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JAPAN / Society
Oct 24, 2020

Minamata disease victims struggle to find closure

More than 60 years after first raising awareness about a neurological disease caused by industrial mercury poisoning, photojournalist Aileen M. Smith still wants answers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 20, 2020

Suga in Vietnam: Talking about China without naming it

Vietnam is crucial to achieving Japan's vision for the Free and Open Indo-Pacific initiative.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2020

It’s hard to make predictions, especially about the future — but it’s not impossible

Given that virtually every decision is to some degree a prediction, it is remarkable just how bad we as a species are at it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 10, 2020

What are the stories we’re reading about Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

This year's releases on the atomic bombs run the gamut of perspectives, proving that historical events are very much what we make of them.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Oct 9, 2020

Who’s whispering in Joe Biden’s ear about climate policy?

Biden's plan was knitted together in consultation with representatives from various diverse corners of the economic, political and climate advocacy worlds.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 8, 2020

It is time for Japan to start talking about its immigration policy

The topic of immigration in Japan has been swept under the rug for too long and it should no longer be a taboo subject.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 3, 2020

Trump's positive test underscores that the election is all about the coronavirus

The disclosure returns the virus to center stage with just a month to go until the Nov. 3 election, reminding voters again of the biggest health crisis in a century.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 30, 2020

Of course, the U.S. presidential debate was always going to be about Trump

An insatiable self-evangelist and denier of realities that displease him, the U.S. leader invited viewers Tuesday to embrace his preferred version of Trump-era events.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2020

Selling advanced fighter jets to the UAE is all about Israel

The problem with providing the F-35 to Arab states is it might erode Israel's QME, a U.S. assurance that it will not sell its most advanced arms to Israel's opponents.
Director Spike Lee attends a news conference at the Cannes Film Festival in France in May.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Aug 17, 2025

ESPN will not air Spike Lee's docuseries on Colin Kaepernick, citing 'creative differences'

The project has been canceled over "certain creative differences," according to the U.S. sports broadcaster.
Rintaro Sasaki hits a home run during a game against Duke at Stanford's Sunken Diamond on March 16.
BASEBALL
Aug 17, 2025

Top MLB prospect Rintaro Sasaki is committed to doing it 'the hard way'

The Stanford slugger could have taken an easier path with a quicker payday. Instead he's determined to blaze his own unique trail to the top of the sport.
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, amid negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine, in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 19, 2025

Trump pushes Putin-Zelenskyy meeting after talks with both

The move suggested that the leaders of Ukraine and top European nations had succeeded in convincing Trump to maintain their approach to possible talks with the Russian president.
Omar Garcia Harfuch has earned respect from rank-and-file military and security forces by showing up, gun-in-hand, on the front lines, one source said.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 19, 2025

Battle-tested cop is Mexico's hope to tame cartels and placate Trump

Garcia Harfuch has earned praise for helping deliver on Sheinbaum's vision of increased cooperation with the U.S.
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History
WORLD / Politics
Aug 20, 2025

Trump targets the Smithsonian again, saying it focuses too much on how bad slavery was

Civil rights advocates say Trump is undoing decades of social progress and undermining the acknowledgment of critical phases of American history.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the economy in the Oval Office on Aug. 7. From immigration to the Fed, Trump is making risky moves that could undo his wins while Democrats double down on policies that so far are not working.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 20, 2025

On economic policy, the White House is its own worst enemy

The White House needs to calm down and choose consolidation over controversy and chaos while the Democratic Party must dump, not just downplay, its plainly unpopular positions.
Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby visits BlackSea Technology facilities to view a drone test in Baltimore, Maryland, in June.
WORLD
Aug 21, 2025

The U.S. Navy is building a drone fleet to take on China. It's not going well.

A recent naval test designed to showcase the Pentagon’s top autonomous drone boats ended in failure due to software glitches and human error.
Democratic Texas Rep. Gene Wu speaks at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday. State officials are redrawing congressional maps to benefit Republicans.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 22, 2025

Americans worry democracy is in danger amid gerrymandering fights, poll finds

As Texas Republicans redraw the state's congressional maps to benefit their party, California Democrats threaten to respond in kind.
At the memorial ceremony for the sinking of the Tsushima Maru evacuation ship, attendees observe a moment of silence in honor of the victims, in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2025

Victims of 1944 U.S. torpedo attack remembered in Japan

At least 1,484 of some 1,800 people aboard the Tsushima Maru, including 784 schoolchildren, lost their lives.
Former White House national security adviser John Bolton arrives at his house following its search by the FBI in Bethesda, Maryland, on Friday.
WORLD
Aug 23, 2025

FBI raids home of outspoken Trump critic John Bolton

U.S. President Donald Trump, asked about the FBI searches, said he was "not a fan" of his former aide but did not know about the law enforcement operation ahead of time.
During a survey to collect the remains of victims from the Taito Maru, one of the vessels involved in the Three Ships Incident, a metal helmet was found near the stern of the vessel on Aug. 5, 1984, at Rumoi Port. No human remains were discovered.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Sep 1, 2025

Why Stalin didn’t invade Hokkaido still largely unknown, 80 years after WWII

Declassified cables between U.S. President Harry Truman and Soviet leader Josef Stalin reveal the Soviets had advanced plans to invade Hokkaido and occupy half of it.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the presidential palace in New Delhi on Aug. 5
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 27, 2025

U.S. slams India with 50% tariffs, among highest in the world

The move upends a decadeslong push by Washington to forge closer ties with New Delhi and court India as a counterweight to China.
People visit a beach near the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant in Gyeongju, South Korea, in August 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 30, 2025

South Korea and U.S. agree to discuss nuclear reprocessing, minister says

Changing an agreement on the issue would mark a major shift for the U.S., which has long sought to limit the number of countries with this capability.
Then-U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to board Air Force Two as she departs LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York, in September last year.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 30, 2025

Trump withdraws Kamala Harris' Secret Service protection

The move comes just weeks before Harris is set to go on a tour to promote a new book about her failed presidential campaign against Trump last year.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services, during a Senate Finance Committee hearing in Washington on Thursday
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 5, 2025

U.S. senators pit Kennedy against Trump on vaccine policy

Half a dozen heated exchanges during a combative three-hour Senate hearing focused on his decision to fire Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio in June.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 7, 2025

U.S. strike on alleged cartel boat shows Rubio’s influence growing

The attack was the culmination of Trump’s yearslong interest in using unprecedented — and legally questionable — force against drug cartels.
U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks after a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act near the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Sept. 3
WORLD / Politics
Sep 9, 2025

Epstein letter allegedly from Trump released by House Democrats

Recently released papers also include Epstein’s will as well as entries from his contact books and information about his known bank accounts.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes