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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2022

China’s 'zero-COVID' muddle

The longer Chinese authorities attempt to avoid responsibility and muddle through on COVID-19, the greater the risk to public health.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 13, 2022

The politics of Japan's defense spending

When Japan first imposed the 1% of GDP defense-spending ceiling , the issue has been a matter of politics and any attempt to breach that threshold has been taboo.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Oct 20, 2022

Politics putting damper on World Cup fever in Brazil

Brazil's famous uniform has become politicized despite efforts by the Brazilian Football Confederation to keep the jersey apolitical.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 14, 2022

Britain's revolving door — yet another prime minister

Britain's numerous leadership changes as of late are reminiscent of Japanese politics with the country getting its fourth prime minister in six years.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 6, 2022

Incoming British leader Liz Truss can’t escape Boris Johnson’s legacy

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson changed British politics, but he left his successor, Liz Truss, with a pile of problems.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2022

How will the elite at Davos deal with the war in Ukraine?

The global elites such as those meeting in Davos have yet to confront the harsh realities of power politics and nationalism.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 28, 2022

Stephen Breyer’s exit strategy nods to U.S. Supreme Court politics he decried

Breyer's White House announcement Thursday was timed perfectly to give President Joe Biden a needed chance to change the national conversation and reinforce the court's beleaguered liberal wing.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 30, 2021

The political advantages of the ‘parent lottery’

The term 'oyagacha' is widely used for the idea that 'you can't choose your parents.' When you're born into a political dynasty, however, that's not such a bad thing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 14, 2021

Basic lessons from two decades of conflict in Afghanistan

The resources — financial, human, intellectual — of the world's richest countries were unable to prevail in the contest for the future of Afghanistan
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 14, 2021

The dangers of when there is 'nothing to lose'

A 'nothing-to-lose' attitude is what is driving the never-ending conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 22, 2021

Afghanistan was always about American politics

From Vietnam to the Persian Gulf, the American empire has been defeated and worn down about as thoroughly as the British and French in the early 1960s.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Mar 25, 2021

How money and politics dictate the Tokyo Games

From state-of-the-art venues and unprecedented ticket sales to coveted broadcast rights, years of commercialization have raised the stakes for the global sporting event to new heights.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 4, 2020

Talking politics in Japanese as the U.S. election heats up

A lot of people are talking about the upcoming U.S. election, so it's time to brush up on your campaign vocabulary.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 23, 2020

Understanding the prime ministers' 'danger zone'

Japanese leaders have reason to worry when their approval ratings dip below 30 percent.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 15, 2020

The rise of Japan’s governors: Central-local relations during the pandemic

The actions of the nation's regional leaders during this crisis have been nothing short of extraordinary.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2020

Biden obviously has dementia and should withdraw from the race

It's anti-American and unpatriotic to vote for someone suffering from dementia for a position with exclusive control over nuclear launch codes.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 7, 2020

It's been a sad, bad week for the United States

The world's leading power is now being governed by grievance and emotion.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2019

Boris Johnson is an incredibly lucky politician

Corbyn was a gift but the prime minister's promises to his new blue-collar supporters on Brexit and spending will be difficult to honor.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 18, 2019

Will Tokyo's 'deep state' strike back?

Can and will Japanese bureaucrats revolt or speak out, when necessary, against the incumbent prime minister of the day the way their U.S. counterparts are in the Ukraine scandal?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 3, 2019

The politics of frustration in Latin America

All over Latin America, public patience is wearing thin, with violence in Chile and the return to power of Peronists in Argentina. For almost 40 years, leaders and voters have struggled to realign economies with global markets, leavening the adjustment with social policies to protect the worst-off. Center-right...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 31, 2019

Resignations offer insights into Cabinet politics

The latest resignations are symptomatic of broader Japanese Cabinet politics.
Tesla CEO Elon Mus joins former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the site of the first assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2024

The growing shadow of big money in U.S. politics

Changes in federal election law have made it easier for candidates like Donald Trump to trade influence for donations.
Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attends a press conference shortly after he was sacked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who cited a lack of trust, at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 6, 2024

Netanyahu fires defense minister, jolting Israeli politics

After Yoav Gallant was fired, protesters in Israel blocked highways and lit bonfires on roads.
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte holds a news conference in Quezon City, in Metro Manila, on Tuesday. She denied she was plotting to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying recent comments that sparked a government probe only reflected "consternation" with her one-time ally.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2024

Philippines politics is often mad. It just got crazier.

Manila cannot afford to be distracted by the latest round of clan rivalry and violent threats.
Yoshiki Taniguchi (right), mayor of Aioi, Hyogo Prefecture, apologizes to Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito ahead of a meeting between prefectural government officials and leaders of municipalities in the prefecture held in Kobe on Nov. 26. Taniguchi publicly questioned whether Saito had the credentials to become governor before his election.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 5, 2024

'Old' media blames 'new' media for success of 'populist' candidates

Many young voters, especially those in their 20s, are believed to have supported Hyogo Gov. Saito due to his social media outreach.
Natsumi Sakai, a Lower House member of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, during an interview in parliament last month
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 4, 2025

Gender equality in politics remains elusive in Japan

Japan has a long way to go before fully achieving gender equality in politics.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addresses a news conference in Tokyo on Monday. He repeated his pledge to stay on to prevent a political vacuum from forming after his party's poor performance in the Upper House election.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 29, 2025

The LDP struggles to define its future after election flub

The public doesn’t know what it wants — other than “not this” — so indecision by the LDP and other parties is understandable.
A single flag is planted in memory of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, according to organizers at the Young America's Foundation, alongside a field of flags marking the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks outside the U.S. Capitol.
EDITORIALS
Sep 12, 2025

America’s politics turn bloody

Charlie Kirk’s killing was tragic and horrific, but not unexpected. Violence has become an all-too common component of life in the U.S.
People attend a vigil in Provo, Utah, on Friday to honor slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. The killing of Kirk is highlighting the deep asymmetry in American politics.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 14, 2025

Is violence policy in Donald Trump’s new America?

This does not mean that the U.S. is sliding toward civil war, though some appear to be itching for it and might feel well-prepared.
Some anticipate Sanae Takaichi becoming the prime minister will do little to shift the male-dominated world of politics.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 24, 2025

'Get married': The reality of Japanese politics for women

Some female politicians anticipate Sanae Takaichi becoming the prime minister will do little to shift the male-dominated world of politics.

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