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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2021

South Korea needs more babies and immigrants

The country greeted the new year by recording its first annual population decline.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 8, 2021

Facebook’s Trump ban is necessary triage

Both Facebook and Twitter have struggled in recent months to take a harder stance over Trump's often inflammatory posts.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2021

Will arrests keep Hong Kong out of the 'abyss’?

Let's be clear. The primary that authorities have labeled subversion is simply democratic politics as it has been conducted in Hong Kong for more than a decade.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 6, 2021

China’s dreams of self-reliance still depend on Japan Inc.

For signs of how China’s ambitions to become a self-made, high-tech industrial powerhouse are faring, look to Japan Inc.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2021

Why China is sentencing a tycoon to death

At first glance, the sentence may be meant as a reminder to naughty business tycoons of Beijing's lethal legal arsenal.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2021

NYSE just gave China Inc. one more reason to leave

The New York Stock Exchange said late Monday that it no longer intends to move forward with the delisting of China's three state-owned telecom operators.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 5, 2021

Why the winners in Georgia runoffs might not be known for days

The future of Democrat President-elect Joe Biden's agenda hinges on two Senate races.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2021

The pandemic doesn’t have to hurt women most

Women make up a larger share of workers in industries that ground to a halt, and they typically shoulder more of the unpaid labor at home.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2021

Another body blow for the frequent-flyer class

There will have been about 6 million fewer European flights in 2020 compared with 2019, according to air traffic management organization Eurocontrol. That's a 55% decline.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 4, 2021

Trump, in taped call, pressured Georgia official to ‘find’ votes to overturn election

The president vaguely warned of a “criminal offense” as he pressured Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in the call, according to an audio recording.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2021

Pandemic regrets … experts have a few

Two big trends emerged: lockdowns (too blunt) and testing (too slow). With months left to go before vaccination can curtail the pandemic, 2020's regrets should be 2021's lessons.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 3, 2021

How Taiwan plans to stay (mostly) coronavirus-free

Consider for a moment, in this time of anguish and loss and death, of mass unemployment and flattened national economies, the Twilight Zone alternate reality that is Taiwan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 3, 2021

Uncertainty hijacked media coverage in 2020

Sorting through the media highlights of a year overshadowed by a global pandemic
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 2, 2021

COVID-19 exposes the cracks in the world's big democracies

The U.S., U.K. and India have suffered at the hands of incompetent leaders and a severe lack of preparedness.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jan 1, 2021

Japan to play placeholder role in Asia as Biden gets his house in order

Tokyo will be particularly interested to see how the next U.S. president tackles China, trade, regional security as well as its relationships with Southeast Asia and the two Koreas.
President of World Athletics Sebastian Coe speaks in Oslo on June 12.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Jun 24, 2025

It will be 'big and punchy': Athletics chief Coe looks to future

The World Championships arrive in September in Tokyo, and Coe describes them as "a massive moment."
A replica of a great white shark is driven around the island of Martha's Vineyard during the "Jaws" 50th Anniversary celebration on Saturday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2025

Fifty years after 'Jaws,' the water’s not safe ... for sharks

The apex predator has had half a century of bad press.
A Japanese AI researcher says that instead of fearing superintelligent machines, the world should focus on building a symbiotic relationship with them — a shift in perspective that could reshape the global AI safety debate.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2025

Make the robot your colleague, not overlord

An argument is emerging for an AI future less like "The Terminator" and more like "Astro Boy."
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and his OpenAI counterpart, Sam Altman, attend an event to pitch AI for businesses in Tokyo in early February. The SoftBank founder is now proposing his most ambitious venture yet — a $1 trillion AI and robotics hub in Arizona.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 24, 2025

The magical thinking of Masa Son

The race to lead the world in AI-enabled robots is still in the early stages, but many signs point to China coming out on top.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 25, 2025

BOJ record signals consensus that inflation is faster than expected

The board’s views indicate it’s possible the bank will raise its inflation forecast in a quarterly economic report at the July meeting.
The Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran scored a tactical win and prompted a tentative ceasefire, but they failed to eliminate the threat posed by Tehran’s nuclear ambitions or shift the long-term strategic calculus.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2025

There is no 'one-and-done' on Iran's nuclear ambitions

Trump still faces tough calls that will decide the future of non-proliferation.
India is experiencing a worrying rise in digital payment scams fueled by rapid growth in instant payment systems.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 17, 2025

India’s bank fraud needs a sensible response

It’s time to allow new payment networks. Let them charge fees to offer institutional-grade security to retail customers. 
A customer buys a Nintendo Switch 2 in Tokyo on June 5. Online outrage over the gaming console’s price, terms and features was loud but meaningless, as record-breaking sales showed once again that internet backlash rarely reflects real consumer behavior.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 25, 2025

The 'internet' hated Switch 2 — consumers bought it anyway

The internet gives consumers a voice they once didn’t have. But separating signal from noise is a challenge — just look at the Switch 2.
A banner calling for the resolution of the issue of abductions by North Korea is displayed near the Diet building in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on June 10.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2025

Families of Japanese abductees race against time

Negotiations between Japan and North Korea have remained at a standstill since October 2002, when five victims were repatriated.
Apartment rents in the capital climbed 1.3% from a year earlier in April and May for the largest gains since 1994, government data shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 26, 2025

Tokyo rents rising at fastest pace in 30 years backs case for BOJ rate hikes

Bigger outlays for accommodation are likely to further fuel a change in inflation expectations and behavior among households of all sizes.
The United Nations Security Council holds a vote during a meeting on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the bodies headquarters in New York on Feb. 24.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jun 26, 2025

Democracy shouldn’t be used as an ideological weapon

The democracy-vs-autocracy framing has widened the divide between democratic countries — “us” — and Russia and its allies — “them.”
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 29, 2025

With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining

Want to be an advocate of Japan’s marine health? Look out for sustainably farmed fish the next time you dine at a restaurant.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that terror victims can sue the Palestinian Authority and PLO in American courts, a decision likely to impact future cases and the law.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 27, 2025

Foreign terror has a price in U.S. courts

The lower courts dismissed the cases on the ground that they lacked jurisdiction over the defendants. The U.S. Supreme Court disagreed.
In a world rocked by war and shifting power, Pope Leo XIV steps into the global spotlight, seeking unity and moral authority for a diverse and wounded flock — not with force, but through tradition, saints and patience.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2025

How many saints can Pope Leo add to his army?

When the world goes off kilter, words from the Vatican can seem toothless. But don’t underestimate the power of the Church’s long game.

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