Search - opinion

 
 
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 15, 2021

Microsoft’s $20 billion AI deal will shake up how we work

At first glance, it may seem like a strange candidate for what would become Microsoft's second-largest acquisition after its $26 billion deal for LinkedIn Corp.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2021

Biden offers false hope to sell his Afghanistan surrender

The Taliban announced it will not participate in peace talks in Turkey. That means the U.S. will be leaving Afghanistan's government to fend for itself in the midst of a civil war.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2021

The FDA’s caution on the J&J vaccine is a costly mistake

The FDA acted after blood clots were observed in less than one in a million people who have received the J&J vaccine. COVID-19 has already killed 1,712 out of every million Americans.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2021

How pandemics change the course of history

When COVID-19 first arrived last year, everyone’s go-to historical parallel was the 1918 influenza pandemic. Precisely because it was so fleeting, it’s hard to find evidence that it caused a sweeping reorientation of everyday life. In its wake, most people simply forgot what happened. Other global...
Japan Times
SOCCER
Apr 14, 2021

Italy approves opening stadium to fans at 25% capacity for Euros

Italy's government will allow fans to attend matches at this year's European Championship in Rome's Olympic Stadium with at least 25% capacity, the country's soccer federation (FIGC) said in a statement on Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2021

Elon Musk leaves Vladimir Putin stranded on Earth

A combination of Russian bureaucracy, military secrecy and a state-dominated economy have failed to foster private space enterprises of the kind driving innovation in the U.S.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 12, 2021

‘You can’t trust anyone’: Russia’s hidden COVID-19 toll is an open secret

At least 300,000 more people died last year during the coronavirus pandemic than were reported in Russia's most widely cited official statistics.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 12, 2021

Chinese shows blur Western brands over Xinjiang cotton dispute

The censorship has exposed the unexpected political tripwires confronting apolitical entertainment platforms.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 11, 2021

Mima Osawa: 'COVID-19 upended fashion trends for the better'

Mima Osawa puts sustainability and style at the forefront of her fashion line, Mono Handmade.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 11, 2021

Raised fist, dangling handcuffs: A snapshot of Cuban dissent

To those who want the end of the one-party state, Maykel Castillo, 37, is a hero. To others he is a social misfit.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 11, 2021

Biden backs Taiwan, but some call for a clearer warning to China

As China grows stronger and bolder, some experts want to end Washington's decades-long policy of “strategic ambiguity.”
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 8, 2021

U.S.-China cold war will have more than two sides

The real danger ahead, however, is not so much a new cold war as binary modes of thinking that see stark divisions and antagonisms where none exist.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 8, 2021

Press freedom in gambling hub of Macao under spotlight as China ramps up scrutiny

Pressure is mounting on Macao's Portuguese and English media, which typically operate with more flexibility than the local Chinese press.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 8, 2021

China sends more jets as Taiwan says it will fight to the end if there's war

The democratic self-governed island has complained of repeated military activities by Beijing in recent months.
The greenback’s share of global reserves dropped to 58% last year from over 70% two decades ago, reflecting its declining dominance in international trade and finance.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 11, 2025

Why buy the dollar if the U.S. becomes an economic island?

The greenback’s share of global reserves dropped to 58% last year from over 70% two decades ago, reflecting its declining dominance in international trade and finance.
Hyde Park's famed Speakers' Corner in London, which some call the home of free speech, is a place where anyone has the right to turn up every Sunday and talk about whatever is dear to their heart.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 10, 2025

Britain's free-speech retreat can't be denied

Britain's climate for free expression is deteriorating, as seen in aggressive police crackdowns on peaceful activists and dissenters across the political spectrum.
The opening ceremony for the Osaka Expo on Saturday.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2025

Ishiba warns of divided world at futuristic Osaka Expo opening ceremony

"Having overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, the world now faces the crisis over many different divisions," Ishiba told the opening ceremony.
The Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito are increasingly divided over economic measures to deal with inflation and U.S. tariffs.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 12, 2025

Ruling coalition divided over consumption tax cut

While some are leaning toward a tax cut, LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama and others are seeking a cash handout instead.
Jared Isaacman (left), U.S. President Trump’s nominee to head NASA, testifies during his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

Bloomberg
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2025

NASA nominee should resist Musk’s pull toward Mars

During a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Jared Isaacman, the nominee for NASA administrator, was — in a twist on the Will Smith ’90s tune — gettin’ squishy wit it.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the Group of 20 leaders summit in Osaka in June 2019.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 14, 2025

How China went from courting Trump to ‘never yield’ tariff defiance

Beijing has put civilian government officials on a "wartime footing” and ordered a diplomatic charm offensive aimed at encouraging other countries to push back.
A sign outside the headquarters of JP Morgan Chase & Co in New York in 2013
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 14, 2025

JPMorgan analyst says he now tempers public comments on U.S. tariffs

Michael Cembalest, chair of market and investment strategy and a Wall Street veteran, said he had not been able to fully express his views.
U.S. President Donald Trump and his “madman theory” won’t get Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei to scrap his nuclear program.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2025

Why should Iran believe anything the U.S. threatens or promises?

The Iranians — like the Russians — are notoriously shifty negotiators. But so are the Americans, now that they’re led by Trump.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the European Union summit in Brussels on March 20
WORLD / Politics
Apr 14, 2025

Hungary set to restrict constitutional rights in 'Easter cleanup'

Hungary's parliament on Monday is expected to approve constitutional changes further clamping down on rights for LGBTQ+ people and other groups, part of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's "Easter cleanup" against his domestic opponents.
Vehicles wait in line to cross into the United States at the Canada-U.S. border in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, Canada.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2025

Avoid U.S. travel or take burner devices, Canadian organizations tell staff

Employees have also been given advice on how to minimize information that can be accessed by border agents.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba hold a news conference at the White House in Washington on Feb. 7. Tokyo's focus on economic strength to promote security contrasts with Washington's current era of unpredictability.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 15, 2025

For real national security, try a Japanese perspective

Genuine national security starts from a strong economy, one that provides for its citizens, incentivizes growth, production and wealth, and invites foreign participation.
The Trump administration, in a desperate bid to cushion trade war inflation, is pushing for cheap oil, but $50-a-barrel will ultimately widen the very trade deficit the U.S. president wants to reduce.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2025

$50-a-barrel oil is a problem for the U.S. trade deficit

If oil prices fall to $50, under that scenario, total petroleum production in America will probably decline by 1 million barrels a day by the end of 2025.
Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects an honour guard during an official welcoming ceremony at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 16, 2025

China's Xi meets Malaysian leaders in diplomatic charm offensive

Xi was welcomed by Malaysia's king, Sultan Ibrahim, in a colorful ceremony at the golden-domed Istana palace.
Facing a new round of U.S. tariffs, China may devalue the yuan — possibly by as much as 20% — if fiscal stimulus falls short, risking a global currency war as it fights to meet its growth target.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 16, 2025

When will China start to devalue the yuan?

One way to think about China’s currency policy is its fiscal stance. Unless Beijing brings out the stimulus bazooka, devaluing the yuan might be the most expedient option.
The trade war is ratcheting up tensions between Beijing and Washington. Taipei needs to be more prepared. 
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 15, 2025

Taiwan is under siege with or without tariffs

Taiwan must urgently strengthen defenses and unite politically to counter rising threats from China, despite Trump’s trade war.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has sent a delegation to Washington for high-stakes tariff talks, as other nations watch to see if Tokyo can secure favorable terms from the Trump administration.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 16, 2025

If Japan can’t get a good trade deal, can anyone?

The Asian nation is the canary in the tariff coal mine. If it can’t secure a good deal, there’s little hope for others.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years