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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2021

America’s superstar cities aren’t what they used to be

The 10 biggest U.S. cities, while large and growing, now account for less than 7.9% of the country's population.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2021

If COVID-19 rattled our food chain, climate change is a seismic shock

Climate change is having an impact on agriculture more grave than COVID-19, and far more complex — driving a paradigm shift in the business of food.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2021

The U.S. has no Plan B on Iranian nukes. Israel does.

Even though Iran is now capable of enriching uranium to a high enough concentration for weapons, Israel has degraded its ability to place that fuel in warheads.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 19, 2021

Issue of national security looms large in Lower House campaign

The economy and fight against COVID-19 remain the top issues for voters, but they are increasingly concerned about threats from China and North Korea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 19, 2021

What Colin Powell taught me about leadership and war

Humility, so much at the core of Gen. Colin Powell, the son of Jamaican immigrants and graduate of a City College of New York, was job one.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 18, 2021

China’s power crisis will affect industries worldwide

The world has become hooked on cheap Chinese power for making a host of its goods. About half of all metal is produced in China and nearly a fifth of all oil is refined there.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Oct 18, 2021

It’s hard to get your voice heard in a Japanese election

Ten years ago, a British resident grabbed the mic from a Japanese politician. What would you say if you had that moment in the spotlight?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 17, 2021

Washington is a weak link in the global chip supply chain

One of the big mistakes Washington has made during this chip shortage is to act like the U.S is the only victim and its needs usurp everyone else's.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 17, 2021

Why is Citi helping big tech storm Wall Street?

The puzzling part of Alphabet's expansion of Google Pay is why Citigroup is a willing participant in Silicon Valley's invasion of Wall Street's turf.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 15, 2021

An important issue for Japan’s coming Lower House election: Defending Taiwan

Japan's security, and hence its future, is directly related to Taiwan's security and future existence. A vote for Taiwan is a vote for Japan.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 14, 2021

Sleepless in Seoul: Waiting for Kishida’s phone call

New Prime Minister Kishida has not called the president of South Korea yet, causing a stir in South Korean media.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Oct 14, 2021

U.S. star Allyson Felix says she was never chasing Carl Lewis

Allyson Felix said surpassing Carl Lewis as the most decorated U.S. track and field athlete was "never a goal" but that it was "amazing" to have achieved the feat after winning her 11th Olympic medal at the Tokyo Games.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 13, 2021

China isn't the AI juggernaut the West fears

China's AI isn't so much a tool of world domination as a narrowly deployed means of domestic control.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 13, 2021

Japan's main opposition CDP focuses on progressive issues in party platform

The largest opposition party said it would stand for rights like supporting same-sex marriage and different surnames for couples, marking out differences with the conservative ruling LDP.
The Allied Occupation of Japan after World War II brought an end to the country’s brothels, which resulted in the Prostitution Prevention Law of 1956.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Oct 19, 2024

Edo Japan's morals pose a debate for the modern age

Can we judge what’s right or wrong across centuries? Edo’s morals of sacrifice and duty distinctly clash with our own modern ethics.
DPP leader Yuichiro Tamaki speaks to reporters on Monday at parliament.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 11, 2024

Head of key opposition DPP admits affair ahead of parliament vote for PM

Yuichiro Tamaki admitted to the affair after a tabloid reported on the relationship, jeopardizing his future in the party and any tie-ups with the LDP and Komeito.
The theft of £300,000 worth of top-grade British cheddar serves as a reminder of the quality and joy British cuisine offers, particularly through its artisanal products like cheese.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2024

The great British cheese heist gets personal

A slice of Brightwell Ash cheese serves as a reminder of the quality and joy British cuisine offers, particularly through its artisanal products like cheese.
Matt Groening (right), creator of the show "The Simpsons," attends the premiere of the "The Simpsons Movie" along with characters from the series in Springfield, Vermont, in July 2007.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2024

‘The Simpsons’ has become a parody of itself. That’s a good thing.

With the "The Simpsons" viewership down to just 10% of its peak, the show is often in the news for controversies rather than content.
Dating apps like Bumble and Hinge, with their reliance on basic algorithms, often lead to superficial connections, but AI could improve this by analyzing deeper data for more meaningful matches.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2024

AI dating might actually not be so bad

While still in development, these AI-driven match-making tools aim to reduce the fatigue of online dating and foster more genuine connections.
Manchester United had three wins and a draw in four matches under interim coach  Ruud van Nistelrooy.
SOCCER
Nov 11, 2024

Ruud van Nistelrooy ends interim role at Manchester United on high note

Ruud van Nistelrooy lingered on the Old Trafford pitch after Manchester United thrashed Leicester City 3-0 on Sunday in his final game as interim boss, but the Dutchman said it was more about celebrating a great moment than a potential goodbye.
While equity investors are optimistic about tax cuts and deregulation, concerns are emerging in the bond and currency markets, which are signaling fears of higher inflation due to Donald Trump’s economic proposals.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 12, 2024

Trump’s market honeymoon won't last much longer

Stocks grab all the headlines, but bond and currency markets show where trouble might be brewing.
The Democrats focused on issues like racial and gender inequality and overlooked the economic and social struggles of the working class, allowing Donald Trump to tap into this resentment.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 12, 2024

Voters to elites: Ignore the working class at your own peril

The redistribution of respect saw those who climbed the academic ladder celebrated with accolades, while those who didn’t were rendered invisible.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other Cabinet members and lawmakers attend a session of the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 13, 2024

Trump return leaves Japan’s leader with no time to snooze

The prime minister drew headlines for a moment after he was caught napping in parliament during proceedings for his own nomination as Japanese leader.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks to House Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

‘Call anytime you want’: Trump roils G20 with disdain for rules

World leaders who didn’t experience Donald Trump’s first merry-go-round are quickly learning how he likes to operate.
Taxes on U.S. citizens working abroad aren’t excessive so much as excessively complicated.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2024

Trump is right: Expat taxes are too complicated

Taxes on U.S. citizens working abroad aren’t excessive so much as excessively complicated.
Public support for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet in November remained low at 28.7%, a Jiji survey shows.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2024

Ishiba Cabinet approval inches up to 28.7%, poll shows

The result highlights the persisting lack of voters' support for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's administration.
Lecanemab was developed by drugmakers Eisai of Japan and Biogen of the United States.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 15, 2024

European agency switches to recommending new Alzheimer's drug

The committee judged that the efficacy of lecanemab outweighs the risk for some patients.
There is a broad shift in Japan’s business environment, where long-standing relationships are being challenged by foreign and activist investors looking for merger and acquisition deals.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 15, 2024

Japan's newfound love of M&A makes for strange bedfellows

There is a broad shift in Japan’s business environment, where long-standing relationships are being challenged by foreign and activist investors.
A newly elected Donald Trump will encounter a changed Middle East where he will be forced to challenge Iran's influence and curb its nuclear ambitions — a path that is fraught with complications.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 15, 2024

Iran is much weaker than the last time it faced Trump

Today, Israel has crippled Hamas in Gaza, and in Lebanon, Hezbollah can still fire rockets, but Israel has decimated its leadership.
Marco Rubio debates Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican presidential primary race. The president-elect has named the senator from Florida as his prospective secretary of state.
EDITORIALS
Nov 15, 2024

Trump’s Cabinet picks make clear his priorities. Allies get ready.

Trump claims a mandate — winning the popular vote and both Houses of Congress — but his margin of victory is smaller than he will admit.

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