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EDITORIALS
Dec 24, 2018

Eliminate disparity in the value of votes

Last week's Supreme Court decision that the 2017 Lower House election was constitutional should not slow efforts to reduce the nearly 2-to-1 disparity in the value of votes.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 20, 2018

Japan and Russia could finally end WWII

Abe and Putin seem determined to reach a deal on decades-old territorial dispute.
EDITORIALS
Nov 10, 2018

A centennial to remember

As we mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, politicians and publics around the world must recognize that peace is fragile and it must be nurtured.
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Nov 8, 2018

Views from Tokyo: Should Japan follow Canada and legalize recreational marijuana?

What do Tokyoites and tourists think of Canada legalizing pot for recreational use? Could or should it ever happen in Japan?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 29, 2018

Mass media and democracy in prewar and postwar Japan

Now, more than ever, the free press must avoid the perils of populist pandering and fulfill its responsibility as one of the key pillars of democracy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Oct 10, 2018

Can five Little Japans defuse one big demographic time bomb?

What about if Japan split into a confederation of five semi-autonomous 'regions,' each delineated roughly by geography and population?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2018

A master class in the art of political survival

The Kremlin isn't completely unresponsive to popular opinion, but it won't tolerate dissent that demands radical change.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 26, 2018

Brexit's big short: Hedge funds hired pollsters and cashed in

At 10 p.m. on June 23, 2016, Sky News projected the words "IN OR OUT" across the top of a London building as an orchestral score ratcheted up the tension. "In or out—it is too late to change your mind," declared Adam Boulton, the veteran anchor, seated in a makeshift studio across from Big Ben. "The...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 21, 2018

Japan's refugee-screening system sets high bar

Last year, Japan granted refugee status to just 20 out of a record-high 19,629 applicants. After the figure was released in February, global and domestic coverage was noticeably polarized.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 9, 2018

Why killing the nuclear pact was only the first step

Netanyahu sees Trump as a partner for broader regional change.
EDITORIALS
Mar 25, 2018

China's coming propaganda offensive

Beijing is overhauling its state media to better control domestic content and to create a propaganda behemoth that will spread its message around the world.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 23, 2018

In Indonesia, a shadowy campaign, attacks on Islamist stokes unrest as elections loom

A spate of mysterious attacks on Islamic clerics, schools and mosques in Indonesia in recent weeks has ramped up tensions as the world's most populous Muslim-majority country heads into provincial elections and a presidential poll next year.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Feb 24, 2018

'Peace Games' are no game-changer for South Koreans

South Korea's self-styled "Peace Games" have been a sporting success, but public reaction suggests Seoul may have failed its bigger test — to generate the support the president needs to make bold moves to improve ties with old enemy North Korea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2018

What to do when liberals are the censors?

'Offense' and 'hurt' are central concepts in rising efforts on the left to curtail free speech.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 5, 2017

Paul Manafort tried to ghost-write positive op-ed on Ukraine work, even after court order: special counsel

The special counsel investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on Monday accused President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, of working with a Russian colleague to draft an opinion piece about his political work for Ukraine.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 27, 2017

Winners and losers in the election

Last week's Lower House election was quite different from the contests the ruling alliance won in recent years.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Oct 24, 2017

An idea buds in the U.S. that Japan should go nuclear

Opinion is growing within certain quarters of the U.S. that Japan should be armed with nuclear weapons to reduce America's defense burden.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 31, 2017

Britain's May could lose majority in June 8 election, projection shows

Prime Minister Theresa May could lose control of parliament in Britain's June 8 election, according to a projection by polling company YouGov, raising the prospect of political deadlock just as formal Brexit talks begin.
JAPAN / Politics
May 24, 2017

Dozens of local governments across Japan voice concerns over conspiracy bill

As a contentious and now internationally controversial bill to criminalize conspiracies faces stiffening opposition in the Diet, dozens of local governments nationwide are voicing concerns, warning against possible human rights violations and the rise of a surveillance state.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2017

British PM May calls for early election to strengthen Brexit hand

British Prime Minister Theresa May called on Tuesday for an early election on June 8, saying she needed to strengthen her hand in divorce talks with the European Union by shoring up support for her Brexit plan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2017

Niigata governor Ryuichi Yoneyama stands firm against restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant

The man blocking the world's largest nuclear plant says he grew opposed to atomic energy the same way some people fall in love.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 28, 2017

Sino-Japanese propaganda wars are heating up

Both Japan and China are wielding history like a cudgel to bash the other and assert a sanctimonious nationalism that impedes reconciliation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2017

Failure of economic theories

Are there any answers to the digital Wild West that seems to be taking over?
EDITORIALS
Dec 4, 2016

Diverse views on abdication

The government must reflect the will of the people when it decides how to respond to Emperor Akihito's desire to abdicate.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2016

President Trump: Japanese-Americans, Japanese in U.S. weigh in

People of Japanese ancestry speak up about their impressions of President-elect Donald Trump.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 6, 2016

Security scare for Trump in frenzied final days of White House campaigning

Republican Donald Trump was rushed off stage by security agents at a rally in Reno, Nevada, on Saturday night after a perceived security threat as he and Democrat Hillary Clinton swept across states that could prove decisive in Tuesday's presidential election.
Japan Times
SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Sep 6, 2016

Kaepernick putting career on line with anthem issue

MAS comes today to neither bury nor praise San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 16, 2016

Fix campaign or step aside, Wall Street Journal tells Trump

Republican Donald Trump should fix his stumbling White House campaign in the next three weeks or step down, The Wall Street Journal said on Monday in a sharply worded warning from a leading conservative voice.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2016

On the campaign trail for the foreign right to vote

Permanent residents argue their tax contributions entitle them to a degree of representation at the ballot box. With the Upper House election just around the corner, we examine both sides of the debate.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2016

Why are some politicians impervious to facts?

Many politicians make innaccurate statements, and most people can't be bothered to question them.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear