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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2019

May the (space) force be with you

It may sound silly, but it's an idea whose time has come. Here's what everyone should know about the space force.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 23, 2019

Japan's unviable whaling nationalism

The cultural nationalist project to re-imagine whaling as a national culinary culture will likely fail since it appears unlikely that whaling can become a viable commercial enterprise.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2019

In 'Star Wars' economy, one thing doesn't pay

Junkyards and scavengers are everywhere in the series. So why do they waste so much valuable scrap?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 23, 2019

After gay marriage law passes, Taiwan emerges as new market for LGBT+ surrogacy

On Geoffrey Li's 40th birthday last year, he put aside his dream of an early retirement on an idyllic island and instead decided to raise a child in Taiwan using a surrogate in Southeast Asia.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Dec 23, 2019

The Reiwa Daijosai: Pomp, circumstance and litigation

The separation of church and state in Japan comes under scrutiny in the new era. However, we've been down this road before.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / 2019 in Review
Dec 22, 2019

Japanese trends you couldn't have missed in 2019

Amid the hard news of the past year, there were some trends that lit up Japan's media offered the nation a sense of, if not a little hope, at least some relief.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2019

U.S. prefers mass hysteria to sound policy on vaping

Protecting kids from nicotine shouldn't matter more than saving the lives of millions of smokers.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 20, 2019

'Obamacare' ruling likely to haunt Trump in 2020

While the eyes of America were on the House vote to impeach President Donald Trump, a court ruling to leave the fate of the Affordable Care Act, also known as "Obamacare," up in the air may be a bigger risk to his 2020 re-election hopes.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 20, 2019

Time for U.S. pivot on North Korea?

It is now time for the U.S., along with Japan and South Korea, to prepare to pivot on North Korea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2019

Britain: One nation but many voices

In the latest British election, people expressed this own free opinions and rejected old party allegiances as never before.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2019

The U.S. media is in the gutter with Trump

American journalism used to adhere to strict standards, then the U.S. media declared war on Donald Trump.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2019

India is abandoning its founding principles

The country's embrace of religious nationalism is trampling on a tradition of secular liberalism that has served its people well
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / 2019 in Review
Dec 17, 2019

Creative expression stifled by 'safety concerns' in Japan

As the taboo-busting comic Joan Rivers used to say after pressing her audience's buttons, 'Can we talk?' On the evidence of this year's Aichi Triennale, if it's about World War II atrocities, the answer seems to be 'no.'
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2019

Boris Johnson is an incredibly lucky politician

Corbyn was a gift but the prime minister's promises to his new blue-collar supporters on Brexit and spending will be difficult to honor.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2019

Protests could spark stronger U.S.-China deal

The West has a golden opportunity to craft a larger strategy of both containment and cooperation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2019

Don't mock Greta; listen to her

Let's put aside the finger-pointing, and let Time's choice be a reminder that the problem isn't going to solve itself. There's more carbon entering the atmosphere every day.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 13, 2019

How much would you pay to work less?

Women are more willing to forgo salary for better life balance, but flexible policies could widen the income gap with men.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 13, 2019

Canadian lawyer defends decision to defend Myanmar on Rohingya genocide charges

Canadian lawyer William Schabas, an international scholar on genocide, has been criticized by friend and foe for first researching crimes against Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya and now defending the state accused of perpetrating them.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 10, 2019

Stop with the gifting and just give

The most wonderful time of the year has developed an irritating verbal tic.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 10, 2019

As election nears, U.K.'s Johnson is criticized for response to photo of sick child

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson came under fire on Monday for his response to being shown a photo of a sick child lying on a hospital floor ahead of the Dec. 12 election.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Dec 9, 2019

NPB stars no longer shy about expressing MLB aspirations

Kohei Arihara wants to pitch in the major leagues in the near future. Haruki Nishikawa wants to make the move as well. Hayato Sakamoto doesn't want to, but he had to address it all the same.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2019

Satellites are changing the night sky

The stars we can see from Earth could soon be outnumbered by a swarm of satellites.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2019

Wait until Trump hears about Europe's carbon tax

The climate crisis and trade conflicts are two of the world's top challenges and they might be about to collide in the EU's green deal.
Reader Mail
Dec 6, 2019

Environmental reform needed

I appreciate Elliot Silverberg and Elisabeth Smith's advice in their opinion piece "Does Japan have a global environment strategy?" in the Nov. 13 edition, but regrettably they place more emphasis on diplomatic courtesy than on reality.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 6, 2019

U.K.'s Labour accuses BBC of bias over its election coverage

Britain's opposition Labour Party wrote to the head of the BBC on Thursday to complain about its coverage of campaigning ahead of next week's election, accusing the publicly funded broadcaster of bias.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2019

Brexit underlines perils of populist politics

The standoff between equally matched camps may solidify into a deep rupture in the national fabric.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Dec 5, 2019

Wat Misaka leaves an admirable legacy

When Wataru "Wat" Misaka passed away on Nov. 20, he left an indelible legacy on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. He showed what was possible for someone who looked like he did on the basketball court. And to his eternal credit, he reached the highest level.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 5, 2019

U.K. Liberal Democrats could back Labour to force second Brexit vote

The leader of Britain's pro-European Liberal Democrats has suggested she could work with the opposition Labour party to stop Brexit if it removed its leader in the event of a hung Parliament after next week's election.

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