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COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 1, 2014

Putting an end to the Japan-Korea history wars

As another war of words heats up, Japanese and South Korean leaders need to step back, recognize where the real interests of their people lie, and stop obsessing about the past.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 17, 2013

History of British intelligence

'Empire of Secrets' is, as Calder Walton himself writes, 'the first book devoted to British intelligence during the twilight of empire that has been based on declassified intelligence reports.'
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 16, 2013

Rewriting history is unwise

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has appointed a Cabinet that, according to press reports, contains a number of ministers who want to rewrite the history of the 20th century. They, including the new minister of education, are reported as demanding the rescinding of the statement made in 1995 by former Prime...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Dec 2, 2017

'A Brief History of Japan': Jonathan Clements guides readers from ancient lore to otaku obsessions

Ask any Japanese high school student which is their most difficult subject, and chances are they'll answer Japanese History — a consequence of the endless litany of dates, names and battles they need to memorize. Pity then, that they don't use this little book in class, because it manages to make thousands...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Sep 2, 2017

Happy history in China, the land of the politically repressed

Talk about negative nation branding! With the Cambridge University Press affair, Chinese authorities have really outdone themselves in drawing attention to their fear of history.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 14, 2014

Symbolic Crimea vital to Putin legacy

When Russian President Vladimir Putin flew into the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol in Crimea last year, he made a pilgrimage to several sites associated with Russia's tumultuous history.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 4, 2022

In the Taiwan crisis, we should be worried about history rhyming

Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan may prove dangerous — not because it is irresponsible, but because China has history of making strategic mistakes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Aug 20, 2017

Educator calls for better understanding of black history in Japan

On occasion, I still get asked this question: Of what value is a column dedicated exclusively to black issues — particularly here in Japan?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 24, 2017

Beijing is watching Justin Bieber

In China it is politics, or the perception of such, that is the surest route to getting stamped 'banned by Beijing.'
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 21, 2016

History repeats itself as U.K.'s Cameron risks party schism over EU vote

Hoping to hold together a party with a small majority in parliament and facing resignations, the British prime minister takes the unusual step of letting members of his Cabinet oppose the government ahead of a referendum on Europe.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 8, 2021

What’s in a name? For the Koreans of Sakhalin, an anguished history.

Stranded for decades on the island, some bear three names, Japanese, Russian and Korean, representing different historical chapters. Now, many are planning their return.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 29, 2020

Study of Okinawan history falls casualty to COVID-19

The global pandemic has left Okinawa's tourist industry reeling.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2019

New Chinese history textbook to stress territorial rights over Japan-administered Senkakus

A new Chinese history textbook will stress that the disputed Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture have been part of China since ancient times, according to the Global Times, a newspaper affiliated with the Communist Party of China.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 2, 2019

What's in a name? Reiwa reflects today's politics, Japan's cultural history and a social philosophy

Media hype over Reiwa, the newly announced name for the upcoming era, continued unabated Tuesday. At the same time, a majority of people appeared to happily welcome the name, which means "auspicious" (rei) and "peace" or "harmony" (wa).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 5, 2017

'Chinese Script: History, Characters, Calligraphy': Exploring the roots of kanji

From bone shards to swipe keyboards, "Chinese Script: History, Characters, Calligraphy" is a brief but absorbing crash course on the origins and evolution of China's writing system that tackles a range of topics beyond language.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 8, 2015

'Ishuretsuo: The Image of Ezo'

Dec. 15-Feb. 7
JAPAN / Politics
May 7, 2015

187 scholars urge Abe to address Japan's wartime history

An international group of scholars of Japanese and East Asian studies have called on Tokyo to accurately address the country's history of colonial rule and wartime actions.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 26, 2015

Where political 'fox' LKY stands in Singapore history

The late Lee Kuan Yew showed the world that economic self-improvement in Singapore had to have public policies grounded in best-practice pragmatisms rather than in ideological schematics.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 9, 2014

Yazidis aided by U.S. have long history of persecution in Iraq

The Iraqi mountain community that U.S. President Barack Obama is racing to defend numbers in the tens or hundreds of thousands, with roots in the 12th century and a history of persecution.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 23, 2014

War history lessons ignored

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is ignoring history as he tries to have the Constitution reintrepreted to enable Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 3, 2013

'A person and a possession': Japanese women in history

SELLING WOMEN: Prostitution, Markets and the Household in Early Modern Japan, by Amy Stanley. University of California Press, 2012, 282 pp., $49.95 (hardcover)
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2022

History repeats itself with Russia-Ukraine war

The echoes of history are clear at every juncture of the unfolding conflict of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Apr 22, 2017

The storied history of the potato in Japanese cooking

The main clue as to when potatoes first entered Japan comes from its name in Japanese, jaga-imo.

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic