Search - opinion

 
 
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 27, 2020

Amy Coney Barrett picked by Trump to push court further to right

The loss of liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the confirmation of the conservative Barrett, 48, could cement the court's rightward shift for a generation.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 26, 2020

The changing social narrative on Japan's entrenched gender roles

Little can be done as long as a country's cultural norms are built into a social structure that delineates gender roles.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2020

How COVID-19 is killing good manners

With social distancing now part of everyday life, simple actions like shaking hands may be consigned to history.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 25, 2020

Thailand’s leaders missing their teachable moment as education system falters

Teachers climb the ranks regardless of student results, so it's perhaps unsurprising that in both national tests and international lists, scores are grim.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 24, 2020

How Trump fell out of love with his generals, and why the feeling is mutual

The president has ridiculed his top generals, ignoring their advice on some key issues and questioning their intelligence, courage and commitment to their soldiers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2020

Coal’s last refuge crumbles with China’s renewables plan

If Asia — and in particular China, which accounts for about half the world's coal consumption — can't break the habit, devastating climate change will be unavoidable.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2020

Blacklisting U.S. tech would highlight China’s own weakness

Pulling the trigger on such a threat could end up proving that the importance of the world's most populous country as a global buyer may be smaller than many imagine.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 22, 2020

China sharply expands mass labor program in Tibet

The program mirrors the one in the western Xinjiang region that rights groups have branded coercive labor.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2020

Don’t give up on recycling plastics

Fortunately for the world, the recycling industry has a history of transforming what was previously “unrecyclable” into useful products. It's poised to do so again.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Sep 22, 2020

You ought to know how 'beki' can help your Japanese

The negative 'bekarazu' structure may be old, but you can still find it in written Japanese with a strong prohibitive nuance attached to it.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 22, 2020

Trump to name Supreme Court pick by Saturday

Democrats' hope of keeping the seat empty faded when two Republican senators, Chuck Grassley and Cory Gardner, signaled their support for moving forward quickly.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2020

The 737 MAX debacle won’t be the end of Boeing

Is Boeing Co. capable of making commercial aircraft at all?
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 21, 2020

Abortion was on the back burner in the U.S. presidential race — not anymore

An all-out fight over the issue could further alienate the more moderate suburban voters both sides are competing for.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Sep 21, 2020

China’s rejection of Taiwan buffer zone raises risk of clash

The latest actions come as Beijing seeks to deter Taipei from continuing to deepen ties with the U.S. and other like-minded democracies.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 21, 2020

Hong Kong democrats face choice: Engage Beijing or give up seats

Opposition politicians in the territory are facing calls to resign en masse in protest against Beijing's moves.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 20, 2020

Tories may warm to Biden, but they’ll miss Trump

Chances are that Joe Biden, if he wins in November, would be a little less interested in Britain and a little frostier toward Boris Johnson.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 20, 2020

Hong Kong offers a glimpse of one Belarus future

From the start, the crowds in Minsk learned from Hong Kong's broad-based, leaderless campaign. They, too, were making demands of a system ill-equipped to compromise.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Sep 20, 2020

Sudden Supreme Court vacancy a new 'wild card' in U.S. presidential race

The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has injected a volatile new element into the last stretch of a turbulent U.S. presidential race, potentially shifting the focus away from the coronavirus pandemic and the stagnant economy into a political battle over her successor.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2020

Oracle’s TikTok deal pours Trump toxin into capitalism

The idea a country's leader decides which deals get done — and that it's contingent on how friendly the company is with the leader — is how it works in Putin's Russia.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Sep 18, 2020

Are China's Senkaku intrusions being played up for political ends?

According to a senior coast guard official, the announcement of intrusions in May was urged by the Prime Minister's Office and Foreign Ministry.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 17, 2020

Singapore wants cold war’s casualties, not cash

Amid the drumbeats of a U.S.-China cold war, the Southeast Asian island-state is often talked about as a sanctuary for capital looking to flee the clash of superpowers.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 17, 2020

Biden leads Trump nationally by 9 points, with suburbs focused on coronavirus, not crime

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads Republican President Donald Trump nationally among likely U.S. voters by 9 percentage points, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that showed Trump's "law and order" message falling short with its target audience of suburban voters.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 16, 2020

The future of Abenomics with Suga at the helm

Many observers assume that Suga will change little as he presented himself to the LDP as the “continuity” candidate to replace Abe.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 16, 2020

Will the coronavirus turn out green or brown?

This year's dip in greenhouse gases will make the world no more likely to achieve the goal of slowing climate change.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 16, 2020

Europe needs to recognize the threat from Russia

Moscow's forthright challenge to international norms demands a forceful Western response. But it won't come from the Trump administration.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 15, 2020

Abe's successor timed entrance perfectly, as tide turns for Japan

Suga's track record is promising. Earlier this year, as the risk of having supply chains in China became apparent, he came out in support of diversifying.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 13, 2020

South Korea eases social distancing for two weeks ahead of major holiday

South Korea on Sunday eased its tough social distancing policy for the next two weeks in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, with new daily novel coronavirus cases hovering stubbornly within triple digits.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 12, 2020

Bahrain follows UAE in normalizing ties with Israel

Bahrain joined the United Arab Emirates in agreeing to normalize relations with Israel on Friday, a move forged partly through shared fears of Iran but one that could leave the Palestinians further isolated.

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