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Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2020

Japan's bitter vaccine history creates hurdle in COVID-19 fight

Japan has one of the lowest rates of vaccine confidence in the world, according to a Lancet study, which found that fewer than 30% of people strongly agreed that vaccines were safe.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 19, 2020

The public and private concerns of a princess in Japan

News outlets exploit the imperial family for their own ends without ever discussing the real meaning of the imperial system.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Dec 18, 2020

Paris 2024 chief says breakdancing included to reach out to youth

The inclusion of breakdancing at the 2024 Olympics may been surprising but organizers were drawn to the sport's potential to attract a younger fan base and grow the Olympic audience in the internet age, Paris Games chief Tony Estanguet said.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2020

All aboard the billionaires’ Bitcoin bandwagon?

A surge of 1,000% in 2017 took Bitcoin's value to $19,000. A year later, it had dropped to less than $3,500.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Dec 15, 2020

Certainly, 'tashika ni' is a Japanese term you'll want to know

While 'tashika' on its own in a sentence conveys the idea that something is most likely true, adding the particle 'ni' to it will make it more definite.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 8, 2020

Has Bacardi solved the world’s plastic problem?

Various types of plastic react differently during the recycling process. If two different types are mixed together, the output will be a mishmash of limited economic value.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2020

City of London wants to clean up the world

After many previous efforts to spur carbon trading failed amid a lack of clear government policy, this might be one of the better chances to get a market going.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Nov 15, 2020

Japanese fashion tackles the issues of the moment

From practical masks and saving sento culture to provocative commentary on gender, brands and designers find their moment.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 13, 2020

How one firm drove influence campaigns for big oil across the U.S.

In early 2017 the Texans for Natural Gas website went live, urging voters to "thank a roughneck” and support fracking. Around the same time, the Arctic Energy Center ramped up its advocacy for drilling in Alaskan waters and in a vast Arctic wildlife refuge. The next year, the Main Street Investors...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2020

How to think about a contested U.S. election

The surge in mail-in and early voting amid the pandemic meant that the chances of knowing whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden won sometime Tuesday night was very low.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2020

Terror attacks in France demand statesmanship, not demagoguery

What leaders say at moments like these matters. And all the more so now because too many leaders have recently been unable or unwilling to say the right things.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 27, 2020

China shocked to discover the developed world views it in a negative light

China risks losing the trade and investment that it needs from the developed world. To be seen as a “responsible major country,” it must behave accordingly.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 21, 2020

Jacinda Ardern landslide is a vote for COVID-19 competence

Shutting down New Zealand's economy at a time when there'd been just 102 cases was a political gamble, but one that's paid off.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 14, 2020

Will Donald Trump cause a civil war?

A critical part of Trump's effort to undermine confidence in the election outcome, if it goes against him, is his attempt to discredit millions of ballots preemptively.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 11, 2020

Trump seeks to put COVID-19 behind him and get back to election campaign

The U.S. president, trailing his Democratic challenger Joe Biden in opinion polls, addressed supporters from a White House balcony on Saturday afternoon.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 11, 2020

French billionaires seize pandemic opportunities

France is the land of what writer Pascal Bruckner calls 'Bolshevism-lite,” where wealth is publicly hated but privately hoarded.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2020

Japan records most negative view of China as unfavorable opinions surge, survey finds

The jump in negative views of China comes amid widespread criticism over Beijing's global response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Top Global Universities in Japan
Oct 5, 2020

Expectations toward universities and global talent

The business world has high expectations for globalizing universities to better prepare students to contribute and lead as global talent. We asked David Macdonald, representative officer and president of Discovery Japan, about his expectations and hopes for universities in the global era.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 2020

If we can’t ban nukes, let’s stigmatize them

Since the end of the Cold War, most people have become much less afraid of nuclear war, when instead they should worry more.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 24, 2020

A new justice wouldn't guarantee a pro-Trump election verdict

For liberal court watchers, the situation is dire. But it is not yet time to write off the Supreme Court.
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya explains his campaign promises in Tokyo on June 30 for the Upper House election.
COMMENTARY / Japan / From Party Leaders
Jul 4, 2025

Japan’s Do It Yourself Party: Who we are and where we are headed

Our core philosophy is “to protect Japan’s national interests and bring about harmony in the world.”
Former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama says she is stepping back from traditional politics to focus on cultural influence through her podcast, reflecting a broader trend of Black women redefining political engagement.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 9, 2025

Michelle Obama is quitting politics. Or is she?

Her misgivings about politics and the spotlight that she and her husband commanded in the White House as historic figures have only grown in recent years.
The new administrative body would serve as a cross-agency "control tower" to respond to issues such as crime and overtourism involving foreign nationals, according to the government.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 15, 2025

Japan launches government body to address concerns over foreign nationals

The body will serve as a cross-agency "control tower" to respond to issues such as crime and overtourism involving foreign nationals, the government said.
The Sanseito party, led by Sohei Kamiya, is surging in the polls with anti-immigration talk, but its rise is likely just a short-lived protest vote rather than the start of lasting right-wing populism.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 15, 2025

Japan’s right-wing fringe is no MAGA or reform movement

The Sanseito party is surging in polls with anti-immigration talk, but its rise is likely just a short-lived protest vote rather than the start of lasting right-wing populism.
Campaign posters in Tokyo. Voters in Japan put immediate economic issues ahead of longer-term concerns about the effects of tariffs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 17, 2025

Trump tariffs fail to register with Japanese voters ahead of key election

Only 8% of voters surveyed by NHK rated tariffs as their top priority.
A think tank researcher said anti-government propaganda by Russian bot accounts was what has made the small far-right party Sanseito so popular leading up to the Upper House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 18, 2025

Concerns grow in Japan over possible Russian interference in Sunday’s election

A blog post from a member of the Japan Institute of Law and Information Systems went viral for stating Russian bots were interfering in the upcoming Upper House election.
Since January, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed to secure more power for himself, calling for judges to be axed, firing independent watchdogs and sidestepping the legislative process.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 19, 2025

'Frightening': Trump's historic power grab worries experts

The Republican leader has spent six months testing the limits of his authority like no other modern U.S. president.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has been weakened by domestic setbacks and uncertain U.S. support as he tries to balance pressure from Beijing and political opposition at home.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 31, 2025

Taiwan’s president is running out of options

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te is battling internal strife while navigating an unpredictable trade war with Washington.
Students visit the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park in late April. Attitudes in Japan are shifting away from the traditional pacifist views that have held sway since the end of World War II.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 20, 2025

Trump shock spurs Japan to think about the unthinkable: nuclear arms

There is a growing willingness to loosen the country’s decades-old pledge not to produce, possess or host nuclear weapons in its territory.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes