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September 16, 2025
 

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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.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 4, 2016

Bongbong Marcos leads family's revival in the Philippines

For the son and namesake of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, winning the vice presidency in next week's election is as much about restoring his family's tainted image as it is about making the country a better place.
EDITORIALS
Apr 2, 2016

China's tight control of speech

Chinese President Xi Jinping's stringent control of speech and media outlets could increase public frustration — a potential source of social instability.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 7, 2015

Japan has little to gain by resuming its whale hunt

The government's decision to defy the International Court of Justice and send the whaling fleet to the Antarctic is sure to inflame anti-Japan sentiment worldwide.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 14, 2015

Chinese media crucial in public diplomacy effort

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently had a cameo in the animated adult cartoon "South Park." In the episode, Xi (not the real Xi) revealed that Japan decides "who is gay or not" in Asia. The character also said the Japanese "are dogs who refuse not apologize to the Chinese Republic" and then kissed...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 6, 2015

Republicans aside, NRA may be losing its grip

U.S. public opinion on guns seems to be going in the same direction as it did on same-sex marriage — a compete reversal.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 17, 2015

What's in a name? Japan debates whether to allow spouses to adopt separate surnames

Upper House lawmaker Mizuho Fukushima and her partner, Yuichi Kaido, have been together for about 40 years. They don't celebrate any kind of anniversary, however, because they've never been officially married.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Sep 27, 2015

Legal change will make temp purgatory permanent for many Japanese workers

Eight years ago, a TV drama about temporary workers generated a great deal of excitement around Japan. In "Haken no Hinkaku" ("Dignity of a Temp"), model-actress-singer Ryoko Shinohara played Haruko Omae, a "super-temp" who masterfully tackled the myriad troubles that arose in her ¥3,000-an-hour job....
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 9, 2015

The world hates Russia. Russia hates it back

A new report by Pew Research Center show how effectively President Vladimir Putin has managed to isolate Russia and breed a siege mentality in it against the West.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 30, 2015

Nation's political culture stands at major crossroads

Will Japan be dragged down by egocentric anti-intellectualism and suspension of judgment, or will a new civic culture turn the nation into a more mature democracy?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2015

An idiot ready to serve on day 900

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and far too many other would-be U.S. presidents lack a solid grasp of critical domestic and foreign policy issues.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 3, 2015

What would Confucius say about gay marriage?

The U.S. ruling on same-sex marriage has sparked a national discussion on gay rights in China, and the tone, surprisingly, has been generally welcoming.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2015

For Europe's anti-establishment ranks, Tsipras an unlikely hero

European anti-establishment parties of all political colours are rallying behind Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in his standoff with creditors, which threatens to force Athens out of the eurozone and undermine the single currency.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jun 27, 2015

U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of gay marriage nationwide

The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the U.S. Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry, in a historic triumph for the American gay rights movement.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
May 11, 2015

Imperial family will pay close attention to Abe's statement

The Abe administration's effort to break away from the postwar regime is a defiant political move to file a formal objection to the postwar Imperial family and to put Japan's best 'knowledgeable and thinking people' into a subordinate position.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 4, 2015

18 looms as new age of majority

Japan's youth will finally get a chance to have their voices heard in politics.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 27, 2015

Why Chinese tourists love Japan

Despite the apparent ill will that Beijing, and occasionally the Chinese public, express toward Tokyo, Chinese tourists can't seem to get enough of Japan. In 2014, Chinese visits to Japan increased 83 percent on the previous year.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 13, 2015

Ukraine is worst of Obama's many foreign policy disasters

If U.S. President Barack Obama is to be blamed for errors with Libya, the Mideast and especially Ukraine, it is also true that his foreign policies have reflected a consensus in the U.S. governing class and popular opinion alike that America must always be 'first.'
EDITORIALS
Feb 15, 2015

Questions of self-defense

A legislative package of bills on security — prepared by the ruling coalition with the aim of implementing the Abe Cabinet's decision last July to enable Japan to engage in collective self-defense — will no doubt be the main focus of the current Diet session.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 3, 2015

Greece ruptures 30 years of political consensus in Europe

By catapulting to power an improbable alliance of the hard -left and nationalist far-right, Greece has shaken up Europe's political kaleidoscope and may have signaled the end of an era of centrist consensus.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2015

U.S. economy, military remain strong

Amid the continuing trend of polarization into Democrat or Republican extremes, an increasing flow of immigrants and a waning, but still the strongest military presence, the U.S. will continue to be a superpower, but to a somewhat lesser extent, a group of academic experts recently concluded.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2014

Making obesity a disability will only fuel problem

The decision by Europe's highest court that obesity can be a disability will only give the many overweight people in rich countries legal grounds to feel righteous about their condition, regardless of its causes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / DECISION 2014
Dec 16, 2014

Novelty party in Hokkaido shows that 105,000 voters want 'none of the above'

While many voters struggled to find a party that matched their hopes for the nation's future, voters in Hokkaido had an easy way out: a box marked "No party to support" on the proportional representation section of the ballot.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / ANALYSIS
Oct 29, 2014

Town divided after Sendai nuclear plant restart clears another hurdle

The city hosting the Sendai nuclear plant in Kagoshima Prefecture has decided to approve a resumption of operations at the facility, highlighting a conflict between people who benefit from the largesse of the industry and those who do not.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 23, 2014

Top U.S. court upholds Michigan ban on college affirmative action

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday further undermined the use of racial preferences in higher education by upholding a voter-approved Michigan law that banned the practice in decisions on which students to admit to state universities.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Mar 14, 2014

Dahl still drawing on the joys and absurdities of expat life

For over 20 years, Roger Dahl has been making Japan Times readers laugh — and think — with his Opinion Page political cartoons and “Zero Gravity” comic strip, which pokes gentle fun at the foreign experience in this country.
SDF spots China’s biggest aircraft carrier for first time
The Fujian aircraft carrier is seen in Shanghai in May 2024 as it leaves for its first sea trial.
Why more hotels in Japan are offering room-only service
Nipponia Hotel Ise Kawasaki Merchant Town in Ise, Mie Prefecture
Is America ready for Japanese-style 7-Elevens?
Convenience stores are a fixture of Japanese life and 7-Eleven, a chain that began in the U.S. in 1927, opened its first store in Japan in 1974 — and then became wholly Japanese-owned in 2005 through parent company Seven & I Holdings.
Final weeks of World Expo in Osaka likely to see large crowds
With one month left to go, crowds are expected to swell at the World Expo in Osaka during its final weeks.
Japan's elderly population down at around 36.2 million
The estimated number of people age 65 or older in Japan stands at 36.19 million as of Monday, accounting for record 29.4% of the country's total population, according to the internal affairs ministry.
Japan's major art events converge this fall
Shinji Ohmaki’s “Tokinokage” exhibited at Fuji Textile Week 2021 shows the use of fabric as art.
An aesthetic escape to Hakone’s art-drenched hills
Between traditional examples of fine art and sleek, modern exhibitions that blend with nature, Hakone offers a unique escape from Tokyo's urban sprawl.
Niinami’s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.
Shizuoka farmers fight to preserve sustainable tea method that’s steeped in tradition
As of August 2024, the number of confirmed chagusaba farmers had fallen to 302, just over half the 582 reported in 2015, according to the Shizuoka Chagusaba Farming Method Promotion Council.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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