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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 11, 2020

How the coronavirus could help Trump

A pandemic that originates in China could make the U.S. president's nationalism seem justified.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 11, 2020

Joe Biden slumps while Michael Bloomberg surges nationally as Democratic race heats up

Support for former Vice President Joe Biden's U.S. presidential bid has tumbled nationally following a lackluster finish in last week's Iowa caucuses, while interest is surging among Democrats and independents for the upstart candidacy of billionaire media mogul Michael Bloomberg, according to a Reuters/Ipsos...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 8, 2020

Examining the cold hard facts of dependency

Everybody's hooked on something. What's life without its little pleasures? Mere struggle for survival. Smokers crave nicotine, coffee-drinkers caffeine, gamers games. The pursuit of happiness takes many forms. Society approves of most, frowns on others. Some it bans outright.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 8, 2020

Extensive quarantines not the answer

The World Health Organization says overly restrictive measures may backfire in trying to contain the spread of a contagious disease.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Feb 7, 2020

Ep. 32 'I Hate You'

Multiple plot lines came to their messy conclusions this week as the housemates opened up and let their emotions flow. And boy, there were a lot of tears.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 7, 2020

Acquitted Trump unleashes fury at impeachment and all those he deems foes

U.S. President Donald Trump celebrated his acquittal on impeachment charges in a caustic, free-wheeling speech on Thursday that drew on White House pomp to underscore the fact that he remained in office.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Feb 6, 2020

Yogendra 'Yogi' Puranik: The first Indian voice in Tokyo politics

After seeing miscommunication and bullying firsthand, Yogendra 'Yogi' Puranik decided to stand up and do something about it. Now, as a politician, he hopes to be a bridge between two communities.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 4, 2020

Why a debate over German reunification matters now

Whether the U.S. promised that NATO would stay out of Eastern Europe is a proxy debate for a bigger issue.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 3, 2020

Wuhan isn't China's Chernobyl

Comparisons between Beijing's handling of the coronavirus and the Soviet response to the world's worst nuclear disaster are tempting, but misguided.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2020

North Korea's 2020 vision: A nuclear shield, not a sword

The longer Kim keeps nuclear weapons, the more credible the claim will become that his primary interest is in nuclear deterrence.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2020

Battling a pandemic is a job for the military

Even if coronavirus fizzles out, the world's armies must prepare for the next deadly outbreak.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 1, 2020

Tsuta: The original Michelin-starred ramen shop returns, better

Yuki Onishi is clearly not a chef who is ready or able to rest on his laurels. His flagship ramen restaurant, Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta, is one of the best-known in the city, drawing legions of fans from near and far. He has won accolades, grabbed global media attention and opened several overseas...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2020

No, we don't have a natural lifespan of 38

A cool new study on longevity got distorted by the popular press.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2020

Could robots whip up the perfect pizza?

The smartest people in the world are working hard to automate the much-loved meal.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 31, 2020

The world's hypocrisy about Israel's occupation of the West Bank

Jewish settlements are not the primary obstacle to peace with the Palestinians.
Reader Mail
Jan 31, 2020

Can't we please get some new ideas?

The Japan-U.S. alliance is widely accepted, according to the opinion piece "The state of the Japan-U.S. alliance at 60" in the Jan. 21 edition.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 30, 2020

Johnson is jeopardizing the U.S.-U.K. alliance for Huawei

Allowing the Chinese firm on British networks will have long-term implications,
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jan 30, 2020

Parents in Japan use YouTube to teach bilingual baby talk that's good for any age

Mothers raising their kids in Japan head to YouTube to create a community that goes beyond basic parenting tips.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 29, 2020

First love on the front lines: Coming of age in the Hong Kong protests

Many years from now, far from the spray of water cannons and the unmistakable smell of tear gas, they will look back on their season of protest and remember exactly how they felt.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 28, 2020

U.S. Supreme Court lets hard-line Trump immigration policy take effect

The U.S. Supreme Court gave the go-ahead Monday for one of President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration policies, allowing his administration to implement a rule denying legal permanent residency to certain immigrants deemed likely to require government assistance in the future.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 27, 2020

Closing Japan's gender gap: The role of women in media

Women in media are discriminated against first by being women, and then in the way they work once they have children.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2020

America is safer when Trump alone can't start a war

No matter who is president, Congress needs to re-establish its role in the use of force.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2020

Scientists are already working on cures for Wuhan coronavirus

After the SARS and MERS outbreaks, the U.S. began funding potential treatments.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Jan 26, 2020

Path paved by languages, inspirational interactions

Belgium's new ambassador to Japan, Roxane de Bilderling, brings special linguistic insight to her post.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2020

Let's go back to calling it global warming

The term 'climate change' is vague and doesn't convey enough urgency.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 25, 2020

'Impossible Architecture': Consider the impossible — find the visionaries

From Vladimir Tatlin's 'Monument to the Third International' (1920) to Zaha Hadid's plan for the New National Stadium of Japan, 'Impossible Architecture: The Architects' Dreams' eulogizes aborted artistic conceptions — some that technically would have been possible, others purposely preposterous.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / ANALYSIS
Jan 24, 2020

Despite need for new vaccines, pandemics not a priority for drugmakers

Drugmakers have made significant scientific advances in recent years. Unfortunately, their ability to combat potential pandemics isn't included among them.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 23, 2020

With rising emissions, intense storms and floods could double in 13 years

There is a strong case for investing substantially and urgently in decarbonizing the Japanese economy.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2020

Opposition parties lay into Abe over scandals and Mideast dispatch

Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yukio Edano used parliamentary debates to go after Prime Minister Abe on allegations of cronyism over an annual taxpayer-funded cherry blossom viewing party.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2020

Government-funded annual memorial ceremonies for March 2011 disasters to end in 2021

Government-funded memorial services each year commemorating the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami will end in 2021, which will mark the 10th anniversary of the massive disaster, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tuesday.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years