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Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Jul 20, 2020

New U.S. harder line doesn’t demand a military solution in the South China Sea

Washington must provide effective backing for rival claimants — not just military support but diplomatic and economic as well.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 20, 2020

This grading algorithm is failing students

Schools around the world are trying to figure out what education in the time of COVID-19 will look like — and specifically how, where personal contact isn’t possible, to monitor and assess students’ progress. The experience of Hadrien Pellous, a high school senior in London, offers a caution: Don’t...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 19, 2020

COVID-19 tests nations' communitarian values

The world's most communitarian countries are handling the pandemic well. The most individualistic countries are doing the worst.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 19, 2020

‘Ugly face’: U.S. and China trade barbs in Myanmar as South China Sea rift deepens

China's Embassy in Myanmar on Sunday accused the United States of "outrageously smearing” the country and driving a wedge with its Southeast Asian neighbors over the contested South China Sea and Hong Kong, as tensions mount between the superpowers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 18, 2020

'Pure Invention': How Japan's pop culture became the 'lingua franca' of the internet

From toy jeeps and karaoke machines to the Game Boy and Tamagotchi, “Pure Invention” explores how Japan's cultural influence has spread across the globe.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 16, 2020

Japan's new coronavirus panel aims for more clarity and balance

The subcommittee on the novel coronavirus faces the challenge of finding the right balance between protecting health and the economy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 16, 2020

‘Theatre: A Love Story’: No sparks in this tortured romance

Based on a novel by comedian-turned-author Naoki Matayoshi, “Theatre: A Love Story” centers on a narcissistic playwright and his long-suffering girlfriend.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 15, 2020

This is the moment for Japan to rethink coal

The country's reliance on coal blackens its environmental credentials.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / LAW OF THE LAND
Jul 15, 2020

Is the Article 9 labyrinth merely academic?

Numerous creative theories have been read into the Constitution's no-war clause by scholars over the years.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 15, 2020

Trump and Putin by the book

Both leaders were long prefigured in classic works of political satire.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 15, 2020

Libya's double tragedy

With Turkey and Egypt now locking horns in the country, Libya's agony is even less likely to be resolved at the ongoing U.N. talks in Geneva.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 15, 2020

Episode 57: Has Japan's pop culture conquered the world?

From the karaoke machine and the Walkman to Hello Kitty and the Game Boy, Japan's cultural influence can be felt almost everywhere.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2020

The upside of a new cold war with China

Competition with the Soviet Union brought out the best in American democracy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2020

Are riots ever justifiable?

Three criteria can help assess whether rioting is defensible.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 13, 2020

Being 'offensive' in the digital era

There is no need to be scared off by going on the offensive, even in “defense-oriented” Japan.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2020

America is being way too calm about COVID-19

This is a case where optimism may be an existential threat.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 13, 2020

Stubborn fire aboard U.S. Navy warship in San Diego injures 21 people

Flames raged for hours on Sunday aboard a U.S. warship docked at Naval Base San Diego, sending 21 people to the hospital with minor injuries and prompting a relocation of two other Navy vessels moored nearby, military and local fire officials said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jul 11, 2020

Here’s how China’s security law is already changing the face of Hong Kong

When China passed its new Hong Kong security law on June 30, officials said it would only affect "extremely few criminals.” Less than two weeks later, it’s clear Beijing is trying to wipe away signs of the city’s protest movement from the streets.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Jul 11, 2020

Pandemic exposes scientific rift over proving when germs are airborne

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed a clash among medical experts over disease transmission that stretches back nearly a century — to the very origins of germ theory.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jul 10, 2020

‘Mottainai Grandma’ spreads her environmental message in new cartoon series

The animated series “Mottainai Grandma” teaches youngsters the importance of respecting the environment around them.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 9, 2020

Coronavirus 'Class of 2020': Europe's lost generation?

When Dunia Skaunicova graduated in media marketing from Prague's Metropolitan university she quickly found a dream first job at a startup in the Czech capital, where companies were fighting to snap up multilingual graduates.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 9, 2020

From Hong Kong to TikTok, China-U.S. rivalry widens from trade to everything

The U.S.-China rivalry is shifting into new and unpredictable areas, engulfing everything from a popular video app to Hong Kong’s status as a global financial hub.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Jul 8, 2020

A special ‘birthday gift’ for Hong Kong

China has forced a new national security law onto the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong. While the new law was anticipated, few thought it would be as draconian as it is, with unprecedented scope and reach. The legislation threatens fundamental freedoms that characterized life in Hong Kong and...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jul 8, 2020

Big Tech’s China faceoff risks sparking exodus from Hong Kong

Facebook, Google and Twitter are headed toward a showdown with China that could end up making Hong Kong feel more like Beijing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 7, 2020

America and China are entering the dark forest

To know what the Chinese are really up to, read the futuristic novels of Liu Cixin.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 7, 2020

'Single mind' no more: Abe's onetime right-hand man sees his influence dwindle

Despite his long history of supporting the prime minister, the chief cabinet secretary is finding himself increasingly marginalized.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Jul 6, 2020

What’s in a name? Princeton University faces its racist past

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's image as a promoter of democracy and equality is being replaced with that of a stone-cold racist, extreme even for his time.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 5, 2020

Putin wins 16 more years of reckless behavior

The West consistently underestimates the Russian president's willingness to take extreme risks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 4, 2020

‘Healing Labor’: Examining how Japanese sex work is woven into culture and economy

Gabriele Koch's “Healing Labor” delves into how Japanese sex workers regard their work as necessary to the social and economic well-being of Japanese society.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 3, 2020

Pandemics, fear and discrimination: Are Japanese cities ready for life with COVID-19?

Fighting discrimination is a key issue in municipal integration policy.

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