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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.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 2, 2021

North Korea threatens week-old detente over U.S.-led exercises

Kim Yo Jong, sister of the country's leader Kim Jong Un, said Sunday that the plan to hold annual allied exercises this month 'seriously undermines” efforts to restore ties with South Korea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 22, 2021

At this point, the U.K.'s COVID-19 rules follow politics as much as science

If the last 18 months have taught us anything, it's that a successful COVID-19 policy requires three things: high levels of public trust, a coherent strategy and effective implementation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 19, 2021

China and Taiwan’s ‘unrestricted vaccine warfare’

Last year, the countries of East Asia were hailed for their success stories in the effort to stop the coronavirus pandemic. Today, these same countries are battling a resurgence in infections. One unintended consequence of their early success in suppressing the virus has been a late start in vaccinating...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 12, 2021

How Vietnam's 'influencer' army wages information warfare on Facebook

Force 47 soldiers are tasked with setting up, moderating and posting on pro-state Facebook groups, to correct 'wrong views' online.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 3, 2021

Japan’s LGBTQ community ends up losing thanks to intraparty politics in the LDP

The media coverage of a bill on LGBTQ 'understanding' focuses on a conservative purity test instead of the contents of the legislation.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 26, 2021

Mapping the cyber-activism of Japanese rightists

Jeffrey J. Hall's 'Japan's Nationalist Right in the Internet Age' brings academic rigor to exploring how neo-nationalist groups use the internet to bypass the mainstream media.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 24, 2021

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says new rules taking game in 'right direction'

The league's enhanced enforcement of foreign-substance usage by pitchers has made mandatory umpire checks a strange new sight in every game.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 23, 2021

As Japan reboots 44-year-old nuclear reactor, experts sound alarm

Kansai Electric Power Co. restarted the No. 3 reactor at its Mihama station in Fukui Prefecture on Wednesday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 21, 2021

These Olympics will be about doctors, not athletes

For medical personnel, eliminating spectators could mean the difference between controlling the pandemic at the doorstep or being overrun by a fresh outbreak.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 18, 2021

Okinawa reversion agreement stands the test of time

Greater foresight by the two governments was thus necessary then, as is a more proactive approach by them today regarding the bases.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 16, 2021

Proposed changes to South Korea citizenship law face anti-China headwinds

The controversy highlights the challenges South Korea faces as it seeks to ensure a robust population in the face of declining birthrates and rapidly aging workers.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jun 10, 2021

A Chinese invasion of Taiwan: Why Japan should prepare for the worst

As tensions rise in the region, Tokyo needs to coordinate with Washington and Taipei to counter the threat of war from Beijing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 5, 2021

China may be the answer to Janet Yellen's 'mystery'

China is no longer easily caricatured as a place with a limitless supply of cheap labor churning out bargain-basement stuff for consumers and businesses around the world.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 3, 2021

Mr. Xi, policies are more important than narratives

While Chinese culture is laudable, culture does not equate to policy and will not guarantee that others will automatically respect your government.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 27, 2021

Suga's top-down management style under scrutiny after series of rapid policy shifts

The prime minister's approach could backfire and is already undermining the government's traditional chain of command.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami