Search - politics

 
 
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2014

Thailand to court mob rule if opposition boycotts polls

Nothing will be served if Thailand's political opposition continues its campaign to boycott elections. It can only lead to a choice of mob rule or an army takeover, either of which would be disastrous.
COMMENTARY
Jan 5, 2014

The rational ignorance of the American voter

If the political knowledge of American voters is measured relative to government's expanding scope, ignorance is increasing rapidly: There is so much more to be uninformed about.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2013

Thai opposition prepares a silent coup d'état

The sense that Thailand has seen extreme partisan politics played out in the streets before would be mildly reassuring were it not for a nagging fear that this decent and prosperous society may be set to destroy its democracy.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 28, 2013

After Abe Yasukuni jaunt, all eyes on Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping's reaction to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Yasukuni Shrine will determine whether Asia's top two economies come closer to a hostile incident.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2013

Carmakers brace for Yasukuni backlash in China

Automakers are bracing for a potential consumer backlash should tensions with China escalate after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Yasukuni Shrine on Thursday, which was also Chairman Mao Zedong's birthday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2013

'Frenemies' in the Mideast

The recent interim nuclear agreement between Iran and the so-called P5-plus-1 countries, led by the U.S., has provoked unprecedented criticism of U.S. policy from two of its strongest Mideast allies: Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 22, 2013

Champion of women's rights reportedly underpaid nanny

A week after the arrest and strip-search of an Indian diplomat in New York caused a international firestorm, new details are emerging about the woman at the center of the controversy, a seemingly contradictory figure who advocated for women's rights in public but is accused of underpaying and overworking...
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2013

Is wife Abe's main opposition rival?

Akie Abe is Japan's first lady of conviction and action, describing herself as an 'opposition force at home' who doesn't shy away from speaking out in public against the policies of her husband, Shinzo.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2013

Pyongyang could be in store for destabilization

The defenestration of Jang Song Thaek shows that no longer can even Pyongyang's putative second in command expect to be pensioned off to some posh inconsequential place once his services are no longer needed.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2013

Long reform march from China's Third Plenum

Although China's leadership succession was completed earlier this year, the policy agenda for the coming decade has only just been revealed at its Third Plenum.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Dec 14, 2013

China's ADIZ steals show at Japan-ASEAN celebratory summit

The special session of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that took place in Tokyo on Saturday was designed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Japan's diplomatic relations with the Southeast Asian countries.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 9, 2013

India's Congress party trounced in state elections

India's governing Congress party suffered a bruising blow Sunday, losing four keenly watched state elections in what is seen as a semifinal for the national vote next spring.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 7, 2013

Emperor's apparent liberal leanings jar with Japan's right wing

Whereas liberals tend to be fond of the Emperor because he appeals to their own progressive leanings, genuine right-wingers have no use for the kind of open-mindedness the Emperor occasionally demonstrates.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2013

Right renews its war on democracy in Thailand

In most democracies, government spending on free health care and anti-poverty programs would be seen as part of the normal political process, but in Thailand, it is regarded by many rich opponents of the current 'Thaksin' administration as a form of bribery.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2013

Don't blame Dallas for Kennedy assassination

John F. Kennedy was an extraordinary president at an extraordinary moment in history.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 20, 2013

Tea bowls, simple emblems of power

"Ido Tea Bowls: Treasured Possessions of Muromachi Daimyo," currently showing at the Nezu Museum, presents an array of 72 rare tea bowls that were once owned by renowned warlords, tea masters and Buddhist temples. Produced by country potters in kilns in Korea's South Kyungsang province, these bowls were...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 16, 2013

Nationalism, Tibetans and Uighurs in today's China

Nationalism arouses solidarity and generates identity politics that threaten ethnic and religious minorities. Defining the "we" also defines the "they" — and the latter is inexorably marginalized.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 12, 2013

Thailand must overcome obsession with Thaksin

It's frustrating to think where Thailand — Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy — might be today had the nation not squandered the last seven years on all things Thaksin.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 5, 2013

Washington isn't working, so why not move it?

Dispersing the headquarters of Washington's bureaucratic agencies throughout America's hinterland might well reduce people's feelings of alienation and hence lead to better government.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2013

Five myths about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

An avalanche of books written about Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis — without her cooperation — have left us with myths about her that are widely believed to this day.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 4, 2013

Diet reform paralyzed by hypocritical habits

Indecision is a much-criticized feature of Japanese politics. Diet sessions are rife with unproductive wrangling as the ruling and opposition camps dispute the timing of the submission of bills while avoiding constructive discussions on them.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2013

Japan's poor gender gap worsening, WEF survey finds

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may have set the empowerment of women as a major pillar to spur economic growth, but Japan's already poor gender gap has gotten even worse, according to a report by the World Economic Forum released Friday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 24, 2013

Trading identity for compassion in the Middle East

Filmmaker Lorraine Lévy likes to tread lightly wherever she goes. Her aversion to intrusiveness affects the way she looks at the world, and defines her approach to filmmaking. It's certainly a significant part of "Le Fils de l'Autre (The Other Son)," Lévy's latest film (and arguably her most successful),...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 20, 2013

New York readies for a left turn at City Hall

After two decades under the leadership of Michael Bloomberg and Rudolph Giuliani, New York appears headed for a sharp left turn when voters select a new mayor in November.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 13, 2013

Potential rises with India's booming middle class

Japanese firms need to — and some are starting to — better understand the changing behavior of Indian consumers to succeed in the region's new economic powerhouse, journalists from Indian media organizations said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 11, 2013

Meet the man who plotted America's shutdown

As an appetizer before helping to send the U.S. government into famine mode, Ted Cruz railed against Obamacare on the Senate floor last month in a publicity-seeking speech that lasted more than 21 hours and included a Darth Vader impression and reading Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" as a bedtime story...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 9, 2013

BBQ Chickens keep new album 'Broken Bubbles' short and sweet

When making music, Tokyo punk/metal hybrid act BBQ Chickens like to keep things short. The quartet have yet to craft a song that lasts two minutes. A handful of their cuts don't even break the 10-second mark.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 4, 2013

India's wealthy must open gates and fight chaos

Even well-to-do Indians, whose disengagement has made the erosion of public institutions possible, can no longer escape the extortion and lawlessness that the less lucky have always faced.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 2, 2013

Democrats find rare unity in budget fight

Shortly before the government shut down, House Republicans crafted their final spending offer, including two health care provisions designed to scare red-state Senate Democrats facing re-election battles: one to delay the Affordable Care Act's unpopular individual mandate and another removing subsidies...

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