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Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 31, 2020

Former Japan defense chief Shigeru Ishiba to run in LDP leadership race, report says

In an interview, Ishiba said Tokyo should deepen ties with its Asian neighbors, including South Korea, amid growing tension between China and the United States.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 26, 2020

Melania Trump offers sympathy on coronavirus and racial suffering in speech

U.S. first lady Melania Trump offered sympathy for victims of the coronavirus pandemic and a plea for racial understanding in a Republican convention speech Tuesday aimed directly at the women voters who have abandoned U.S. President Donald Trump.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2020

Keeping the United Kingdom united

As the U.K. fights its way out of the COVID-19 lockdown, and at the same time stumbles toward the its exit from the EU, a new preoccupation takes hold.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 12, 2020

Rich royals face a millennial COVID-19 reckoning

Former King Juan Carlos's self-exile from Spain is a warning to monarchs everywhere as the virus ramps up social tensions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 11, 2020

Chinese influence operations struggle for traction in Japan

There is little evidence that China has tried to impact debate in Japan as it has done in other countries.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 9, 2020

’History on trial’: Why Japan's wartime labor dispute is more than another tit-for-tat with South Korea

Japan has once again found itself entangled in a recurring skirmish with South Korea over wartime labor — a seemingly intractable row with no end in sight.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Aug 8, 2020

Ayako Zenitani: Dental treatment today is much less painful

Dentist Ayako Zenitani has a few tips for those who are worried about getting their teeth checked.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2020

A COVID-19 vaccine won’t help if people don’t trust it

As the battle to find a solution continues, planning ahead for convincing the public to get on board becomes crucial.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 30, 2020

Misreading the Chinese tea leaves: A dangerous escalation

Building a U.S. strategy on false premises and no overarching goals is hugely problematic.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 25, 2020

Tokyo’s gubernatorial election results align with recent history

Residents of Japan's capital frequently votes to return the incumbent — though typically for different reasons.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 17, 2020

Japanese distrust of government stalls adoption of My Number card

Officials might have better success getting the public to sign on by providing clear information about what exactly is monitored through the program.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 10, 2020

For some in LDP, Koike's Tokyo win strengthens case for snap poll

Landslide triumph for the incumbent in Sunday's gubernatorial election underscored the current weakness of the opposition and voters' preference for the status quo.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 7, 2020

Moderna spars with U.S. scientists over COVID-19 vaccine trials

As the United States accelerates the search for a coronavirus vaccine, tensions have erupted between government scientists and Moderna Inc., one of the leading developers, it has been learned.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 29, 2020

EU rogue's nationalist tilt tested as Poland faces runoff vote

Polish voters denied President Andrzej Duda's bid for quick re-election, forcing him into a runoff that risks halting a nationalist makeover of the European country.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 3, 2020

Biden’s old-time liberalism finds its moment

The Democratic candidate's speech repudiated progressives by condemning riots.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 27, 2020

Johnson faces mounting fury for backing top aide Dominic Cummings

Cummings is alleged to have ignored government orders, driving more than 250 miles to his parents' property to get child care support.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2020

The Great Depression paradox: children survived, then thrived

National crises can actually have positive effects on the young, building character as much as destroying it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2020

Britain doesn't want to come out of lockdown

On the question of whether to prioritize the economy or the well-being of older people, Brits are much more bothered about the latter.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2020

Google and Twitter are right, workers should stay home

Rather than prepare to reopen, companies should help employees settle into operating remotely.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2020

Pandemic could foster new attitudes toward immigration

In recent weeks, doctors, nurses and care workers for the British National Health Service — in particular, immigrants — are presently being hailed for their gritty sense of duty, for standing between many people and premature death.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 13, 2020

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam pushes pro-China agenda, risking Trump’s wrath

Democracy activists see Lam's move to push the national anthem law as a potential precursor to bringing in national security legislation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 12, 2020

Abe follows Trump's example, approving drugs quickly after criticism

Japanese regulators are usually known for taking a year to approve new drugs, but authorized remdesivir just three days after receiving the application.
JAPAN
May 11, 2020

Japan shouldn't rush decision on academic year, scholars caution

Recent opinion polls by the media show the public is rather skewed toward supporting a September start for the academic year.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
May 3, 2020

Necessary or not? The LDP's proposed emergency powers clause for the Constitution

73 years since the Constitution took effect, arguments on revising it have focused on the war-renouncing Article 9. But the coronavirus has prompted a different proposal.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 1, 2020

Trump brushes off polls showing Joe Biden leading in U.S. election

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he does not believe opinion polls showing his likely Democratic opponent Joe Biden leads him in the 2020 race for the White House.
Concern about prices in Japan is at or near record highs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 26, 2025

Inflation and ‘food situation’ concerns top key Japan survey

Rising prices have not been this much of a worry since just after the 1973 oil shock.
Venezuelan migrants who had been detained in El Salvador walk up stairs to the terminal after disembarking from a plane at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, in July.
WORLD
Oct 4, 2025

U.S. Supreme Court lets Trump strip temporary status from Venezuelan migrants

The court's ruling came at a time of simmering tensions between the United States and Venezuela.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new Pentagon policy mandating pre-approval for unclassified information threatens to reverse nearly a century of First Amendment protections.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2025

Hegseth tries turning back 94 years of press freedom

The history on his side has been discredited by the Supreme Court for a century.
New Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to boost Japan’s defense and regional security amid waning U.S. influence and rising threats from China, North Korea and Russia.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 28, 2025

With new leadership, Japan has the chance to flex its defense muscles

New Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is determined to convince Trump she’s serious about boosting the nation’s military capabilities.

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