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Reader Mail
Jun 12, 2020

Bellicose claims won’t help Senkaku situation

As for Tetsuo Kotani's June 2 commentary "China steps up its offensive against the Senkaku Islands," Kotani intimates that the fishing boat was not actually engaged in fishing but probably trying to bait Chinese ships to take it.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Jun 10, 2020

'No justice, no peace': The sentiment that resonates in America, Japan and all over the world

The mainstream Japanese media continues to mess up on issues of race. It's time for a new generation of talking heads.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 8, 2020

HSBC’s tightrope act opens up internal fault lines in Hong Kong turmoil

HSBC Holdings PLC’s endorsement of a proposed Chinese security law in Hong Kong has begun to widen fault lines over the British institution’s relationship to the city’s masters in Beijing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 4, 2020

Okamoto's: Rock, rap and the road less traveled

The four-piece band marks 10 years of bucking expectations and musical risk-taking.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 28, 2020

China approves Hong Kong security legislation, defying Trump

The National People's Congress burst into prolonged applause when the tally showed 2,878 votes to one in favor of moving forward with legislation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
May 22, 2020

Ep. 42 ‘Woman Who Makes Everyone Dream’

I enjoy a good cliffhanger as much as the next person, but I wasn’t eager to see how Toshiyuki and Yume’s night in Sapporo would unfold. When we last saw these two, they were sitting close to each other in a dark bar. Toshiyuki was urging Yume to drink more alcohol as he mustered the courage to express...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 22, 2020

‘This is the end’: Hong Kong opposition decries China power grab

China will improve national security in Hong Kong, Premier Li Keqiang said Friday, a day after Beijing announced dramatic plans to rein in dissent by writing a new law into the city’s charter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 22, 2020

Daiki Tsuneta: From the top of the charts to the great unknown

King Gnu frontman, Daiki Tsuneta, heads for further glory as he pushes forward with his side project, Millennium Parade.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 17, 2020

Chinese media blasts 'lawless' Hong Kong schools over Japan history question

Chinese state media said Hong Kong schools have become "lawless" as controversy builds over a history question in a school exam, rekindling tensions over academic freedoms in the semiautonomous city.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
May 16, 2020

Ep. 41 'Life-Threatening Date'

After announcing that production on “Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020” was going on hiatus and then going quiet on us for a few weeks, Netflix released a brand new episode like a gift from the television gods offering some small relief from the current pandemic.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2020

Reports of Kim's death were greatly exaggerated

Japan, the U.S. and South Korea should consider establishing a joint center to coordinate their response to a post-Kim scenario.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 11, 2020

Remembering Yukio Okamoto

Japan has lost a true patriot who always did his best for his nation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
May 10, 2020

It’s time to talk about 'Terrace House' and consent

The behavior of some of the housemates is only part of the problem, however.
Japan Times
BASEBALL
May 6, 2020

Taiwan to allow baseball fans back into stands this week

The island's low rate of infection has allowed its professional baseball league to reopen stadiums to the public.
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2020

Where is the local news about COVID-19?

There's a paucity of accurate, practical community-level information about the pandemic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
May 1, 2020

Musicians and DJs fight against COVID-19 closures and learn to live it up online

With gigs off and venues closed, Japanese artists are getting more creative in staging shows for fans staying at home.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2020

Why China’s propaganda efforts so often backfire

An obsession with finding enemies and uniting the front makes it difficult to 'tell China's story well.”
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2020

COVID-19 has taken us from FOMO to ROMO

With everyone at home, the fear of missing out turns into the reality of missing out. That's some relief.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2020

Debunking the myth of ‘helicopter money’

What does Modern Monetary Theory actually say about financing government borrowing and spending?
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 22, 2020

J. League offers clubhouses as PCR testing sites

The J. League isn’t just doing everything it can to help players and fans stay safe when professional soccer returns to Japan — it’s also stepping up to help the country’s efforts against the coronavirus.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 20, 2020

Grim truth of the ‘Swedish model’

The lack of a lockdown has led to one of the world's highest COVID-19 death rates.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 20, 2020

Why science won’t ace its COVID-19 test

In normal times, the decentralization of research works remarkably well. In a crisis, the usual process is inadequate.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Apr 17, 2020

Motorboat racing in Mie hit hard by outbreak, affecting public finances

Boat Race Tsu, a municipal-run kyōtei (boat race) course in Tsu, Mie Prefecture, is facing difficulties due to plunging sales after it began holding races without audiences to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Apr 15, 2020

Inside Hong Kong judges’ battle with China over courts’ autonomy

The independence of Hong Kong's judicial system is under assault from the Communist Party leadership in Beijing, senior judges in the city have said, posing the gravest threat to the rule of law since Britain handed its former colony back to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2020

Sunday in the park with COVID-19

The only way to safely enjoy nature these days is to keep away from one another.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 3, 2020

The shape of a Japan-U.K. free trade agreement

While Tokyo never wanted to see Brexit happen, it now has to make the most of it.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 28, 2020

China reports no local virus transmissions as foreigners barred

China on Saturday reported no locally transmitted coronavirus infections for the previous day and a small reduction in new cases involving travellers from overseas, as new restrictions on the entry of foreigners kicked in.

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