored vehicles stood near Washington's majestic Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday as President Donald Trump pushed ahead with an elaborate Fourth of July production with him at the center, as critics accused him of hijacking a nonpartisan celebration of America's Independence Day.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years