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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.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 12, 2021

Europe’s region of rogues looks to be on more shaky ground

Central Europe has seen the abrupt resignation of one leader, a shock election defeat for another and tens of thousands of anti-government protesters flocking to the streets.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 11, 2021

A Nobel to remind us there’s no peace without free speech

This year's prize celebrates more than just the outstanding work of its recipients. It acknowledges all those reporters who run risks daily keeping democracy and free speech alive.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 11, 2021

Duterte's successor likely to continue Philippines' democratic regression

Another top potential contender, Duterte's daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio, is currently mayor of Davao. She seems to act with the same disregard for the law as her father.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 8, 2021

Kishida calls for new economic approach in first policy speech

Kishida on Friday vowed to transform the Japanese economy by implementing a “new model of capitalism,' identifying growth and the distribution of wealth as “mutually necessary.”
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 8, 2021

Pandora Papers show the rich will always find a way

For all the revelations about the shadow global financial system for the wealthy since the ICIJ's first revelations in 2013, it's striking how little has changed.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 8, 2021

Supply chain trouble might be the Grinch that steals Christmas

Retailers find themselves in an unusual situation of having to struggle to keep up with demand as vaccinated people socialize more and begin to splash their cash.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 7, 2021

What’s behind Japan’s ambivalence about Kishida

Kishida has toed a cautious line on almost everything, raising questions about how he will actually deliver on his policies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2021

China’s record-setting incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ

Incursions into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) by Chinese military aircraft have broken consecutive records in the past week, with 154 warplanes dispatched to Taiwan’s ADIZ over the past five days.
BUSINESS
Oct 6, 2021

‘Kishida Shock’ hits Japan's markets with investors wary of redistribution plans

The hashtag 'Kishida Shock” trended on Twitter, as the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average was set to extend its losing streak to an eighth day.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 5, 2021

North Korea trades scorn for flattery to win benefits from Moon

While North Korea has frequently shifted between provocations and diplomatic overtures, Kim now appears to be trying to do both at the same time.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 4, 2021

Amid COVID-19 booster data dilemma, EU nations' plans diverge

The bloc's push towards boosters will stir the debate over rich nations' use of vaccines while poorer countries struggle to access supplies and inoculate their citizens.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 4, 2021

Creativity and collaboration flourish at the Japan Writers Conference

Being held online for its second year, the Japan Writers Conference helps budding artists with the practicalities of the creative process.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 1, 2021

The reason Biden’s agenda is in jeopardy

The sticking points holding up Biden's agenda are not the allegedly unreasonable stances of lawmakers or which chamber should go first, the problem is a lack of vision.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Perspectives
Oct 1, 2021

How Kishida can avoid becoming another revolving-door prime minister

The new LDP president will focus on expanding his power, implementing policies that benefit the electorate and ensuring success in the upcoming elections before widening his policy window.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 1, 2021

Biden signs bill to avert U.S. shutdown as negotiations stall over president's agenda

Democratic leaders delayed a planned vote on a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, bowing to party progressives who had demanded action on a larger social policy bill first.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 2021

Singapore's lauded COVID-19 response overlooked a major factor: fear

Singapore's case count is low by global standards, but a recent spike is staggering for a country that had all but eliminated COVID-19 before the delta variant emerged.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Sep 30, 2021

Japan’s new leader is prisoner of the policies he inherited

Prime Minister Suga will lift emergency pandemic restrictions that have hampered the country's economy, but it will get progressively harder for the new leader from there.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 30, 2021

South Korea's ruling party retreats on 'fake news' law after backlash

Opposition politicians, human rights activists and both conservative and liberal leaning media organizations said the amendments would shield those in power from legitimate scrutiny.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 29, 2021

Fumio Kishida to become Japan's PM following close LDP leadership race

The LDP veteran defeated Taro Kono, the vaccine czar and No. 1 choice for prime minister in public opinion polls, in a runoff thanks to strong backing from lawmakers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 29, 2021

In backing Fumio Kishida, LDP opts for 'stable realist'

Criticized as bland and indecisive following his loss in the September 2020 LDP presidential race, Kishida is seen as having grown tougher and more passionate this time round.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 29, 2021

Even the People’s Bank of China can’t kill Bitcoin's appeal

The bulls reckon the latest attempt by Beijing to crack down on crypto — the seventh — will fail to throttle an asset that bypasses borders and banking systems.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan