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LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 6, 2013

Female novelist says pregnant women should quit work

The plight of Japan's working women is a subject that often pops up in the media. Female politicians and company executives voice the opinion that it would be good to harness the power of women in Japan, and that the garasu no tenjō (ガラスの天井, glass ceiling) needs to be smashed. But meanwhile,...
JAPAN
May 1, 2013

Inose apologizes for slurring Muslims

Tokyo Gov. Naoki Inose on Tuesday apologized for and retracted comments perceived as critical of Islamic countries that appeared in a recent New York Times article concerning Tokyo's 2020 bid for the Summer Olympics.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2006

Suit by Japan Highway boss against 'true story' is thrown out

The Tokyo District Court dismissed a libel suit Monday filed by Haruho Fujii, former president of the now-defunct Japan Highway Public Corp., and said a magazine article correctly reported his concealment of the corporation's financial statements.
COMMENTARY
Jan 27, 2004

Changing the Constitution

Constitutional revision looms as a major political issue in Japan. It was a key agenda item at the January conventions of the two largest political parties, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Japan. The LDP decided to draw up a revision plan in 2005, the 50th anniversary of the...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 10, 2021

The domestic media largely moves on from ‘public concern’ over the Olympics

Public anxiety over the Olympics remains high, but the domestic media has moved on to other topics. Why are politicians still complaining about a focus on public concern?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 24, 2021

Is the IOC putting a torch to ‘freedom of speech’?

Press outlets that are not affiliated with the Summer Games are calling foul on a number of directives issued by Olympics bodies.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 20, 2021

The ex-Pfizer scientist who became an anti-vaccination hero

In recent months, Michael Yeadon has emerged as an unlikely hero of the so-called anti-vaxxers, whose adherents question the safety of many vaccines, including for the coronavirus.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 7, 2020

China peddles falsehoods to obscure origin of COVID-19 pandemic

Beijing has distorted comments from foreign experts to falsely suggest that there is broad consensus that the virus first surfaced outside the country.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2020

Lockdowns haven’t proved they’re worth the havoc

The U.S. survived the 1968 pandemic without shutting down society, and there isn't much evidence that shutdowns are truly effective this time.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2020

Trump campaign says it is suing New York Times over Russia opinion piece

President Donald Trump's re-election campaign said on Wednesday it was filing a libel suit accusing the New York Times of intentionally publishing a false opinion article that suggested Russia and the campaign had an overarching deal in the 2016 U.S. election.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 1, 2018

Iran's global disinformation

Website Nile Net Online promises Egyptians "true news" from its offices in the heart of Cairo's Tahrir Square, "to expand the scope of freedom of expression in the Arab world."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 10, 2018

Ex-Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba formally announces LDP leadership candidacy, pledging 'honest and fair' government

Ishiba touts “a 100-day plan” to reform government in a bid to regain the trust of the people.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 24, 2018

LDP lawmaker Mio Sugita faces backlash after describing LGBT people as 'unproductive'

A ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker has drawn a fierce backlash after labeling the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community "unproductive" in terms of childbirth, and warning that a society that accepts same-sex relationships risks "increasing unhappy people."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 14, 2018

Dementia is pushing cancer out of the medical spotlight

 The media love cancer — what causes it, how to prevent it, who has it. Cancer is something that potentially touches everybody in a dramatic way, and therefore public interest is keen.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 15, 2018

Japanese opposition parties DP and Kibo no To agree to join forces

Opposition parties Kibo no To and the Democratic Party strike a deal to team up against the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan in the Diet.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2016

The thrill of victory, the agony of another snub

The refusal of an Egyptian athlete to shake his Israeli counterpart's hand is symbolic of the Arab street's continuing rejection of the legitimacy of the Jewish state.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 2, 2016

China puts Japan in cross hairs with blistering, sustained attack over alleged role in sea ruling

China has claimed to have unmasked Japanese malfeasance and "manipulation" amid a campaign to discredit an international tribunal ruling two weeks ago that largely invalidated Beijing's claims to most of the South China Sea.
Masako Egawa forged a successful career in business and academia in the United States and Japan.
BUSINESS / WOMEN AT WORK
Sep 1, 2024

A quiet triumph of excellence in the worlds of banking and academia

Masako Egawa navigated a changing business world with her arms open to any opportunities that came along.
The World Trade Center's South Tower (left) and the North Tower burn after al-Qaida terrorists flew hijacked airliners into the buildings in New York City on
Sept. 11, 2001. Nearly 3,000 people died in the incident, including 24 Japanese nationals. 

REUTERS
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 18, 2024

The forgotten impact of 9/11 on Japan

Though an ocean away, 9/11 was a wake up call to the Japanese people that the 21st century would not be an era of everlasting peace.
Plaintiffs seeking the right for same-sex couples to marry react Wednesday to the Tokyo High Court's ruling that Japan's ban on such marriages is unconstitutional.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 30, 2024

Tokyo High Court rules same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional

It is the second high-court ruling in Japan to describe the ban on same-sex marriage in those terms.
A rocket is launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to put an experimental space plane into orbit for the U.S. military. Washington is adopting a multipronged strategy to address security threats in space.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Nov 21, 2024

Biden’s track record in boosting U.S. space security

Japan needs to keep working with the U.S. to ensure growing threats from China and Russia in the space domain are met with the necessary security measures.
Sanae Takaichi (left) celebrates Shigeru Ishiba’s victory in becoming the head of the Liberal Democratic Party along with then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo in September. Takaichi appears to be the only woman in any party who is close to breaking the glass ceiling to become the nation’s first female leader. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 26, 2024

The derailing of potential female prime ministers

Sanae Takaichi stands as the closest woman to breaking the glass ceiling and becoming Japan's first female prime minister.
Ravens kicker Justin Tucker arrives on the field before a game against the Browns in Baltimore on Jan. 4.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 31, 2025

Massage therapists accuse Ravens kicker Justin Tucker of sexual misconduct

Tucker released a statement on social media vehemently denying the allegations.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a joint news conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 17, 2025

Outline emerges of Putin's offer to end his war in Ukraine

It was not immediately clear if the proposals by Putin were an opening gambit to serve as a starting point for negotiations or more like a final offer.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a news conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, last week.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 22, 2025

Doubts grow on Ukraine security plan as Russia demands role

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow should have a say in security arrangements for Ukraine, which could also involve Beijing.
Warsaw's skyline in July
WORLD
Sep 10, 2025

Poland downs drones, becoming first NATO member to open fire during Ukraine war

Moscow denied responsibility for the incident, with a senior diplomat in Poland saying the drones had come from the direction of Ukraine.
A screen outside a Tokyo securities firm shows the Nikkei 225 Stock Average on Oct. 6. As Japan's financial markets reacted to Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party presidential win, much of the media's focus was on the falling yen, downplaying the surge in equities to record highs.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 12, 2025

Sanae Takaichi gets 'the Abe treatment'

Given that she is frequently labeled a "Shinzo Abe protege," the media coverage of her so far reminds me of how they reported on Abe himself throughout his second term.
People read newspapers at a roadside tea stall in Patna, Bihar, India. Newsrooms are being reshaped, journalists say, by India’s richest press barons, many of whom are close to the ruling party and depend on millions of advertising dollars from the government.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 26, 2024

Billionaire press barons are squeezing media freedom in India

Many press barons are close to the ruling party and depend on millions of advertising dollars from the government.
Japanese media's lack of critical engagement and depth in covering debates can be attributed to Japan's Broadcasting Law, which mandates political impartiality in news coverage.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 12, 2024

How Japanese and U.S. election coverage differs

Japanese media's coverage of U.S. debates tends to be more superficial and uniform, often merely reflecting U.S. media content.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.