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October 09, 2025
 

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Protesters wave a Hong Kong flag and a sign during a demonstration against the city’s deteriorating freedoms outside the Chinese Embassy in London in July 2020.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2025

Britain must keep its promise to Hong Kongers

The U.K. has a moral obligation and an economic interest in safeguarding the path to citizenship for migrants from the territory it formerly ruled.
The United Nations Security Council holds a ministerial meeting on Ukraine during the U.N. General Assembly at the body's headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 24, 2025

The U.S. assault on the U.N. rests on a tragic misunderstanding

The Trump administration views the U.N. as a useless, woke cesspool. Instead, it reflects the world as it is, assembled to “save humanity from hell.”
Chinese leader Xi Jinping, along with his Russian and North Korean counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, attends a military parade in Beijing on Sept. 3 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 24, 2025

An Orwellian lesson from Xi and Putin

The World War II anniversary parade in Beijing was not about history — it was about what comes next.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi addresses a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday, alongside candidates vying to become the Liberal Democratic Party's next president. The ruling party’s leadership race officially kicked off on Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 24, 2025

An identity crisis is haunting Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party

Dismal performances have the LDP clinging to power as a minority in both houses of parliament, and in search of its fifth leader in as many years
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya meets with his counterparts from India, Australia and the United States during talks of “the Quad” grouping in Washington in July. The meeting reflected Japan’s strategy of building flexible minilateral partnerships to navigate growing tensions with China and shifting U.S. priorities.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2025

Japan’s foreign policy faces uncharted waters

Japan's challenge lies in maintaining strategic alignment while accommodating American transactionalism.
Jack Ma’s return to Alibaba gives him a chance to boost the pay and benefits of delivery people, a move that would align with Beijing’s economic goals and help the company navigate regulatory and competitive pressures.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 25, 2025

Welcome back Jack Ma. Don’t forget the little guys.

Alibaba’s Ele.me stands to benefit from improving the pay and welfare of its hardworking delivery drivers.
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover takes a selfie on July 23, with the rock nicknamed Cheyava Falls visible to the left. The feature is of interest to scientists studying signs of ancient microscopic life on the Red Planet.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2025

Crucial evidence about life on Mars is stuck — on Mars

To actually see what’s inside potential Martian life, scientists would need to bring samples back to Earth to study — a project NASA launched but has struggled to complete.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators take part in a march near the U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday, during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 25, 2025

Turning the tide back toward peace in the Middle East

The 2025 United Nations General Assembly opened with a major step toward implementing a two-state solution.
Three Russian MiG-31s, like the one seen here, violated Estonian airspace this month over the Gulf of Finland, escalating regional tensions further.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2025

Russia’s probes of NATO airspace demand a unified response

The Nordic-Baltic skies should be defended, not merely patrolled. That requires a greater NATO commitment with more aircraft.
Liberal Democratic Party presidential candidates attend a debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 26, 2025

'Speed dating' — with an LDP twist

It feels like one of the speed dating events that used to be on Japanese television years ago, where the candidates court prospective partners one after the other.
China is reshaping the global energy landscape by pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into clean energy investments across the Global South, creating jobs and long-term influence on a scale comparable to the Marshall Plan.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2025

China is winning its power play for the Global South

Beijing’s green energy projects are bringing jobs, growth and cheap electricity to the developing world.
U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday. His claim that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for ending multiple wars is contradicted by the fact that many of these conflicts persist.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 28, 2025

Donald Trump’s self-aggrandizing peacemaker hype

Trump’s claim to have ended seven “unendable” wars is best understood as a case study in self-delusion.
The Trump administration’s new fees and proposed changes to the H-1B visa system risk undermining the country’s college-to-work pipeline for foreign STEM graduates, potentially damaging American competitiveness.  
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2025

The H-1B visa reset will crush America’s college pipeline

The Department of Homeland Security says it’s moving to a weighted selection process that would "favor the allocation of H-1B visas to higher skilled and higher paid aliens.”
Demonstrators gather in Boston in July to support Harvard University’s fight against the Trump administration’s attempt to cut federal research funding.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 29, 2025

Trump vs. universities: Can the innovation ecosystem be rebuilt?

There’s no question that U.S. President Donald Trump’s growing campaign against American colleges and universities represents a direct intervention into academic governance.
A U.S. volunteer in the Ukrainian Foreign Legion pays tribute to compatriots at the memorial to fallen soldiers on Maidan Square in Kyiv on Aug. 9.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 29, 2025

For whom the Ukrainian bell tolls

Ukraine faces a critical shortage of troops against Russia, and expanding the Ukrainian International Legion is essential to sustain its defense.
The Department of Justice's indictment of former FBI Director James Comey raises concerns about its legitimacy, with many seeing it as a politically motivated effort to undermine public trust, especially given it was pursued at U.S. President Donald Trump’s request.
COMMENTARY
Sep 29, 2025

Indictment of Comey subverts justice and the Trump administration’s credibility

James Comey's criminal indictment, pushed by Trump, undermines the legitimacy of the Department of Justice and seems designed to erode public trust in the criminal justice system.
Shipping containers near the Yangshan Deepwater Port in Shanghai. The U.S. under President Donald Trump has revived mercantilist trade policies to favor American industry, but China is outpacing the U.S.
COMMENTARY
Sep 29, 2025

Why America will lose its mercantilist game to China

There is already one country that has been practicing mercantilism for decades and it appears to be a step ahead of the U.S. as it starts to play the same game: China.
Rioters supporting U.S. President Donald Trump at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. YouTube agreed to pay a $24.5 million settlement to Trump and others who were banned by the video streaming platform in the wake of the riots, according to a legal document filed on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 30, 2025

Google to pay $24.5 million to end Trump suit over Jan. 6 ban

The court filing states $22 million will go toward the construction of a new ballroom in the White House, a project near and dear to Trump.
Public executives in Japan are held to exceptionally high standards of judgment and propriety, as shown by the swift resignation of Suntory CEO Takeshi Niinami after a police inquiry into his alleged involvement in the import of CBD supplements. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 30, 2025

'For relaxing times...' don’t be a CEO like Suntory’s Niinami

Niinami says he’s done nothing wrong and he hasn’t been charged.
A U.S. Marine and a member of the National Guard patrol outside a federal building in Los Angeles in June.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 2025

Resisting Trump’s show of force

In Trump’s paradigm, this is all a reality show and we are merely inconsequential extras without lines forever in the background.
Shinjiro Koizumi (center), Sanae Takaichi (right), and Yoshimasa Hayashi speak at a news conference for candidates taking part in the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race in Tokyo on Sept. 23.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 30, 2025

Is this the LDP’s last presidential election?

The five LDP presidential candidates — three conservatives and two liberals — are competing to offer the most uninspiring platform.
With the average farmer in Japan over 65, the agricultural sector, like others, faces the challenge of demographic decline as an aging workforce strains productivity and growth.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 30, 2025

Graying Japan needs both globalization and immigration

Japan has the highest ratio of elderly to working-age people in the world — over 50% — meaning there are only two workers for every person over 64.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg attends a private dinner for technology and business leaders hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Sept. 4.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Oct 1, 2025

Trump and America’s tech giants: Coexistence or collaboration?

The impact of Trump’s policies on online platforms is also significant. During his first term, Big Tech faced intense antitrust pressure.
The Pokemon mascot Pikachu wearing a Chicago Cubs jersey attends the Tokyo Series at Tokyo Dome in March. As the world rediscovers Japan, it’s learning that many preconceptions no longer apply.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 1, 2025

Is Japan finally back? That’s the wrong question.

Almost three decades after prices first fell into negative territory, they’ve now risen every month for the past four years.
U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House in February. The next prime minister faces the dual challenge of managing a volatile U.S. relationship under Trump while addressing trade and national security concerns.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 1, 2025

Could the Trump factor be a wild card in the LDP race?

The ability to handle the Americans has been a core element of the prime minister’s portfolio.
Some of science’s most sensational claims were later debunked by skeptical scientists, showing how hype can overshadow facts but also how scrutiny keeps science reliable.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 1, 2025

Too many scientific ‘discoveries’ get discredited

Volunteer scientific sleuths play an important role in policing their fields.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (left), former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi (center) and agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi arrive at a news conference for the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Sept. 23. The three are the front-runners ahead of Saturday's vote.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 2, 2025

No matter who wins the LDP presidential race, prospects for change are dismal

The key for the LDP is whether the once-proud party can win back its traditional supporters who have abandoned it in recent elections and shifted to opposition parties.
Signage outside the Capitol Hill visitors center in Washington notifies the public of its closure due to the government shutdown on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 2, 2025

The U.S. government shutdown fight has life-or-death consequences

About 4.2 million people are expected to lose coverage if Congress fails to extend premium subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Kabuki has been trying for years to attract a new generation of fans. One way to do this has been to adapt manga and anime franchises, such as “Naruto,” for the stage. 
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 3, 2025

The summer kabuki came roaring back

A hit film and shifting demographics are drawing new audiences to kabuki, sparking hopes for a revitalized future.
Afghan soldiers stand guard at the gate of Bagram Air Base, Parwan province, Afghanistan, on July 2, 2021, the day the last American troops vacated the facility.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2025

Will Trump strike Afghanistan over Bagram Air Base?

For Afghans, the cost of another military conflict with the U.S. would be ruinous.
How China waged an infowar against U.S. interests in the Philippines
Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) Chairman Raul Lambino shakes hands with guests during a ceremony for the Award for Promoting Philippines-China Understanding at The Manila Hotel in Manila in June.
‘We have drawn lessons,’ Indian Army chief says of brief clash with Pakistan
Indian Army chief Upendra Dwivedi waves as he arrives to attend the ceremonial reception of Defense Minister Gen Nakatani in New Delhi in May.
Typhoon Halong to cause windstorms, heavy rain and high waves on the Izu islands
Typhoon Halong is moving north near the Izu Islands, with strong winds, high waves and heavy rain expected as it passes early on Thursday, prompting warnings from the weather agency.
Takaichi's leadership lineup favors Aso and his allies while shutting out rivals
The LDP's newly-appointed election chief Keiji Furuya (far left), general affairs council chair Haruko Arimura (second from left), vice president Taro Aso (center left), president Sanae Takaichi (center right), secretary-general Shunichi Suzuki (second from right) and policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Qilin cybercrime gang claims hack on Japan's Asahi
The Asahi Group headquarters complex in Tokyo
OpenAI’s Sora 2 is drowning in Japanese 'AI slop'
OpenAI has rolled out a social app powered by Sora 2, its artificial intelligence video generator, which was quickly flooded with videos featuring iconic Japanese intellectual property.
Trump has his eyes on the prize — but a Nobel win looks unlikely
A protester holds a sign with an image depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and the words "Nobel" written on it, as supporters and family members of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, demonstrate to demand the immediate end of the war and the release of all hostages, outside the U.S. Consulate in Tel Aviv, on Sept. 2.
‘Takaichi trade’ stalls as political reality calls for wait-and-see approach
Tokyo stocks staged a powerful rally on Monday. On Tuesday, they rallied again, then retreated.
‘We have drawn lessons,’ Indian Army chief says of brief clash with Pakistan
Indian Army chief Upendra Dwivedi waves as he arrives to attend the ceremonial reception of Defense Minister Gen Nakatani in New Delhi in May.
How a family-run landscaper turned the Osaka Expo green
The team at Ryokukou Garden consists primarily of a single family, including Toshiki Tanisaki (second from right), who led the company's efforts at the Osaka Expo, Chikako Tanisaki (fifth from right), who performs daily maintanence at the expo, and Takeshi Tanisaki (fourth from right), who added a nursery to the family farm more than 50 years ago.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?
By Alex K.T. Martin

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Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons
Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons

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