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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2021

GDP, the climate crisis and how to think like an economist

People who get annoyed at small changes in America tend not to appreciate the true magnitude of the American GDP.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 27, 2021

Who the opposition wants to win the LDP presidential race

The opposition are strategizing on how to erode the ruling LDP-Komeito coalition's Lower House majority, a task all the more difficult without knowing who their principal opponent will be.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 26, 2021

Tapering doesn’t mean tightening for central bank money printers

In recent weeks, the U.S. Federal Reserve signaled it will start paring its massive bond-buying as soon as November and the Bank of England hinted that it may raise interest rates this year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 26, 2021

Renewable energy firms pin hopes on Taro Kono winning race for Japan PM

Kono has long championed renewables for Japan and has promised an economic stimulus package focused on them if he wins.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 26, 2021

Kim’s sister warms to peace proposal and says Koreas' hostilities must end

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, reached out to South Korea for the second time in as many days
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 24, 2021

Sanae Takaichi emerges as dark horse candidate in LDP leadership race

Despite initially being viewed as a no-hope candidate, Takaichi has used Shinzo Abe's backing and media appearances to build support among lawmakers and the public.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 24, 2021

Don’t let U.S. presidents start nuclear wars on their own

Aside from the possibility that individual members of the military might refuse orders they deem unlawful, there are no constraints on a U.S. president's ability to initiate a nuclear war.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2021

Twitter's business reboot is off to a troubling start

CEO Jack Dorsey vowed that Twitter was on a new course, headed for rapid-fire innovation and game-changing product rollouts. Still, nothing much has changed.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 22, 2021

Will Japan’s next PM take a shot at constitutional amendment?

An important political factor at play here is that every single LDP candidate has to voice support for constitutional amendment if they hope to win the party presidential race.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2021

The U.S. Navy gets its drone fleet into the water

Drones, cyber and AI are still far too small in terms of the budget, and U.S. officials must continue to swing their focus away from the big contracts and toward the more-nimble systems
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2021

Hong Kong’s nonelection is momentous and meaningless

An 'election” devoid of genuine debate or competition is a momentous sign of the lack of genuine democracy Hong Kong can expect in the future. It is also meaningless.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Sep 22, 2021

How do you deflect a controversy? Keigo Oyamada blames the media.

Musician Keigo Oyamada cries foul over how he was portrayed in a pair of magazine articles that ended up causing him a job at the Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 21, 2021

China's neighbors worry Australia sub deal will destabilize region

Some Southeast Asian nations are concerned that the AUKUS partnership could provoke China and spur a regional arms race.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 20, 2021

Musk soars while Bezos sues in the new space race

As Jeff Bezos's companies fall behind Elon Musk's SpaceX in the race to return to the moon and launch satellites, they're increasingly resorting to politics and legal filings to get ahead.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 20, 2021

Vaccine debate and climate goals top a scaled-back U.N. summit

The U.N. wants diplomats to have the face-to-face time they need to address crisis issues, but they don't want to be remembered for hosting a superspreader event.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2021

Speed limit on the autobahn? It’d be great for the planet

For libertarians and petrol-heads, not to mention the German engineers who spent decades building ever more powerful combustion engines, limiting speeds would be hugely disappointing.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 18, 2021

China conducts military exercises southwest of Taiwan

The Chinese Defense Ministry said military exercises will be 'conducted regularly” based on the situation in the Taiwan Strait and the need to maintain sovereign security.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 18, 2021

LDP candidates differ on same-sex marriage and women's rights issues

Widely seen as the leading contender, vaccine chief Taro Kono recently veered from mainstream thinking in the LDP by saying he favors the introduction of same-sex marriage.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 18, 2021

Japan takes step toward first female leader as two women run

Two women are in contention to become leader of Japan for the first time — a potential turning point for a country that ranks below Saudi Arabia in female political representation.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 17, 2021

The policies and political backgrounds of each of the LDP leadership contenders

The candidates will hold policy debates, outline their platforms and seek further support among LDP lawmakers and rank-and-file members up until the Sept. 29 election.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 17, 2021

Can America learn from its defeat in Afghanistan?

The value of an independent commission to examine the U.S. Afghanistan withdrawal is that it would offer some insulation from the daily pressures of Washington politics.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 17, 2021

Parting words from Japan's Olympians and Paralympians

Short and sweet, the soundbites Japanese athletes gave to the press are sure to help you in expressing both happiness and disappointment.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 15, 2021

U.S. 'naive' about Kim Jong Un talks, leading South Korea candidate says

One of the top-ranked conservatives seeking to be South Korea's next president said the U.S. was 'reckless” in its diplomacy with North Korea.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 15, 2021

Japan's next generation of lawmakers cheer ‘chaotic’ prime minister fight

Young LDP lawmakers are hoping that a vigorous debate before the party picks a leader on Sept. 29 will bring in fresh blood and new policies — and hold off any resurgence by the opposition.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 15, 2021

The explanation for seemingly irrational COVID-19 behavior

Before the vaccines came along, it made great sense to enforce masking norms. If infections could be shifted into the future, a vaccinated citizenry would be much better protected.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 15, 2021

Employers beware: Hiring software could weed out future stars

Many employers have turned to software to whittle down hundreds of candidates. But there's a problem: The software can snub perfectly good workers.

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