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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / Remembering 3/11
Mar 9, 2021

From shock to resignation: Japan’s responses to 3/11

March 11 had enduring impacts on Japan, but they aren't at all obvious.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2021

Who is a Jew? Israel’s Supreme Court expands the answer

The case before the Supreme Court involved the vexed question of the meaning of the word 'converted:” Which conversions count as qualifying a person for citizenship under the law?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 7, 2021

China’s weaponization of rare earths is bound to backfire

There was a time when China could cause the world to tremble by threatening its supply of rare earths. It's long in the past.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 7, 2021

Who is afraid of bursting the bubble? Not Japan’s elite

We will never know whether the elite's proactive bursting of the bubble brought more or less pain and hardship on society than a laissez-faire approach would have.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 6, 2021

Vaccine comparison shopping hurts everyone

Medical professionals are holding out for some vaccines over others which are seen to have lower efficacy rates, risking delaying vaccination programs.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 5, 2021

Suga announces two-week extension to state of emergency in Tokyo area

The move is understood to be aimed at easing burdens on hospitals — and wrestling back prominence as a leader, in the public eye, from Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 5, 2021

Making chips requires lots of water, and Taiwan has a drought

The global center of chipmaking is facing water restrictions that could impact Taiwan's most important export.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2021

Government recommends extending virus emergency for Tokyo region

The government recommended extending by two weeks its virus state of emergency for the Tokyo region set to expire Sunday, trying to maintain a declining trend in infections as it looks to host the Olympics in about four months.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 5, 2021

South Korea presidential hopeful prods Biden over North Korea

Lee Nak-yon, who served as Moon's first prime minister until January 2020, has emerged in opinion polls as a top contender to represent Moon's progressive bloc in elections next year.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Mar 4, 2021

Biden faces calls to adopt more pragmatic approach on North Korea

No significant breakthroughs were made with Pyongyang under former U.S. President Donald Trump, and a growing number of observers say it's time to try something new.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 4, 2021

Tokyo emergency extension worth the extra financial hit, economists say

Experts say that suppressing activity for a little longer won't add too much extra damage to an economy that is already showing some signs of recovery even under existing restrictions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 4, 2021

What Neera Tanden’s demise says about ‘cancel culture’

What Tanden's defeat mostly tells us is that you should not insult a group of thin-skinned people if you might need their support in the future.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2021

When the fantasy of better battery science doesn’t match reality

The technical challenges of making better batteries (and therefore, electric vehicles) are enormous and the expectations associated with them are even more fantastical.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2021

The beautiful game has turned ugly in China

Pressure on embattled retailer Suning Appliance Group Co. forced the conglomerate to reconsider its investment in the team. China's soccer bubble is rapidly deflating.
Urgent diplomacy and restraint are needed to prevent further escalation between India and Pakistan, as both sides risk being pulled into a dangerous conflict with potential global consequences.
COMMENTARY / World
May 8, 2025

Can India and Pakistan step back from the brink?

India and Pakistan on many occasions have been on the brink of major conflict, yet have successfully climbed down.
Takahiro Anno, 34, announced Thursday that he will run in the Upper House election this summer as president of his newly founded party, Team Mirai.
JAPAN / Politics
May 8, 2025

After Tokyo election bid, AI engineer Takahiro Anno to run in Upper House race

Anno described entering the race without backing as a ‘baseless, fameless and fundless’ challenge, but said he thinks he has a good chance of winning.
American faithful celebrate after Pope Leo XIV appeared at the central balcony of the Vatican's St. Peter’s Basilica following his election on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
May 9, 2025

The new American pope can take Catholics in three directions

Americans (and Donald Trump) may want to stake their claims on him, but he now belongs to a much bigger organization.
Former South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo (left) and Kim Moon-soo, both of the conservative People Power Party, shakes hands during a meeting to discuss unifying their candidacies in Seoul on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 10, 2025

South Korea's conservatives move to switch presidential candidates

The People Power Party said its leadership decided to cancel the nomination of Kim Moon-soo and hold a new vote on replacing him with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
Kim Moon-soo, a presidential candidate for South Korea's conservative People Power Party, speaks during a debate in Seoul on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 11, 2025

South Korea's conservatives settle on Kim Moon-soo as presidential candidate

South Korea's conservatives made another about-face on Saturday and reinstated their presidential nominee, Kim Moon-soo, just hours after dropping him.
Pope Leo XIV, in his first public appearance after he was elected, on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, on Thursday
WORLD / Politics
May 12, 2025

World Catholics see the first American pope as hardly American

The new pope, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, has signaled that his identity will defy easy categorization.
Hachidori Solar President Shota Ikeda in Tokyo in January
ENVIRONMENT
May 18, 2025

A 26-year-old asked to help shape Japan’s climate goals has a warning

Shota Ikeda has called for emissions reductions of at least 75% to be considered.
U.S. President Donald Trump pumps a fist as he disembarks Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, West Palm Beach, Florida, on April 11.
WORLD / Politics
May 12, 2025

Trump set to accept luxury jet as gift from Qatar

The super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet is to be used as Air Force One, sources told ABC News.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney finishes a news conference in Ottawa on May 2. U.S. President Donald Trump's persistent desire to annex its northern neighbor continues despite Canada's rejection the notion.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 12, 2025

Sorry, America. Canada’s just not that into you.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been tactful but firm. Yet President Donald Trump can’t seem to take no for an answer.
Empowering nuns and laypeople could help preserve struggling parishes and restore the Catholic Church’s role as a vital community anchor, especially with nuns who have long been its most dedicated and overlooked servants.
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2025

To save Catholicism, let’s talk nuns, not popes

All eyes were on Rome as Pope Leo XIV was announced. But to secure the future of the faith, Catholics should look closer to home.
Since the LDP resumed discussions on the issue in February, members against introducing a selective dual surname system have been gaining momentum, calling for expanding the use of maiden names.
JAPAN
May 12, 2025

LDP to forgo compiling bill on dual surname system

The LDP concluded that it would be unwise to create divisions within the party ahead of this summer's election for the House of Councilors.
A Warren Buffett Squishmallow is displayed during a Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, in May 2023. Buffett’s $25 billion bet on five Japanese trading houses reflects his belief that the country’s overlooked market rewards patient investors who embrace its unique business culture.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 13, 2025

Buffett’s little Japan handbook — and other lessons

The legendary investor recently revealed what inspired his interest in Tokyo’s trading houses — and offered a host of tips for would-be followers.
Meta’s rapid AI chatbot rollout is raising safety concerns as critics cite inappropriate responses and poor accountability despite its access to vast user data.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 14, 2025

Meta’s defense of its rogue AI sounds painfully familiar

The social media platform Meta is going on the attack instead of worrying about its users. How did that work out the last time?
Wang Chuanfu (center left), chairman and chief executive officer at BYD, waves to a humanoid robot at the Chery Automobile booth at the Shanghai Auto Show on April 24. China’s EV sector is touting big gains, but much of the hype rests on inflated range claims, shaky infrastructure and growing state support.
COMMENTARY / World
May 14, 2025

Why China’s EV claims aren’t as revolutionary as they seem

Companies once treated with benign neglect by Beijing are becoming major recipients of government funding.
Masataka Yuhara, secretary-general of the Friends of Lee Teng Hui Association in Japan, which has been calling for "Taiwan" to be permitted as a place of origin in family registers.
JAPAN
May 14, 2025

Japan to recognize Taiwan as place of origin in family registration system

Residents of Taiwanese descent in Japan and their support groups have welcomed the change.
Tokyo officials are pushing back against arguments that blame the dwindling national population partly on the concentration of people and businesses in the capital.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 15, 2025

Regional revitalization faces Tokyo-countryside divide

Some blame Japan's dwindling national population partly on the concentration of people and businesses in the capital.

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