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COMMENTARY / World
Apr 25, 2020

Dangers of age segregation exposed

For most of America’s history, the idea that people over the age of 65 would voluntarily herd themselves into special communities built around their needs would have seemed absurd, even dystopian. Yet a largely voluntary movement toward segregating people by age has reached extreme levels in recent...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 24, 2020

Coronavirus exposes dangers of age segregation

America's embrace of retirement communities and nursing homes has led to a unique vulnerability.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 23, 2020

Far-right social media groups helps stir protests over U.S. quarantines

Small bands of protesters have staged demonstrations over the government-ordered lockdowns in the otherwise empty streets of a number of Democratic-led U.S. states, driven by the social-media tactics of a coalition of gun-rights activists and far-right groups.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 22, 2020

It’s time for arms talks with China

We're heading toward a future in which nuclear weapons will move from the background to the foreground of the U.S.-China relationship.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2020

A funding freeze won’t fix the WHO’s China problem

The organization should be held responsible for its failings, but Donald Trump is wrong to cut off U.S. contributions.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 22, 2020

Fearing big election loss, China goes on offensive in Hong Kong

On the surface, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam appears to have had a few pretty good months: Her government has managed to contain the coronavirus outbreak, during which street protests have mostly disappeared.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 20, 2020

Trump and the WHO: the wrong time to pick a fight

Once again, Japan must step up to fill the leadership vacuum created by a U.S. withdrawal from a multilateral agency.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 19, 2020

A welcome shift away from shareholder supremacy

Companies are starting to commit to benefitting all stakeholders: customers, employees, suppliers, communities and shareholders.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 19, 2020

Komeito cash handout demand highlights Abe's fading power amid outbreak

The turnabout marked an extraordinary moment in the over seven-year-long reign of Abe, providing a glimpse of the ruling coalition's mounting exasperation with his administration.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Apr 18, 2020

When jumping on the social media bandwagon to score political points backfires

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe jumped into the fire by joining J-pop star Gen Hoshino's YouTube challenge.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 17, 2020

Coronavirus and LDP politics loom large over Shizuoka by-election

A Lower House by-election in Shizuoka Prefecture, the race for which officially kicked off Tuesday, is gaining attention nationwide, and not only for its possible national political impact.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Apr 17, 2020

In China, demands for more free speech outlast coronavirus lockdowns

Even as China seeks to revive its economy under a host of restrictions meant to prevent another outbreak, some are urging looser limits on speech.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 16, 2020

Japan's governors under the spotlight as coronavirus pandemic rages

The coronavirus pandemic has prompted the national government to declare an emergency in seven prefectures. This, in turn, has put the spotlight on the powers and responsibilities of prefectural governors. Though often compared to state governors elsewhere, there are key differences.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Apr 15, 2020

Episode 47: The current state of Japan's emergency

In this episode, Japan Times politics reporter Satoshi Sugiyama discusses how far the powers of Japan's central and regional governments extend under the state of emergency.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Apr 15, 2020

Inside Hong Kong judges’ battle with China over courts’ autonomy

The independence of Hong Kong's judicial system is under assault from the Communist Party leadership in Beijing, senior judges in the city have said, posing the gravest threat to the rule of law since Britain handed its former colony back to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2020

Obama bursts back on the scene with endorsement of Joe Biden

Barack Obama roared back into presidential politics by endorsing Joe Biden on Tuesday as Democrats work to unify ahead of a nasty general election campaign against President Donald Trump made trickier by the coronavirus pandemic and a worsening economy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 13, 2020

Don’t run after ‘four hares’ in the pandemic

It is high time for Japan to start a mass testing. Otherwise, Tokyo could be like today's New York City in two weeks or so.
Reader Mail
Apr 9, 2020

Children are the future

One of the biggest failures of the world in stopping the COVID-19 outbreak was our inability to gauge the actual impact of this pandemic. Probably, we all have been overconfident from the day we began to hear the news of the disease outbreak in China. The laxity of responsible organizations worldwide...
CULTURE / Film
Apr 9, 2020

Japan’s film and TV industries soldier on despite coronavirus

The death of comedian Ken Shimura on March 29 due to pneumonia caused by COVID-19 sent a shock wave throughout the country. A star on Japanese TV for decades, he was the first major celebrity here to pass away after contracting the virus.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 8, 2020

It’s now or never for global leadership on COVID-19

A G20 task force and a donors conference are needed to raise and coordinate support to fight the pandemic.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Apr 8, 2020

What changes under Japan's state of emergency declaration?

After weeks of intense pressure Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared a state of emergency in seven urban areas, but what does that change?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 7, 2020

No turning back after central bankers' 'seismic' stimulus shift

The world's top central bankers have pulled out all the stops in their fight against the coronavirus fallout, taking money printing to extremes that may become the new normal long after the pandemic is over.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2020

Pandemics and the G20: One last shot at relevance

The Group of 20 has the right mix of member states to handle a global crisis like the coronavirus pandemic. The only question is whether it will take up the task.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2020

Crisis response shows Trump isn’t a dictator

The U.S. president has shied away from trying to grab power.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 30, 2020

Viral video raises fears for Taiwan about WHO's reliance on China

The World Health Organization said it’s working with Taiwanese health experts after an interview went viral in which a senior official appeared to hang up on a reporter who asked about the island’s membership status in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Mar 28, 2020

Mitsukuni Baba: Japanese culture blossoms in the Windy City

As executive director of the Japan America Society of Chicago (JASC), Mitsukuni Baba plays an integral role in introducing Japan to the people of Chicago in terms of business, politics, education and culture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 27, 2020

Squarepusher speaks up for a little human kindness

In 2016, shortly after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, Tom Jenkinson released a plaintive protest song under his Squarepusher alias, titled “MIDI Sans Frontieres.” Though he’s better known for maximalist explosions of breakbeats, hyperactive acid synths and fusion-jazz frippery,...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 26, 2020

Crisis in leadership exacerbates pandemic

Japan has much to contribute to helping resolve the current global crisis in leadership and communication.

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