Search - author

 
 
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2015

Encourage the Koreas to talk, and talk some more

When no other policy seems to be working, why not give greater engagement with North Korea a try?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Dec 20, 2015

Celebrating success with catfish and cupcakes

A look at two power couples of African descent who have focused their skills, talents and wherewithal on introducing tastes of the West to Eastern palates.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Dec 19, 2015

Hatsune Miku: the 'nonexistent' pop star

My 2015 kicked off with a January concert by Hatsune Miku, Japan's digital pop star, in Las Vegas. It is winding down with a visit to Miku's creator, Hiroyuki Itoh, at his company's head office in Sapporo, Hokkaido.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2015

Muslims should be grateful to Donald Trump

Like anti-Semitism, Islamophobia breeds in the swamp of fear and insecurity that is truly the modern world for many people.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 18, 2015

Japanese island defense plan takes shape in bid to turn tables on China

Japan is fortifying its far-flung island chain in the East China Sea under an evolving strategy that aims to turn the tables on China's navy and keep it from ever dominating the Western Pacific Ocean, Japanese military and government sources said.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2015

Restarting India's faltering economic revolution

If Narendra Modi makes tough decisions in leading his country forward, the 21st century might end up being the Indian Century. But if so, he can't delay much longer in putting his words into action.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 14, 2015

To see the future of electric cars, look to China

The real action on electric vehicles is happening in China, where smoggy skies and government subsidies are creating the perfect conditions for them to thrive.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 11, 2015

Sushi is evolving but Japan still wears the crown

"A sushi chef's hands are always clean," Kazutoshi Endo, the head sushi chef of London's Zuma, once told me during dinner at an izakaya (pub). This comment came after he suddenly used his fingers to place a piece of fishcake on my plate, in lieu of chopsticks. It elicited a round of guffaws at our table,...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 10, 2015

How not to combat terror

The U.S. must get Saudi Arabia to halt its sponsorship of radical Islam if it is going to successfully prosecute the war on terror.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 10, 2015

Radical Islam in Asia: the arc of al-Qaida and IS

An expert on terrorism outlines differences and similarities between al-Qaida and Islamic State, and the threat they pose in Asia.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Dec 10, 2015

Amid fight against Islamic State, Iraq's Kurds are dogged by financial, political crises

Last year's sweeping offensive by Islamic State group militants through northern Iraq thrust one community in particular to the fore — the Kurds.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2015

China, India can drive a renewable revolution

Forget climate change — it just makes economic sense for China and India to embrace renewable energy sources.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 9, 2015

Police raid Sydney home of alleged bitcoin mastermind

Australian police raided the Sydney home and office on Wednesday of a man named by Wired magazine as the probable creator of bitcoin and holder of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the cryptocurrency, witnesses said.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 8, 2015

Lessons of Pearl Harbor: fear itself, then and now

As anti-Muslim sentiment rises in the U.S. in the wake of the San Bernadino shootings, Americans would do well to recall the shameful policy mistakes that happened when fear and anger gripped the nation following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 8, 2015

Zuckerberg's unimpressive generosity

Mark Zuckerberg can do what he wants with his money, but let's not make the mistake of calling him a charitable giver.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Dec 8, 2015

George's amazing comeback may be best story of season

Consider this story: A star professional athlete suffers a gruesome injury, a broken leg so horrific that bystanders — including me — couldn't even bear to look at the damage, the bone literally sticking out, piercing the covering skin.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 7, 2015

Thailand's generals shoot economy in the foot

Thailand's military junta lacks the vision to fix an economy in disarray.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2015

Chinese women should beware of C-sections

Chinese women are giving birth via cesarean section in huge numbers despite the higher cost and potentially harmful consequences.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 5, 2015

Hunter and hunted: Where are they now?

The mutilations are frightful — dog, cat, rabbit and pigeon corpses missing heads, tails, limbs, ears. Weekly Playboy magazine reports nearly 40 sightings in the past four months in the Kanto region alone. Who's out there doing these things? With what thoughts in mind?
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2015

China's 'insane' gamble on nuclear power

If tech-savvy Japan couldn't avoid a nuclear disaster, what hope for a nation known for lax safety and graft?
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Dec 1, 2015

Newton affair reveals ugly truth about discourse in U.S.

Sports, MAS has often heard it said, are a metaphor for life.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2015

Germany leads the way with energy transition

As Germany is demonstrating with its Energiewende program, transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy is a matter of resolve.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2015

Thank Kim Young-sam for preserving the peace

The greatest legacy of the late South Korean President Kim Young-sam was preserving the peace when the dogs of war were almost unleashed once again on the Korean Peninsula.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2015

Why is Einstein famous?

Albert Einstein's solitary brilliance, personal integrity and public activism combined with his lifelong gift for witty aphorism when dealing with the press and public gave him a unique and enduring fame.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 1, 2015

'Voices of 20 Contemporary Artists at Idem Paris: A Lithography Studio in Montparnasse'

Dec. 5-Feb. 7
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 1, 2015

'The Art of Furuya Usamaru'

Dec. 1-Jan. 11
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 30, 2015

Putin plays Syrian roulette

No solution for Islamic State and Syria can be achieved without a green light from Russia.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji