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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 15, 2020

'Vaccine nationalism': Seductive and dangerous

Medecins Sans Frontieres warns that the global scramble to hoard vaccines by rich countries will feed a dangerous trend of 'vaccine nationalism.'
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 15, 2020

Life on Venus? Astronomers see a signal in its clouds

Scientists detected a chemical — phosphine — in the thick Venus atmosphere, and they assert that something now alive is the only explanation for its source.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Sep 14, 2020

Veterans fortify the ranks of militias aligned with Trump’s views

The role of veterans in the newly proliferating groups — which sometimes are steeped in racism — has increased over the last decade.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Sep 12, 2020

COVID-19 pandemic, and local politics, threaten the future of anime conventions

The coronavirus outbreak has altered the reality of mass gatherings worldwide, but canceling an event isn't something all organizers are in a position to do.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 11, 2020

High crimes against journalism and decency

Jeffrey Goldberg's insane 'Trump called troops suckers' piece is a new low.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 11, 2020

‘Mulan’ 1998: A moment of joy and anxiety for Asian American viewers

By the time 'Mulan” came out, Asian American activists were still reeling from the failure of 'All-American Girl” (1994-95), the first sitcom to feature a Korean American family.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Sep 10, 2020

‘Illegal thoughts’: How some exiled critics of Thai king are fueling a revolt

Protesters say writings and social media posts by the critics, including a Kyoto University professor, have helped to loosen the taboo on questioning the monarchy.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 9, 2020

Episode 64: The end of Shinzo Abe: What will his legacy be?

In part two of this two part look at the end of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's time in office, we look at Abe's legacy as Japan's longest-serving prime minister.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 8, 2020

Straight talk about Taiwan and ‘strategic ambiguity’

A lack of clarity dissuades China from seeking reunification through force by leaving open the possibility of a U.S. response and dissuades Taiwan from reckless actions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 7, 2020

Trump promised a coal comeback but America’s miners need an energy revolution

Mining has always been physically risky, and right now the job is more insecure than ever.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 4, 2020

Rest of Asia will miss Abe more than Japan will

Asian democracies will have to hope that Japan continues down the path Prime Minister Shinzo Abe laid out.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 4, 2020

Trump and Biden: Equally awful

The progressive case for voting third party or boycotting the election
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 3, 2020

The 1995 Okinawa rape that shook U.S.-Japan ties

Twenty-five years ago, on Sept. 4, 1995, a 12-year-old girl was abducted, beaten and raped in the village of Kin, Okinawa Prefecture, by three U.S. servicemen — two marines and a naval medic.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 2, 2020

Episode 63: The end of Shinzo Abe: What happened and who's next?

This is part one of a two part look at the end of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's time in office.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 2, 2020

U.S. expats can’t renounce their citizenship fast enough

The swearing in of new citizens often makes news in the U.S., especially if it happens in unusual circumstances such as one party’s national convention. Much less reported are the many citizenship renunciations by Americans, and the travails leading up to these life decisions. Almost all those giving...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Sep 1, 2020

‘Debt trap' diplomacy is a card China seldom plays in Belt and Road initiative

It’s taken as a given that the Belt and Road initiative (BRI), China’s effort to close the world’s multitrillion-dollar infrastructure gap, is an attempt to extend Beijing’s influence throughout the world by means fair and foul. One of the most incendiary charges is that China uses BRI funds...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 1, 2020

China alone: Will the prospect of isolation thwarts Beijing's imperialist ambitions?

In his most recent New Year’s speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that 2020 would be “a milestone.” Xi was right, but not in the way he expected. Far from having “friends in every corner of the world,” as he boasted in his speech, China has severely damaged its international reputation,...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 31, 2020

Prepare for the next disaster with mutual support agreements

Organizations like schools and companies can stand ready to help each other immediately after a crisis hits.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 31, 2020

Mapping environmental crime seen as key to slowing Amazon forest losses

One group has estimated that 90 percent of all forest loss in the Amazon basin is illegal.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 29, 2020

What Abe leaves behind for Japan and the world

Shinzo Abe will likely be haunted by the goals that remain beyond his grasp when he officially steps down as prime minister.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Aug 29, 2020

Small luxuries offer some consolation amid COVID-19 pandemic

With more time on their hands, consumers are shopping online to make their home lives more comfortable.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 29, 2020

The Japan that Shinzo Abe has left behind

Shinzo Abe’s sudden resignation (on health grounds) ends the tenure of Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. The country’s most internationally recognized statesman since 1945, Abe has been, among other things, the world leader most keen on playing golf with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 28, 2020

Abe to resign over health, ending era of political stability

The race to replace the prime minister is intensifying, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and former LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba in the frame.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 28, 2020

U.S.-China confrontation not a replay of the Cold War

Japan's only path is to uphold the security alliance with the U.S. while keeping relations with China as friendly as possible in order to make money.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Aug 28, 2020

Coconut and palm oil industries at loggerheads over environmental impact

A report highlighting the harmful environmental impact of coconut oil production by a researcher with links to the palm oil industry has sparked a heated debate over coveted green credentials in the multibillion dollar industries.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 26, 2020

U.S. flirtation with 'technonationalism' means trouble for the world

Taking this policy to its logical conclusion, Washington should deny cutting edge technology to any country — even its allies — to preserve its pre-eminence.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2020

China’s digital currency will rise but not rule

A new version of the renminbi will fail to challenge the U.S. dollar's global dominance.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2020

Belarus is Putin’s to lose

The Russian president's continued support for the Lukashenko regime risks pushing the country toward the West.

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