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Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 21, 2020

The coronavirus is airborne indoors, but we’re still scrubbing surfaces

Scientists who initially warned about contaminated surfaces now say here is little to no evidence that deep cleaning mitigates the threat indoors.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 19, 2020

A new study questions whether masks protect wearers. You need to wear them anyway.

Researchers in Denmark reported on Wednesday that surgical masks did not protect the wearers against infection with the coronavirus in a large randomized clinical trial. But the findings conflict with those from a number of other studies, experts said, and is not likely to alter public health recommendations...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2020

Will Trump's defeat prove lethal for populism across the globe?

Donald Trump's election loss amounts to a warning for other far-right populists, such as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Nov 18, 2020

Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine induces quick immune response, study finds

Sinovac Biotech's experimental COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac triggered a quick immune response but the level of antibodies produced was lower than in people who had recovered from the disease, preliminary trial results showed on Wednesday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2020

As Asia moves forward, the U.S. sits on the sidelines

Donald Trump's absence marked the third consecutive year in which he failed to show up for the annual ASEAN get-together.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 16, 2020

Remembering the Okinawa rape incident that changed Japan-U.S. military relations

It was twenty-five years ago nearly to the day, following the tragic early September 1995 rape of an Okinawan school girl in Kin Village, Okinawa Prefecture, by three U.S. servicemen — two Marines and a Navy medic — that the Commander-in-Chief U.S. Pacific Command made an inexcusable remark during...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 16, 2020

With progressive politics on march in New Zealand, Maori minister blazes new trails

Nanaia Mahuta's excitement reflects a global desire among progressives for a shift away from the chauvinist, right-wing populism that has shaped the past four years in some countries.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Nov 16, 2020

An outsider's look at the problems plaguing rural Japan

When new people come to town they bring a flurry of new ideas with them. In the small town of Nakatsugawa, this has meant an exciting cultural exchange.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2020

World’s populists may regret their embrace of Trump

The likes of Putin, Bolsonaro and Erdogan may be about to see an end to their years as part of a U.S.-led strongman brotherhood.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 13, 2020

Truth and de-Trumpification

Historically, plenty of other countries' transitions from authoritarianism have been characterized by a willingness to leave former power-holders unpunished.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 12, 2020

Biden set to ‘undo the Trump years’ with civil rights pivot

The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department is headed for a dramatic makeover under President-elect Joe Biden, who has pledged to make racial equality a centerpiece of his agenda.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 11, 2020

Hong Kong opposition quits en masse to protest new China powers

The resignations came after China moved to disqualify unpatriotic lawmakers, one of Beijing's strongest moves yet to stifle dissent in the territory.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2020

Biden has won, now allies must act

The unmistakable conclusion is that U.S. foreign policy must change. Enduring success demands that a U.S. president see that domestic needs are better met.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Nov 10, 2020

Trump’s environmental legacy may be lasting harm to the climate

Greenhouse pollution accumulates in the atmosphere, so the heat-trapping gases emitted as a result of loosened regulations will remain for decades, regardless of policy shifts.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 9, 2020

Trump loses immunity from persecution after leaving office

Those consequences of a Trump defeat could lead him, if not to jail, at least to years of persecution by justice.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 7, 2020

Stacey Abrams’ ground game put Georgia within Biden's reach

For Stacey Abrams, Friday was harvest day, and it was bountiful.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 6, 2020

Japan’s fragile monarchy

Whereby there are presently only two viable heirs to Japan's imperial throne, it's easy to understand the fragility of the imperial line.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 5, 2020

Fugitive auto executive Carlos Ghosn settles scores in new French book

The former chairman of Nissan and Renault, who has denied financial misconduct charges, has long said he was set up to prevent deeper integration between the automakers.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 5, 2020

A transfixed world waits to see what’s next in America

All over the world, the results trickling in from across the American electoral map made for confounding, fascinating must-watch drama.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2020

Can humanity grow up?

Whether humanity survives this critical period is ultimately up to us. Because the greatest risks are not from nature but from our own action.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Nov 4, 2020

China’s race for COVID-19 vaccine raises safety questions

Process has been unhindered by common scientific setbacks being reported by Western rivals, raising questions about how stringently they are vetting potential issues.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 3, 2020

Sean Connery and James Bond brought Japan to the world

“You Only Live Twice” highlights the cultural differences between Japan and the West without belittling them.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 3, 2020

Almost like clockwork, talk of a military coup follows Thai protests

For the protesters, the military's enduring power in a country that markets itself as a modern democracy is as alarming as it is anachronistic.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 31, 2020

Sean Connery, the actor who introduced world to James Bond, dies at 90

Though he made more than 60 films, Connery was most closely affiliated with the debonair fictional British spy he portrayed seven times.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 29, 2020

Does America still interfere in foreign elections?

Americans have been understandablyalarmed about foreign electoral interference. But the practice is not new; in fact, the U.S. was for a long time its leading exponent.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 28, 2020

‘Living in the Sky’: Trust your cat, not your lover

Cannes winner Shinji Aoyama and the pop group collective Exile Tribe joined forces for this film about the complexities of personal relationships.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 28, 2020

Episode 70: Japan's got ghosts

Author, Bram Stoker Award nominee and host of the podcast “Uncanny Japan,” Thersa Matsuura joins us to share her fascination with the Japanese supernatural.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 28, 2020

Banning glitter won’t save the oceans

Those sparkly bits of plastic that make ornaments twinkle, wrapping paper glimmer and wreaths shimmer are increasingly seen as an environmental hazard.

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