Search - politics

 
 
ASIA PACIFIC
May 4, 2016

Once Asia's rising stars, Modi and Jokowi struggling to keep momentum

Two years back, they were the most promising leaders in Asia, set to revamp a pair of perennial underperformers that account for a fifth of the world's population.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2016

Why China's censors silenced a Net sensation

China's leaders, so determined to export their culture to the world, are instead cultivating a neutered entertainment industry with their censorship.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 27, 2016

Clinton dominates in Hollywood endorsements and cash

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' positions on fracking, free tuition and breaking up big banks wouldn't sound out of place in an Oscar winning-actor's acceptance speech.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 23, 2016

Are U.S. firms running a competition deficit?

Facing slow growth and greater uncertainty, companies are trying to cut costs by getting bigger. But this does not sit well with traditional antitrust thinking.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Apr 18, 2016

China steps up war of words with Taiwan over fraud suspects

China on Monday stepped up its war of words with Taiwan after Taipei freed 20 suspects in a telecom fraud case linked to China, with state media accusing Taiwan of tolerating crime and being taken hostage by anti-Chinese forces.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 16, 2016

Can Japan make itself great again by 2050?

The bad news is, Japan is beset by seemingly insoluble problems. The good news is the word "seemingly." No nation whose rise to economic superpowerdom began a bare decade after being bombed to rubble in history's most destructive war will ever find anything truly "insoluble." Japan will astonish us yet....
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Apr 16, 2016

Understanding Heian nobles’ snobbishness

Once upon a time — the fairy tale opening is apt, though it's history we're dealing with — peace lay so thick upon the land that war was inconceivable. The capital was a city named "Peace and Tranquility" — Hei-An (modern-day Kyoto). There was a ministry of war, but the war minister was no fighter;...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2016

Sanders' tax returns rank him high among Americans but far below Clinton

U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who has made income inequality a top campaign theme, had taxable income of $205,271 in 2014, almost putting him in the top 5 percent of American earners, according to the release of his federal tax return on Friday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 12, 2016

Cameron may be clean, but that isn't the point

Revelations that British Prime Minister David Cameron benefited from shares in a Panama-based fund have undermined the honest-broker image he was seeking ahead of the 'Brexit' referendum.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2016

Extremism's odd bedfellows

The relationship between the extreme right, particularly in Europe, and Islamist radicalism runs deep, with adherents of both groups sharing some important traits.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2016

Meet the Roman Republic's Donald Trump

Populism has a long and colorful history in American politics, but its roots stretch much further back in time.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2016

Turkey's President Erdogan gambles and loses

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's personal ambitions are causing Turkey incessant, avoidable problems.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2016

Under military rule, Thais turn to social media

As the space for public political debate and opinion shrinks, Thais have moved their political debate to cyberspace.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 30, 2016

3-D pornography is still pornography

During the heyday of Japan's "pink films" (cinematic porn) in the 1960s and '70s, directors were given free rein over their pictures as long as they included at least one sex scene per reel. For the late Koji Wakamatsu, perhaps the genre's most famous exponent, this was an opportunity to smuggle experimental...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 28, 2016

Drawing the right lessons from wars and interventions

Multilateralism may have its imperfections and shortcomings, but like old age it is still better than the alternative.
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2016

Americans on all sides united in opposition to free trade

A poll shows opposition to free trade is a unifying concept even in the deeply divided U.S. electorate, with almost two-thirds of Americans favoring more restrictions on imported goods.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 16, 2016

Ehime high schools to require notice from students who want to attend political events

All public high schools in the prefecture decide en masse to require notice from students who intend to engage in political activity.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2016

Challenge of global change

The world is increasingly beset with problems, but with the right effort the international community can overcome them.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 14, 2016

Why 3/11 didn't change Japan

The Fukushima crisis should have been a catalyst for change; instead it sustained policy inertia.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 12, 2016

Trudeau sees no flood of Americans to Canada if Trump wins

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday joked that he is not expecting an influx of unhappy Americans across the border if firebrand Republican Donald Trump becomes president.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 6, 2016

It's risky to bash Donald Trump on talk radio

Talk radio, a bastion of the right wing in the U.S., has gone easy on Donald Trump throughout the campaign.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 22, 2016

With eye on Downing Street, Boris bets all on 'Brexit'

With one hand in his suit pocket and the other mussing his signature blond hair, Boris Johnson on Sunday took the riskiest gamble of his career: to oppose Prime Minister David Cameron by campaigning for Britain to leave the European Union.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 12, 2016

Paternity leave trailblazer Miyazaki quits over affair

LDP lawmaker and paternity leave pioneer Kensuke Miyazaki quits his seat after admitting to an extramarital affair.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 4, 2016

China's new role as a Middle East peacemaker

Can China's impact on the Middle East be more constructive than that of the United States?
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 3, 2016

Six takeaways from an exciting night in Iowa

The Iowa caucus results suggest that there is a significant 'Anyone But Trump' vote out there, and that if Clinton wins the Democratic nomination it will be despite her lackluster political skills rather than because of them.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 3, 2016

New Hampshire primary requires candidates to recalibrate campaigns

Just hours after the last voters walked away from Iowa's caucuses, the center of the reshaped 2016 presidential race shifted to New Hampshire, where candidates were already addressing voters before dawn Tuesday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2016

Virtual tie raises doubts: Can Hillary Clinton close the deal?

Hillary Clinton's struggle in Iowa to fend off underdog Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, reignited questions about her ability to close the deal with Democratic voters and turned up the pressure on her high-profile White House campaign.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2016

The chorus against the posh boys grows louder

The global elites' competence and moral legitimacy are being questioned like never before.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 1, 2016

Time for Japan's academia and media to wake up

Japan's media and academia are failing in their duty to question government policies.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 30, 2016

Trump versus Sanders, versus Bloomberg?

Strange as it may seem, a plausible argument can be made that an independent run by Michael Bloomberg could win the U.S. presidential election.

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