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EDITORIALS
May 27, 2000

Myanmar's lost decade

Ten years ago today, Myanmar had a brief taste of democracy. It was a heady experience: Prodemocracy activists decisively rejected the military junta that had ruled for 28 years. Stunned, the cabal then rejected that verdict, imprisoned its opponents and shut down the country. And so things stand today....
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Dec 5, 1999

New entry

I have long relationships with some of my readers. One contacted me first with a challenging project -- teaching her cat to use a scratch post -- and moved on through a wedding at a shrine and later a divorce, and finally the establishment of her own business. We have never met but we are friends so...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 1999

Chinese nuclear threat is real

After years of delay, China signed the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty in 1996, stirring speculation about its motives. Some pundits said China yielded to international pressure for nuclear nonproliferation in the post-Cold War world. Oth ers said China took into account Japanese moves for partial suspension...
JAPAN
Mar 26, 1999

Mystery ships spark debate on defense

The government is considering legislative amendments to cope with any future intruding vessels, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi told a Diet committee Friday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 30, 2023

Momentum grows over a 'just' climate transition in Japan, but more action needed

The government and NGOs have begun to engage with the climate issue, but more work needs to be done to ensure workers in high-emitting industries and regions don’t get left behind.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Mar 8, 2023

Studying Ukraine war, China's military minds fret over U.S. missiles and Starlink

Ukraine has sharpened China's focus by providing a window on a large power's failure to overwhelm a smaller one backed by the West.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
May 12, 2022

When will Japan open to tourists?

Kanako Takahara joins to discuss when Japan might reopen to international tourism, and what form that reopening might take.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 27, 2019

Narita and Haneda, the major airports serving Tokyo, set for large-scale capacity boost ahead of 2020 Olympics

The Tokyo area's two international gateways are looking to push Japan's soaring tourist numbers even higher while also putting their Asian rivals on notice by adding more international flights ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 21, 2014

Call of humanity in conflict

In today's wars, there remains a lack of effective mechanisms for encouraging compliance around the globe with the 150-year-old Geneva Convention for helping the sick and wounded in conflict zones.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jan 10, 2023

Japan needs a full overhaul of its approach to security

The government recently released its latest defense documents — yet there is still much more to be considered.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 8, 2020

Watch China’s unconventional levers of power in world affairs

Often overlooked practices form a key part of Beijing's international influence.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Apr 16, 2020

Trump’s WHO attack accelerates breakdown in global cooperation

U.S. President Donald Trump’s broadside against the World Health Organization is another blow to international institutions designed to help nations confront global crises — and may leave countries even less prepared for the next one.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 8, 2020

Setting ‘simple’ standards is critical diplomacy

China is trying to put its stamp on “standard setting,” a little understood and even less appreciated dimension of international engagement.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2020

What happens in North Korea might not stay in North Korea

While the hermit kingdom understandably appears to be turning inward, it may also feel compelled to lash out internationally
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 13, 2017

Japan's fisheries still swimming upstream

In March, the internet news site Videonews.com posted a conversation between environmental journalist Tetsuji Ida and Waseda University researcher Yasuhiro Sanada, who writes about fisheries. During the talk, Sanada said that whaling is a "dead industry," and seemed to think that the ongoing controversy...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2016

The Pakistan-North Korea nexus

Since the 1970s, Pakistan and North Korea have cooperated extensively on the development of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 22, 2014

Cooperation key to curbing Ebola

The raging epidemic of Ebola virus disease in West Africa underscores the urgent need for international cooperation in dealing with emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2014

Nuclear disarmament is a humanitarian imperative

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's involvement in the nuclear debate — specifically the humanitarian impact — dates back to the moment the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2012

The reality of R2P and POC

As Australia prepares to assume its two-year seat on the U.N. Security Council from Jan. 1, it will either have to react to, or may well decide to actively promote, the cause of protecting civilians caught in harm's way in contemporary armed conflicts. Either way, it would benefit from drawing on a recent...
Japan Times
Events / WHERE IT'S AT
Jul 28, 2009

English speakers gather for human rights

Amnesty International Tokyo English Network offers English speakers, both native and otherwise, an opportunity to participate in the activities of the worldwide human rights organization Amnesty International while in Japan.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2005

Cambodia school intrusion raises security scrutiny here anew

Thursday's deadly hostage-taking by four intruders at an international school in Cambodia has further driven home the need for schools in Japan to assess whether they have taken adequate security measures.
Tokyo Gendai is described by fair organizers Art Assembly as Tokyo Bay’s first international contemporary art fair in 30 years.
CULTURE / Art
Jul 22, 2023

Can a new art fair finally put Tokyo on the map?

Tokyo Gendai puts on a good event but still needs to change Japanese opinions on contemporary art.
Students at the University of British Columbia during the first week of classes in Vancouver, Canada
WORLD / Politics
Aug 14, 2024

Global immigration crackdown ensnares students studying abroad

Aggregate visa data for the first quarter of 2024 showed volumes to the U.K., Canada and Australia down between 20% and 30% from a year earlier.
China's Olympic gold-medal winning 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay team celebrates on the podium at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 29, 2021.  Zhang Yufei (third from left) is among 23 top Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance in the lead up to the Games.
OLYMPICS
Apr 20, 2024

Top Chinese swimmers tested positive for banned drug, then won Olympic gold

The episode sharply divided the anti-doping world, where China’s record has long been a flashpoint.
Palestinians cover a body that was buried in a mass grave in the northern Gaza Strip.
WORLD / EXPLAINER
Apr 27, 2024

Mass graves in Gaza: what do we know?

The discovery of mass graves at two Gaza hospitals have triggered calls by the U.N. rights chief and others for an international investigation.
Japan's has experienced a significant decline in global economic power, with its share of global gross domestic product dropping from 18% in the 1980s to an anticipated 3% by 2050.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 8, 2024

Japan needs more than mere economic strength

Japan, a country that has long relied on its economic prowess for international stature and standing, must change its perspective.
Alongside foreign students, some Japanese students attend a special lecture held entirely in English at Nagoya University in early October.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Nov 11, 2024

Amid rising costs, universities try to help students study abroad

The cost of studying abroad, including travel and living expenses, is much higher now compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Palestinians gather to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 4.
WORLD
Dec 31, 2024

As Gaza suffers, experts call on hunger monitor to redefine famine

Many food-security experts, aid workers and doctors say famine took hold in Gaza many months ago.
China's "wolf warrior" diplomacy is like a relentless chess match, putting democracies like Japan on the defensive, forcing them to counter Beijing's aggressive moves and deceptive feints while executing a strong, coordinated defense.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 13, 2025

How Takaichi should navigate Beijing’s diplomatic threats

These incidents reveal a consistent pattern in Beijing’s diplomatic arsenal, the weaponization of progressive language, the inversion of victim and aggressor narratives.

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