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Japan Times
LIFE / OBITUARY
Jul 9, 2017

Jean Pearce, Japan Times columnist and author, 1921-2017

Jean Pearce, my mother, who for decades helped Japan's foreign community feel more at home in their adopted country through her columns in The Japan Times, passed away peacefully on June 14 at the age of 96 in Washington, D.C.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2017

The foulest crime, finally brought down?

Idealized notions of America's past are coming into question.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Jun 14, 2017

Conspiracy theory becomes frightening reality for Japan

So-called conspiracy legislation massively expands the state's coercive powers, with few checks in place to prevent abuse.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jun 10, 2017

Today's web of lies and disinformation: It's a lot to stomach

The advent of the internet has given new life to a lot of old wives' tales and urban legends. With so much information (and disinformation) out there, how does one separate the wheat from the chaff? When spotting errors of fact, whether stemming from simple ignorance, laziness or intentional deception,...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 10, 2017

The sin of engineering without a license

Bureaucrats buttress their power by making the exercise of a constitutional right contingent on government approval.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / HOOP SCOOP
Jun 3, 2017

Inconsistent level of B. League officiating a cause for real concern

Rising attendance figures across the nation and increased media attention were two byproducts of the merger that created the B. League, when the disbanded NBL, NBDL and bj-league joined forces to make this a possibility.
Reader Mail
May 12, 2017

Ted Rall's appalling attack on a widow

I found the column about Sheryl Sandberg by Ted Rall incredibly insensitive and offensive ("Sheryl Sandberg: world's most annoying person" in the May 3 edition). I can understand one would disagree with her point of views and be critical of her book, but the way he ridicules her deceased husband and...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Apr 12, 2017

Resisting Trump's America: why we march in Japan, again

On April 15 we will gather again in Tokyo to peacefully protest in solidarity with over 150 sister marches worldwide to demand the release of President Trump's complete tax returns since 2005.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 7, 2017

Dems: win by out-Trumping Trump

The Democrats can only succeed against Trump by getting louder, meaner, more over the top and beating him at his own game.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 25, 2017

Premium Friday is not about taking a holiday

The anonymous writer of Asahi Shimbun's finance-related Keizai Kishodai column pointed out in the Feb. 18 edition that Japanese people only think of time off on a day-by-day basis, whereas Europeans tend to conceptualize it in week-long blocks, as 'vacations.'
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Dec 31, 2016

Miyagi school opening aids 3/11 recovery

The official opening of Miyanomori Elementary School on Jan. 10 represents an important stage in restoring some normalcy to the city.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 28, 2016

'14 That Night': Not quite abreast of teenage angst

Japanese films about high schoolers are many; junior high schoolers, few. One reason is that producers can cast a film about 17 year olds with 27-year-old actors who have massive fan followings. The result: bigger box office than if they had used newcomers barely into adolescence.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 28, 2016

Hopefully the last of the charismatic totalitarians

With the end of Fidel Castro's life, we can hope to have seen the last of charismatic totalitarians worshiped by political pilgrims from open societies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 25, 2016

Six reasons why Trump's win wasn't a surprise

As with any large-scale disaster, the ascent of a spectacularly unqualified buffoon to the most powerful political office on Earth came about as the result of numerous system failures and operator errors.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2016

U.S. post-election hype doesn't reflect reality

The grim diagnoses for the Democratic Party are overdone — and other truths gleaned from election statistics.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Nov 12, 2016

Kamakura offers something for everyone

Japanese cities are fantastic places to explore with children, but if this column has proven anything, it's that I like to get away from urban centers whenever I can. Japan is full of natural and cultural wonders for curious families, but they are not confined to cities such as Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 11, 2016

How Hillary Clinton's white voters melted away

The unraveling of the coalition that was supposed to carry Hillary Clinton to the White House had a lot to do with voters like Jim McAndrew in counties like Northampton, Pennsylvania.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 3, 2016

Win or lose, Hillary is finished

If Hillary Clinton is the most qualified person ever to have run for the U.S. presidency, why has her campaign been such a train wreck?
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 28, 2016

Aussie race hate law a weapon for identity politics

The Australian anti-discrimination act is used to bludgeon core freedoms that underpin liberal democracy.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Oct 18, 2016

Long-suffering Cubs fans will find no sympathy here

Sob . . . sob . . .
Reader Mail
Oct 14, 2016

Thai royalty stays above politics

I wish to refer to the Oct. 1 column titled "Thai monarchy could be heading for a crisis" by Pavin Chachavalpongpun and wish to clarify the following:
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2016

Donald Trump's best friend is Rosy Scenario

The Republican candidate's economic plan relies on unrealistic visions of rapid growth and boundless tax revenue.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Oct 2, 2016

Comparing elections in the U.S. and Japan: the good, the bad and the ugly

I love elections. Anywhere. It's fascinating to see how politicians craft public appeals. No matter how flawed the process, it's how nation-states recharge their legitimacy and publicly reaffirm their leaders' mandate to govern.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 20, 2016

Fed is a prisoner of exaggerated expectations

The notion the central bank could orchestrate economic growth was optimistic and unrealistic.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 30, 2016

BOJ stuck in the Stone Age

Haruhiko Kuroda's use of primitive monetary policy tools makes him the Fred Flintstone of central bankers.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 29, 2016

Silly burkini ban's serious reason

Criticisms of France's strict assimilation policy ignore the equally apparent failures of politically correct approaches intended to create a society in which 'everyone feels they have a stake.'
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 6, 2016

South Koreans capture special moments with babies, pets, selves in 3-D figures

Shooting photographs and storing them digitally has become old school for South Koreans taking imagery to the next level with 3-D figures of themselves, as well as their babies and pets.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 30, 2016

Crimes that imperil Japan's safe image

On July 22, The Japan Times ran an article with the headline, "Crime set to hit postwar low this year, first-half data shows." In it, the National Police Agency reported that the number of criminal offenses is on track to fall below 1 million for the first time since World War II ended, down from the...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2016

'Citizens of the world'? Nice thought, but wrong

Nationalism and place still matter, and the West's elites forget this at their peril.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?