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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 23, 2020

The secret origins of China’s 40-year plan to end carbon emissions

With a September speech to the United Nations, Chinese President Xi Jinping put a 2060 end date on his country's contribution to global warming, taking almost the whole world by surprise.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Nov 15, 2020

Japanese fashion tackles the issues of the moment

From practical masks and saving sento culture to provocative commentary on gender, brands and designers find their moment.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 12, 2020

Multidisciplinary collection in Tokyo depicts a paradox of restraint and restriction

The Fergus McCaffrey gallery has curated works that explore social and regional boundaries as well as the confinements of genre and convention.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2020

China's lesson from the U.S. election? No, thanks.

Beijing has made clear it hopes that a change in the U.S. administration will lead to an improvement in the bilateral relationship.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Nov 5, 2020

Derailing of Jack Ma’s Ant IPO shows Xi Jinping is in charge

For global investors, the episode is likely to reinforce the notion that the Communist Party calls all the shots when it comes to major business decisions.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 5, 2020

Social media companies survived U.S. Election Day. More tests loom.

For months, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube prepared to clamp down on misinformation on Election Day in the U.S.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 4, 2020

China is planning a bigger Ant crackdown with bank funding curbs

China abruptly halted Ant's IPO after summoning Ma to a meeting earlier in the week to outline an array of concerns and new regulations.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2020

How to think about a contested U.S. election

The surge in mail-in and early voting amid the pandemic meant that the chances of knowing whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden won sometime Tuesday night was very low.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 3, 2020

Jack Ma gets a warning from China on Ant’s rapid expansion

Sources said Ant's leadership team was told the company will face increased scrutiny and be subject to restrictions on capital and leverage.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2020

Some statistics to enliven election night

Never mind the geysers of overheated 2020 rhetoric about a constitutional crisis. Tuesday evening in the U.S., the nation will likely know that Vice President Walter Mondale's elegant words of concession on election night 40 years ago are still apposite: "The American people quietly wielded their staggering...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 31, 2020

U.S. says coronavirus can’t be controlled. China aims to prove it wrong.

The United States is hitting records in daily coronavirus cases. But China, the country first afflicted with the scourge, is having a different experience.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 26, 2020

COVID-19 explodes the myth that women ‘opt’ out of the workforce

While time away from work is often portrayed as a choice for women, the evidence shows that it's usually a choice reluctantly made.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2020

Socialism is no longer just a specter

Today, counter-COVID-19 spending already is approximately five times larger than that triggered by the Great Recession of 2008.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 24, 2020

‘Handmade in Japan’: A cross-country journey with traditional artisans

Irwin Wong's personal project, which began with photos of craftspeople he admired, is now an insightful deep dive on Japan's traditional crafts.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 23, 2020

China warns on ‘red lines’ as it remembers its only war with U.S.

Beijing is going all out in remembrance of its participation in the Korean War, sending a message to Washington that it's not intimidated by American military might.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 22, 2020

Contemporary performing arts festival stays open to new possibilities despite COVID-19

Festival/Tokyo, known for its focus on young artists and edgy productions, has shifted the annual festival's emphasis from live performances to online ones.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 14, 2020

Understanding Japan’s future security relationships

Could the world be seeing the underpinnings of a new NATO-like alliance in Asia with the Quad? What would Japan's role even be in such a security arrangement?
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 14, 2020

Coronavirus reinfections are real but very, very rare

Experts discuss what is known about reinfections with the coronavirus, and what the phenomenon means for vaccinations and the course of the pandemic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 8, 2020

Kyotographie 2020 adapts to an unpredictable world

Organizers say they chose “Vision” for the theme of this year's photography festival as a response to recent social, political and environmental turmoil.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 2, 2020

Trump tests positive for COVID-19, and the world shudders

Once again, the world shuddered at news about President Donald Trump. This time, it wasn’t something Trump said or did, but rather the announcement early Friday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 12, 2020

How China brought nearly 200 million students back to school

Under bright blue skies, nearly 2,000 students gathered this month for the start of school at Hanyang No. 1 High School in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Sep 10, 2020

I used the podium to protest. The Olympic Committee punished me.

The I.O.C. is on the wrong side of history, again. Commentary by track and field Olympian Gwen Berry.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 9, 2020

What to watch for in the LDP leadership race

With Yoshihide Suga's assured victory, we now have a clearer outlook of Japan's political landscape for the next twelve months.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Sep 8, 2020

Chess (yes, really) finds an eager audience during pandemic

The exploits of grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura and other top players have drawn thousands of viewers to Twitch in recent months.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 5, 2020

Trust and truth go hand in hand in a troubled year

COVID-19's most visible symbol is the mask, but 85 of 100 doctors surveyed by Shukan Gendai say masks are unnecessary in open outdoor spaces.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 4, 2020

Shigeru Ishiba offers raft of fresh policy ideas ahead of LDP election

The former defense minister pledged to retain the best of Abe's legacy, addressing wealth gaps while adopting a clear-eyed but hawkish stance on regional security.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 2, 2020

Xi doubles down on domestic focus as U.S. relations fray

China’s top leaders next month will lay out their economic strategy for the next five years that will include a new ambition to ramp up domestic consumption and make more critical technology at home in a bid to insulate the world’s second-largest economy from swirling geopolitical tensions.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 29, 2020

Five points to make sense of post-Abe Japan

As questions swirl over what's next, here's a look at the core points underwriting the issue.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Aug 27, 2020

With new arrests, Hong Kong’s police try to change the narrative

Authorities have tried to recast the facts around an incident last year at Yuen Long station in which a group of men in white shirts struck unarmed commuters with bats.

Longform

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Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building