Search - opinion

 
 
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2016

The art of the spin in U.S. presidential primaries

Presidential primary 'winners' are usually determined not just by the electorate but by what the political journalist Hendrik Hertzberg dubbed the 'expectorate.'
EDITORIALS
Feb 13, 2016

Teens stepping up to the plate

Japanese teens are increasingly taking an active interest in politics.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 11, 2016

Is microcephaly caused by Zika or pesticides?

Microcephaly in children may have a multicausal origin.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 10, 2016

Japan and its birth rate: the beginning of the end or just a new beginning?

Despite demographic doomsayers, Japan could be ripe for a gender revolution that boosts its birth rate.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 10, 2016

The eight deadly nuclear sins

Nearly 46 years after the Non-Proliferation Treaty went into effect, the international community is no closer to the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 10, 2016

'Carol' shows women trapped in the moral confines of 1950's America

'Carol" is a wondrously beautiful piece of filmmaking by American director Todd Haynes. Set in New York during the 1950s — when homosexuality was viewed as a disease on par with leprosy — the film reminds us of the incredible freedom allowed in romantic relationships these days.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2016

Palestinian attacks wound Israel's reputation

The latest round of Palestinian violence with is costing Israel far more than the human toll.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Feb 7, 2016

What's in a surname? A court divorced from reality

Here at Law of the Land, I try to share "the Japanese law experience" with general readers. Today's experience is called "The Frustration of Reading Supreme Court Decisions" and takes as examples two of the most significant decisions of 2015: one on a law requiring spouses to have the same surname, the...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 7, 2016

Stop ignoring North Korea

The lesson of Pyongyang's latest nuclear test is that talking to North Korea offers a better hope of success than ignoring it.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 7, 2016

Fall of Aleppo in Syria would hand Putin a symbolic prize he craves

Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks Russian airstrikes in Syria have helped turn the war's tide, but the pace of the Syrian Army's advance has frustrated him, some sources say. If Aleppo falls, he could get the military and symbolic prize he has been craving.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 6, 2016

Imperial couple take stand for remembrance

In recent years, the Imperial couple have made an effort to leave behind a meaningful legacy by visiting World War II battlefields. The idea is to ensure that future generations of Japanese do not forget the war and its bitter lessons.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 4, 2016

Lucchino says MLB not an easy move for Japanese players

Larry Lucchino is very comfortable in Japan and it's no wonder why. Lucchino presided over one of the most successful periods in the history of the Boston Red Sox franchise, as the team's president and CEO from 2002-2015, and many of the Japanese players he helped bring on board played a role during...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 3, 2016

Why the 'comfort women' statues should stay — and continue to disturb

On holiday in Hanoi, I found myself trying to explain 'comfort women' to my 13-year-old son.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
Feb 1, 2016

BOJ market magician Kuroda pulls another rabbit from his hat

The Bank of Japan continues to push the boundaries of monetary policy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 28, 2016

Free trade with China wasn't a great idea for U.S.

Free trade with China has caused severe and permanent harm to many American workers.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 28, 2016

Lackluster polls, maneuvering by LDP may give DPJ a drubbing in July election

The Democratic Party of Japan is in the throes of an identity crisis, a fact not lost on delegates meeting for the party's annual convention Saturday in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 27, 2016

Rallying to stop Abe from gutting Japan's democracy

Shinzo Abe is treading dangerously close to shutting down freedom of the press and expression, and the opposition must come together to stop his drive to alter the Constitution.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jan 27, 2016

Do your Japanese colleagues drive you nuts? Maybe it's you, not them (or both)

The Trail Mix Incident — where cultural conditioning trumped Japanese social etiquette — highlights how the defense of territory is universal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 27, 2016

Satoko Yokohama: The girl from Aomori taking on Japan's film industry

The Japanese film industry is one of the most antiquated in the world. Well, that seems to be the general opinion among media pundits here. Those working in film are slaves, enduring terrifically long working hours; budgets are minuscule; old-fashioned apprenticeships still reign; and women rarely get...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 26, 2016

The fate of a dolphin activist in Japan's flawed democracy

Japan can change its image as the democracy where dissent is in detention by holding a debate with dolphin hunt opponent Ric O'Barry before expelling him.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 25, 2016

Ousted Australian leader Abbott announces he will seek another term in parliament

Ousted Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he'll seek another parliamentary term in this year's elections — creating a potential rallying point for conservative lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Party and a headache for his successor, Malcolm Turnbull.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jan 24, 2016

Nash guides East to victory in final bj-league All-Star Game

Le'Bryan Nash wanted the ball and craved the opportunity to showcase his impressive talents on a big stage.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 24, 2016

Immigration a hot-button issue for U.S. right

A constellation of causes is pushing conservatives' restrictive approach to immigration, and it's only likely to grow stronger.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 23, 2016

Tabloids go nuclear on North's bomb test

On Jan. 6, North Korea once again stunned the world with a test of what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb, ratcheting up tensions in northeast Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2016

The conflict between Islam and modernity

The Quran, like any religious text, must be interpreted — and those interpretations can change over time.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan