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JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2013

Abe vows again to amend Article 9

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed again Friday to revise the Constitution, including amending war-renouncing Article 9 to allow Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defense.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 8, 2013

Article 9 panel revived in collective defense bid

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reconvened a government policy advisory panel on security issues to review the move to reinterpret the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution so Japan can exercise collective self-defense.
Reader Mail
Jun 19, 2011

Opinion article at war with itself

In his June 14 article, "Japan gropes for leadership," Kazuo Ogoura writes in tautologies and paradoxes. He asserts that Japan has built a "safe and efficient society" by concentrating on safety and efficiency, yet he insists that this effort has left Japan, "vulnerable to natural and human disasters,"...
JAPAN / PARTY LINE
Jul 11, 2007

SDP sees Upper House race as vital in protecting Article 9

The Constitution's war-renouncing Article 9 is in danger of being revised by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the upcoming Upper House election is an opportunity to put a stop to this effort, Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima said.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 15, 2006

Article of faith draws ire at the highest level

I wish to report a miracle.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Sep 30, 2006

Rooney's slump shows striker is far from the finished article

LONDON -- Ruud van Nistelrooy was sold to Real Madrid there was a theory that the reason was because Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believed Louis Saha was a better partner for Wayne Rooney than the Dutchman.
EDITORIALS
Mar 19, 2005

Whimsical article of faith

The ongoing takeover battle between Livedoor Inc. and Fuji Television Network offers food for thought regarding "market capitalization," now a favorite topic of conversation among executives of information-technology firms and Internet service providers. Market capitalization, which is calculated by...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2004

Koizumi to press case for Security Council seat despite Article 9

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi indicated Tuesday he will reiterate Japan's aspiration to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council without revising the war-renouncing Constitution when he addresses next month's General Assembly meeting.
Sunset at Dudley Page Reserve, in Dover Heights, Sydney, on April 21
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 29, 2025

Australia’s economic ‘miracle’ is ending no matter who wins vote

Polls suggest the May 3 election will be tight, with many pundits predicting the winner will lead a minority government.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kenyan President William Ruto attend a welcome ceremony at The Great Hall of The People on April 24 in Beijing.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 30, 2025

Xi is trying to turn world against U.S. as Trump cuts deals

Chinese officials are racing to turn foreign governments against the U.S.
Young monks practice writing Tibetan at a monastery in Yushu, China. Beijing has restricted the teaching and practice of minority languages and religions.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 13, 2023

China’s new law on religion: A great leap backward

Beijing's new law on religious venues has received little attention but has far-reaching consequences in restricting religious freedom.
Robert O’Brien speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas in 2021.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 18, 2024

Ex-Trump adviser urges him to cut ties with China, restart nuclear tests

Former national security adviser Robert O'Brien's article offers the most detailed account of what foreign policy may look like in a second Trump term.
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 7, 2023

Feeling anxious? Wastewater, heat and Japan’s year in climate

In a year that saw Japan release 24,000 tons of wastewater (so far) from Fukushima No. 1 as the planet smashed heat records, it’s no wonder climate anxiety is on the rise. Mara Budgen joins us to break down the year in environment news, where we could see hope, and what we should be worried about....
Keith Kellogg, a national security adviser to Donald Trump, speaks to reporters during a daily press briefing at the White House in 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 14, 2024

Trump adviser poses 'tiered' system for NATO states who don't pay up

NATO could become an alliance in which some members enjoy greater protections based on their compliance with defense spending agreements.
Plaintiffs and their supporters hold signs reading "unconstitutional" after the Osaka High Court's ruling on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 25, 2025

Another Japan court finds same-sex marriage denial unconstitutional

The Osaka High Court's ruling follows similar judgments made by the Sapporo, Tokyo, Fukuoka and Nagoya high courts.
An AI-generated story about the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "psychiatrist" committing suicide has exploded online, prompting warnings from experts.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 11, 2024

Proliferating 'news' sites spew AI-generated fake stories

At least 739 AI-generated "news" sites in multiple languages operating with little to no human oversight have been identified in recent investigations.
Following the Nagoya High Court ruling on the same-sex marriage lawsuit, lawyers and others raise banners and boards that read "unconstitutional" and similar statements on Friday in Naka Ward, Nagoya.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 7, 2025

Nagoya High Court rules not recognizing same-sex marriage unconstitutional

It is the fourth high court ruling in Japan on same-sex marriage, following decisions in Sapporo, Tokyo and Fukuoka.
In Japan, terms like "progressive," "liberal," "conservative," and "nationalist" may sound familiar but do not align with their meanings in other democracies.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 25, 2024

How to understand labels in Japanese politics

The issues that define political labels are often unique to Japan. As a result, quite a few Western authors will pick them up and use them.
Moussa Sacko, a Malian deported from France — where he had lived since he was a young child — stands on a street in Bamako, Mali, in December. Compared with his home in France, Bamako feels like a different planet, Sacko said.
WORLD / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Apr 10, 2025

From France to Mali, a deportee's struggle far from home

Hundreds of foreign nationals previously protected because they grew up in France now face expulsion under legislation introduced last year.
A woman stands on one side of the wall texting in front of a nightclub while, on the other side of the wall, a man works in an izakaya.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 24, 2023

One night out in Tokyo

As the last trains leave the central hubs of Shinjuku and Shibuya for the suburbs, much of the city heads home. However, Tokyo never sleeps.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2023

Top court rejects claims over Abe's failure to call Diet session

Presiding Justice Yasumasa Nagamine at the top court's Third Petty Bench made the decision to dismiss the three appeals.
Yoon Suk-yeol, then the 2022 presidential election candidate of South Korea's main opposition People Power Party, attends a news conference in Seoul in November 2021.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 10, 2023

President’s war against ‘fake news’ raises alarms in South Korea

Critics say South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is silencing journalists in the name of fighting disinformation.
Children dressed as Chinese Red Army soldiers in front of a statue of Mao Zedong at the Revolution Museum in Jinggangshan, China, in 2021
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2023

The CCP equates its ideology with patriotism

A new law on patriotic education will take effect in China in 2024, forcing a narrow, jingoistic interpretation of nationalism.
The Ground Self-Defense Force's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade takes part in a marine landing drill on Tokunoshima island, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Nov. 19.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 29, 2023

Kishida’s military build-up plans face bumpy road ahead

One year on, questions remain as to whether the embattled leader, whose support rate recently dipped to new lows, can follow through on his pledges.
Naoko Motooka began hunting 10 years ago. Her hobby is one way Hokkaido hopes to curb a current boom in the deer population.
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 15, 2024

Hunting in Hokkaido; Taylor Swift comes to Tokyo

You probably don’t think of guns when you think of Japan, but Hokkaido’s hunters do.
The Japan Pavillion is seen at the Singapore Airshow on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Feb 21, 2024

At top airshow, Japanese firms explore defense export opportunities

They are offering a diverse and sophisticated range of products following a revision of guidelines on defense equipment and technology transfer.
Motoki Taniguchi (left) and one of his clients, Maurice Shelton, hope their lawsuit can change alleged police practices involving stop-and-search.
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 8, 2024

A lawsuit puts alleged racial profiling by police on trial in Japan

Three residents with foreign roots have filed a lawsuit claiming Japanese police target visible minorities. We discuss what they hope to achieve.
(From left) Nanami Fukuoka, Natsumi Matsunaga and Riana Tashima, students from Denshukan High School in Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, and Mutsumi Machitori, their teacher, show their research in late March.
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Kyushu
May 6, 2024

Students in Fukuoka learn of school's tragic past in World War II

After investigating a cenotaph at their school, pupils researched 17 alumni who died at a nearby munitions factory.
With the recent focus on the yen and individual investing, the phrase "Mrs. Watanabe" — one of the most common pieces of jargon in Japanese financial circles — has seen a resurgence.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 29, 2024

My search for the original 'Mrs. Watanabe'

Yen retail traders are back in the spotlight. But where did the phrase for the archetypal Japanese housewife investor come from?
An unarmed AGM-86B air-launched cruise missile is released from a B-52 bomber over the Utah Test and Training Range during a Nuclear Weapons System Evaluation Program sortie in September 2014.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 6, 2024

Trump advisers call for U.S. nuclear weapons testing if he is elected

A number of nuclear experts reject a resumption as unnecessary and say it would threaten to end a testing moratorium that has been honored for decades.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami