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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 29, 2021

A post-Merkel postmortem

While Angela Merkel pushed the SPD to the left, she vacated so much space on the right that the far-right AfD emerged to take important votes away from the CDU.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 29, 2021

Most Americans want more diplomacy and many fewer troops abroad, survey shows

The poll also found that 42.2% of respondents believe the U.S. military should defend Taiwan if it were attacked by China.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 28, 2021

Taro Kono faces intractable opposition — from his own party

Vicious infighting from the far-right of the LDP could destabilize the next administration, rendering even a popular prime minister practically a lame duck upon election.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2021

Manny Pacquiao isn’t the hero the Philippines needs

What's not to like about Pacquiao? There's plenty such as his lack of legislative accomplishments as a lawmaker and his support for President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2021

Starvation is as much a threat to Afghan women as the Taliban

In an aid-dependent economy already in deep trouble, the removal of tens of thousands female workers, many supporting large families, will only add to those facing hunger.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 17, 2021

Why Shinzo Abe is backing a little-known hawk

The move by the former prime minister is aimed at allowing LDP heavyweights to maintain control of an increasingly fluid political situation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 16, 2021

Seoul doesn't have Beijing's crackdown muscle

Apple and Google felt South Korea's legislative wrath last month thanks to a new law that stops software developers from having to use payment platforms tied to their app stores.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 10, 2021

With Aso’s blessing, vaccine chief Taro Kono officially joins the LDP race

At a packed news conference on Friday, Kono touched on his achievements as the minister in charge of administrative reform and the vaccine rollout.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 8, 2021

Xi’s ‘common prosperity’ drive triggers a rare debate in China

Competing viewpoints in China's tightly controlled media space point to internal confusion over just how far Xi plans to go in reining in 'disorderly capital expansion.”
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 7, 2021

Facing intraparty obstacles, Ishiba wrestles with role in LDP election

The former defense chief has long had ambitions to become prime minister, but his fraught relationship with the LDP could block his way — and change the race for everyone else.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 6, 2021

Kono emerges as top contender to replace Suga in polls as LDP race gains steam

With the party's popularity having taken a hit over the pandemic, and an election due to be held this autumn, public support could give a candidate a crucial edge in the LDP vote.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 31, 2021

Don’t let politicians off the hook: Their choices determine Japan-South Korea relations

Many like to blame structural factors for the troubled ROK-Japan relationship. The focus should be on those who weaponize foreign policy to serve domestic political interests.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 30, 2021

China calls Xi’s regulatory crackdown a ‘profound revolution’

Xi's campaign calling for 'common prosperity” has intensified in recent weeks.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 20, 2021

Widening Hong Kong crackdown sweeps away unions and activist groups

The pressure on civic organizations — ranging from teacher's unions and legal societies to journalist associations and activists groups — shows Beijing isn't finished remaking Hong Kong.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 20, 2021

Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Jekyll and Hyde year

The artist famous for his riddling photos has turned to old-fashioned function and grace in his design for the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden in the U.S.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 13, 2021

Discovering 'meaning' in Japanese with one kanji in particular

As we reflect on the Olympics, some may be wondering what the significance of holding them during a pandemic was. The kanji that helps express that is used for other deep thoughts, too.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 12, 2021

Does Scarlett Johansson have a case against Disney?

The movie star claims that Disney breached her contract when it released 'Black Widow” simultaneously in movie theaters and on the Disney+ streaming service.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 11, 2021

Not vaccinated? Here’s how you could kill someone’s father

Misinformation, or even mere scientific confusion, can cause a lot of trouble when it appears to come out of the Centers for Disease Control.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 6, 2021

In defense of ‘misinformation’

The sight of powerful politicians and business leaders joining in a campaign to chase misinformation from public debate conjures up vicious images of ideological overreach.
Retired pro-boxer Mike Tyson and YouTuber/boxer Jake Paul fight during the heavyweight boxing bout in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 15. The fight highlights the need for a national boxing commission to enforce uniform safety standards and prevent exploitative matchups.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2024

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul's fight should have been illegal

Among major American sports, boxing is unique for its decentralized structure. There’s no annual schedule, season, commissioner or mandatory rulemaking body.
SoftBank is unhappy that Moody's continues to issue ratings on the company.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 28, 2024

SoftBank blasts Moody’s for unsolicited ratings

It says it is considering legal action against the agency, which has continued to publish unsolicited ratings of the company over the past several years.
Protesters angry over President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declarations of martial law call on him to step down at a rally at the national assembly in Seoul on Wednesday. REUTERS
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2024

Where does South Korea's democracy go from here?

Why did he dig himself such a deep political hole? The answer to that is Yoon is not really a “politician” either.
The decision significantly raises the prospects of an unprecedented ban in just six weeks on a social media app used by 170 million Americans.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 7, 2024

U.S. appeals court upholds TikTok law forcing its sale

The decision is a major win for the Justice Department and opponents of the Chinese-owned app and a devastating blow to TikTok parent ByteDance.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters on Thursday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 12, 2024

Approval rate of Ishiba's Cabinet dips to 26.8%, poll shows

The Cabinet's approval rate has remained under 30% for months, including under Ishiba's predecessor, Fumio Kishida.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with his Japanese counterpart, Gen Nakatani,  at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 13, 2024

The global spy alliance should let Japan join

Tokyo’s inclusion in the club is long overdue, especially as the region combats China’s growing assertiveness and the unpredictability of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
Tokyo Comic Con took place at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Dec. 6, 7 and 8.
CULTURE
Dec 18, 2024

Comic cons are far more than just cosplay

The conventions allow fans of comics to meet their heroes — both actors and authors — with manga and anime playing an increasingly bigger role each year.
A woman places a tribute with flowers and candles left near the "Alter Markt" Christmas market, where a man drove a car into the crowd through an emergency exit route on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, on Sunday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 23, 2024

Suspect in German Christmas market attack held on murder charges

The motive for the attack remains unclear.
Some of the same mistakes made during COVID-19 can be seen in the U.S. government's response to H5N1, which started in poultry before a new variant began infecting the nation’s dairy cows.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2024

Another pandemic is inevitable, and the U.S. isn't ready

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s picks to lead the nation’s top public health agencies also don’t inspire confidence.
Black American women, who still heavily vote for the Democratic Party, are taking a much-needed break from political engagement after the last election, with the idea that rest and renewal will prepare them for future activism.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2024

Temporarily disconnected from politics? Feel no guilt about it.

Opposition movements are a recurring feature of American politics and predicts a robust, reenergized response when the time comes.
Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, South Korea's main opposition party, leaves after delivering a public statement on the impeachment motion against acting President Han Duck-soo at the National Assembly in Seoul on Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2024

In South Korea’s impeachment saga, who’s really in trouble?

Lee Jae-myung, facing six criminal cases, needs an election before any convictions are finalized, as a conviction could disqualify him from running for president.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes