Search - commentary

 
 
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.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 25, 2020

Trump re-election could calm China ties — or burn them down

With his plans to focus on the economy to secure re-election in tatters amid the pandemic, Trump needs another rallying point. Enter Beijing.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 18, 2020

North Korea calls party meeting to discuss ‘crucial’ issue

The announcement comes as the country battles catastrophic flooding that's dealt a blow to its staggering economy and tries to head off a coronavirus crisis.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2020

Where's the sympathy for lonely young people?

With job losses and support networks having closed down, some are feeling the effects of the pandemic more acutely.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 21, 2020

Russia meddled in Scottish vote, but unclear on Brexit, says report

Russia sought to meddle in the 2014 Scottish referendum and intelligence agencies should produce an assessment of potential interference in the Brexit referendum, a report by the British parliament's intelligence and security committee said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 21, 2020

Wave of promising study results raise hopes for coronavirus vaccines

Early data from trials of three potential COVID-19 vaccines released on Monday, including a closely watched candidate from Oxford University, increased confidence that a vaccine can train the immune system to recognize and fight the novel coronavirus without serious side effects.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2020

Kim Jong Un’s unfinished hospital shows North Korea sanctions are biting

Kim Jong Un’s latest appearance, in which he dressed down officials building a showcase hospital, illustrates why the North Korean leader can’t afford to languish under sanctions forever if he wants to fix his economy.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Jul 21, 2020

China begins to dismantle democratic Taiwan’s toehold in Hong Kong

For decades, Hong Kong served as a bridge between China and Taiwan. Now, that appears to be just one more thing that’s changing in the former British colony.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 17, 2020

'#Handball Strive' digs into the pitfalls of performing for the 'likes'

Daigo Matsui's comedy is about a fake handball team that chases Instagram fame and falls victim to online perils.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 5, 2020

Japan’s netizens make up for traditional media outlets' shortcomings in addressing Black Lives Matter

Social media users have offered a broader perspective of commentary on protests against systemic racism happening abroad.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2020

Modi’s resolute China policy

It takes courage to wage war, but it takes even greater courage to wage peace while protecting national interests.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami