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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 10, 2022

Pure gold for Japan’s Golden Week diplomacy

More than just photo opportunities, Kishida's diplomatic engagements were meaningful — some producing major developments in Japan's bilateral relationships with important partners.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 10, 2022

Yoon Suk-yeol takes office vowing larger role for South Korea in global affairs

Although Yoon did not mention China or Russia in his inauguration speech, he did zero in on the importance of the international rules-based order, mentioning the word “freedom” 30 times.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 10, 2022

Fall and rise: Marcos family back in power in the Philippines

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s victory marks extraordinary comeback for a family once best known for widespread human rights abuses and the plunder of an estimated $10 billion.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 10, 2022

To navigate the Senkaku Islands dispute, look to history

The COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the continuing rise of China have changed the world, but Beijing's approach to its territorial claims has also evolved.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
May 9, 2022

Shanghai COVID-19 crisis puts political spotlight on key Xi ally

Li Qiang has long been seen as destined for the powerful Politburo Standing Committee this year, tracking a well-worn path from Shanghai's top spot that many analysts say appears safe.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 6, 2022

Boris Johnson blamed as Tories lose seats in U.K. council elections

Mixed results overall will provide some solace for Johnson, who came into the vote under pressure following a series of missteps — including the 'partygate” scandal.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 6, 2022

U.S. threat to sanction Hikvision shows China ties near a tipping point

The move would mark the first time a Chinese company faces more severe U.S. Treasury Department sanctions that risk curbing its business around the globe.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 5, 2022

U.S. top diplomat Antony Blinken tests positive for COVID-19

Blinken's much-anticipated speech on the administration's China policy, which had been set for Thursday, is being rescheduled.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2022

Misplaced nostalgia to decide Philippine presidency

Filipinos look ready to make the son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos their new leader, a result made possible by democratic failures, manipulated memories and Rodrigo Duterte.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 4, 2022

Hong Kong plots different COVID-19 path to China's zero tolerance

As Shanghai and Beijing stick ever more closely to 'COVID-zero' principles, Hong Kong is methodically moving toward opening up to the rest of the world.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 3, 2022

Abortion surges as U.S. election issue with Roe v. Wade precedent on brink

It's unclear how a U.S. Supreme Court decision invalidating Roe would play among voters, especially in suburban House districts and the states where control of the Senate will be determined.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2022

Why Putin wants to destroy Ukraine

For Vladimir Putin and the elite around him, the war against Ukraine is a civil war, a struggle for the very idea of Russia and for the rightness of its history as they define it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2022

Weighing the cost of short-term expedients against long-term necessities

It is becoming clear that the world's policymakers are caught in a dreadful confusion: a confusion between short-term fixes or long-term necessities.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 3, 2022

Musk’s grand vision for 'free speech' on Twitter faces reality check in Asia

Asia is home to more than half the world's population and is the platform's biggest growth opportunity.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 2, 2022

In the Philippines, young people aim to upend an election

Many have come out in full force for Leni Robredo, the country's vice president, who faces long odds against Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
May 1, 2022

Japan Times 1947: Japan hails new Constitution

A meeting of female political speakers meets with heckling from men 100 years ago, while Japan marks the arrival of a new Constitution, welcomes back Okinawa.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 29, 2022

Local elections could spell end of the party for U.K.'s Johnson

Conservative lawmakers are wondering if Johnson is still an electoral asset, and a poor showing in local elections next Thursday might provoke a leadership challenge.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2022

Can Japan keep the lights on? The Ukraine war upends a big energy bet.

Liquefied natural gas was seen as a crucial transitional fuel in Japan's gradual shift to renewable energy. But then came the pandemic and the Ukraine war, which caused prices to soar.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2022

What’s the best way to deal with that bully? Join NATO.

Membership would make Sweden and Finland safer and the alliance stronger. But there's a time window of vulnerability.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 27, 2022

Australia's 'climate wars' truce leaves flood victims in election no-man's land

Climate change is struggling to get much traction as an issue ahead of Australia's general election on May 21.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 27, 2022

Anger erupts at Xi’s ‘Big White’ army of lockdown enforcers

Since Shanghai went into lockdown, the brigade of workers and volunteers in white hazmat suits have become the focus of public anger for their role in enforcing the 'COVID-zero' strategy.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 26, 2022

Energy-hungry bitcoin moves into sights of U.S. environmental movement

Major environmental groups are belatedly mounting a national pressure campaign criticizing its use of fossil fuels as the country tries to slash emissions to meet climate change goals.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 24, 2022

Is Wimbledon’s ban on Russians a double fault?

Banning players from Russia and Belarus does more to preserve the tennis tournament as a politics-free zone than support Ukraine's war effort.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 24, 2022

'Indelible City': A deeply personal look at the past, present and future of Hong Kong

Journalist Louisa Lim's book charts the place's reinventions and the author's experience living there since she was a child.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2022

Are the kids today leaning right?

It's long been assumed younger voters support progressive and left-leaning parties. But though this pattern has been borne out historically, recent trends suggest that it may be changing.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 21, 2022

They fled Afghanistan for America. Now they feed the newest arrivals.

Afghan restaurants represent generations fleeing war, and a cuisine interconnected to the world for centuries by the Silk Road.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 21, 2022

Yoshiki: Our focus should be on the environment and eradicating poverty, not destroying Ukrainian cities

The X Japan rock star, who recently donated u00a510 million toward humanitarian aid in Ukraine, touts the importance of speaking out publicly about supporting people in need of help.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 20, 2022

Biden weighs mask mandate appeal that may be fruitless — or worse

The federal court ruling scuttling the requirement has posed a difficult legal and political calculus for the U.S. Justice Department and for President Joe Biden.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 18, 2022

Global investors flee China fearing that risks eclipse rewards

A growing list of risks is turning China into a potential quagmire, with the central question being what could happen when the country goes to great lengths to achieve its leader's goals.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo