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JAPAN / Politics
Sep 8, 2021

Abe ally Sanae Takaichi enters LDP race as underdog

The hawkish conservative backs increased nuclear power over renewables, similar economic policies to her mentor and laws to protect Japanese research.
Japan Times
EDITORIALS
Jun 26, 2021

Hong Kong’s voice for democracy is silenced

The sweep of the security law encompasses far more than the media. Businesses that once flocked to Hong Kong because of its energy and proximity to China are now rethinking those choices.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Apr 22, 2021

Hong Kong activists retreat as China-style justice comes to their city

On March 23, a Hong Kong High Court judge denied former Democratic Party lawmaker Andrew Wan’s bail appeal and sent him back to Lai Chi Kok prison.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 11, 2021

First meeting of 'Quad' leaders highlights Biden’s push for united front against China

The Quad meeting will be the first of many challenges for the Biden administration as it seeks to demonstrate leadership in navigating Indo-Pacific affairs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Dec 8, 2020

Let's discuss a possible state of emergency

Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of Japan’s coronavirus response, has cautioned the nation that a state of emergency may have to be imposed if further spread of the virus is not contained, saying the next three weeks will be “crucial” to prevent taking such strong measures.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 24, 2020

Turning point in Thailand: Queen's brush with protest

Many Thais have questioned why the queen was on that road at that time, and have challenged the severity of the government's reaction.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 10, 2020

U.S. election coverage falls flat in Japan

Japan's mainstream media might be taking their cue from the new administration of Yoshihide Suga
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Sep 8, 2020

Let's discuss Shinzo Abe's resignation

A Japan Times article looks back on Shinzo Abe's time as prime minister of Japan.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 25, 2020

Tokyo’s gubernatorial election results align with recent history

Residents of Japan's capital frequently votes to return the incumbent — though typically for different reasons.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 9, 2020

Let's discuss the death of Hana Kimura

A Japan Times article looks at the death of a reality TV show star and issues of cyberbullying surrounding it.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 22, 2020

‘This is the end’: Hong Kong opposition decries China power grab

China will improve national security in Hong Kong, Premier Li Keqiang said Friday, a day after Beijing announced dramatic plans to rein in dissent by writing a new law into the city’s charter.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2020

On 60th anniversary, Japan and U.S. hail security pact that Trump branded unfair

Japan and the United States on Friday lauded the decades-old security treaty that is the bedrock of their alliance, but which U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized as "unfair" and imbalanced.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 31, 2019

Moves are afoot to push media to switch Japanese name order in English, but will it work?

Some laugh it off as a First World problem. But others say the topic touches upon issues of identity, sovereignty and press freedom.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 23, 2019

Idols and agencies in Japan navigate a brand new landscape

Television personality Masahiro Nakai made an appearance as a "surprise guest" on the March 10 installment of Nippon TV's law-related variety show, "Gyoretsu no Dekiru Horitsu Sodanjo" (“Line-up Law Office”). Earlier, guest Koji Kato had related an anecdote featuring Shingo Katori, Nakai's former...
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 14, 2019

In a first, LGBT couples sue Japan over constitutionality of not recognizing same-sex marriage

“We're not demanding anything special; we just want to have a chance to stand at the same starting line in our lives,” said one plaintiff.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Dec 3, 2018

Let's discuss the arrest of Carlos Ghosn

The arrest of Carlos Ghosn made headlines around the world. Check out some of the vocabulary used when discussing this kind of case.
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as his defense chief, Pete Hegseth, speaks about the midair crash between a passenger jet and U.S. Army helicopter on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 1, 2025

Trump’s Pentagon sheds no-politics image in a major reversal

In a break with his predecessors, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has become a major driver in Trump’s agenda.
While the ruling minority government’s weakened position has emboldened opposition parties to push for more spending across multiple policy fronts, the International Monetary Fund has warned there is limited space today in Japan to address the risks of natural disasters and mounting social security costs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 7, 2025

Japan needs immediate deficit cut to fix fiscal path, IMF warns

The government needs to prepare now to avoid negative surprises four or five years down the road, the IMF’s Japan mission chief says.
Tracers are seen in the night sky as Ukrainian servicemen fire at a drone during a Russian drone strike in Kyiv on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 23, 2025

U.S. could cut Ukraine's access to Starlink internet services over minerals, say sources

Ukraine's continued access to SpaceX-owned Starlink was brought up in discussions between U.S. and Ukrainian officials.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called South African Ambassador to the U.S. Ebrahim Rasool "a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS," referring to U.S. President Donald Trump by his White House X account handle.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 15, 2025

U.S. expels South African ambassador, saying he 'hates' Trump

The expulsion of the ambassador — a very rare move by the United States — is the latest development in rising tensions between Washington and Pretoria.
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines meets with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 24, 2025

Xi must stop fentanyl flow before tariff talks, Trump ally says

Steve Daines laid out the condition in meetings with Chinese officials in Beijing over the weekend.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (bottom center) and other Trump administration officials mishandled security by discussing a military strike on a commercially available messaging app, exposing vulnerabilities and raising questions about poor judgment.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 26, 2025

U.S. allies get a Signal chat’s worth of red flags

In the short term, that may have few real consequences. Although insulting, the administration’s assessment of Europe’s weak military capabilities is correct.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth looks on before a luncheon with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Washington Thursday. Hegseth shared information on forthcoming U.S. airstrikes on Yemen in a private Signal chat group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, The New York Times reported Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 21, 2025

Pentagon chief shared sensitive Yemen war plans in second Signal chat

A U.S. official at the Pentagon questioned how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could keep his job after the latest news.
U.S. President Donald Trump sits in his car, "The Beast," as he arrives for a dinner at the Huis ten Bosch Royal Palace during a NATO leaders summit in The Hague on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jun 25, 2025

Strike set back Iran’s nuclear program by only a few months, U.S. report says

The findings suggest that President Donald Trump’s statement that Iran’s nuclear facilities were obliterated was overstated.
A man holds Nazi-related material after crates containing them were rediscovered at the Supreme Court in Buenos Aires in this picture released on May 11.
WORLD
Jul 16, 2025

A Nazi document trove raises questions for Argentina

A dozen boxes of Nazi documents were recently discovered in a basement archive of Argentina's Supreme Court.
Members of the Taliban carrying flags participate in a rally to mark the third anniversary of the fall of Kabul, in Kabul on Aug. 14, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 22, 2025

Trump vowed to save Afghans, but UAE had already sent some evacuees back, cable shows

The United Arab Emirates, a close security partner of the United States, agreed in 2021 to temporarily house several thousand Afghans evacuated from Kabul.
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya speaks at a rally in Tokyo on July 21, a day after the Upper House election.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 29, 2025

A fringe party or political force: Will the real Sanseito stand up?

There were a few things that might raise eyebrows, but nothing especially scary. Sanseito's published policy platform is relatively benign.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greet one another at the start of a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington in February.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 31, 2025

The Nobel Prize and a testy phone call: How the Trump-Modi relationship unraveled

The fallout of a disputed between the two leaders risks pushing India closer to American adversaries in Beijing and Moscow.
Ukrainan Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga (right) and his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski (center) look at drones as they visit an exhibition showcasing Ukrainian unmanned vehicles in Kyiv on Sept. 12.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 17, 2025

Trump's public shrug over drone incursion in Poland fuels unease in Europe

Many NATO members already question U.S. President Donald Trump's commitment to their defense in the event of an actual Russian attack.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’