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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 19, 2019

Who's leading the pack for post-Abe leadership

If Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lasts for another year or two, Toshimitsu Motegi will be best-postured to succeed him.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 11, 2019

Hong Kong unrest gives Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen a timely boost

Heading into 2019, Tsai Ing-wen looked at risk of becoming Taiwan's first one-term president. Then came the unrest in Hong Kong.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 30, 2019

U.S. Chamber of Commerce calls for halt to China tariffs and resumed talks

The largest U.S. business lobby urged President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to withdraw new tariffs starting Sunday and return to talks in good faith to end an escalating trade war that is threatening the economy.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 27, 2019

Italy close to coalition deal as ex-PM meets party chiefs in bid to avert polls and rise of Matteo Salvini

A deal on forming a government in Italy between the 5-Star Movement and the opposition Democratic Party (PD) looked close on Monday after the PD indicated it had dropped a veto on Giuseppe Conte serving another term as prime minister.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 19, 2019

Italy's 5-Star says Matteo Salvini is no longer a credible partner

Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement said Sunday that Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right League, was no longer a credible partner, apparently closing the door on any possibility of resurrecting the ruling coalition.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 3, 2019

Low voter turnout in Upper House election may reflect an indifference to democracy

In May 1993, general elections were held in Cambodia. Voter turnout was 89.56 percent.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 29, 2019

Abe administration left behind on North Korea

The Japanese government has limited options for dealing with its bellicose neighbor.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 29, 2019

The seas are unsafe in a transactional world

As the recent spate of ship seizures show, tit-for-tat is the new normal.
Reader Mail
Jul 26, 2019

The negative side of Kyoto tourism

As a long-term foreign resident of Kyoto, I read the View from Osaka column "Four Kansai issues stirring up Upper House election" (July 21) with great interest.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 25, 2019

Abe's chase for glory at the 2020 Olympics

Don't expect Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to pursue constitutional revisionism in earnest until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 18, 2019

The virtuous cycle keeping Abe in power

Shinzo Abe's instincts in setting the politcal agenda and deciding the timing of elections have kept him in good stead.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 1, 2019

Pressing issues of the Reiwa Era

The nation cannot afford to postpone any longer discussion of how to ensure the stability of imperial succession amid a dearth of male heirs.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 1, 2019

Cybersecurity threat looms large in Japan

The government has made cybersecurity a priority but the public remains leery at best when considering whether Japan's cyberdefenses will withstand the challenges of the future.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 10, 2019

The tribe that lost its head

The dream of a truly strong leader who in one leap can free the United Kingdom from its dilemmas may be just that.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 28, 2019

Europe's populists don't look so healthy close up

Matteo Salvini's League aside, parties hostile to the European integration project performed about the same as in 2014.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 25, 2019

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson: The EU's worst nightmare?

For European leaders watching Theresa May's political death throes, a sense of inevitability has been replaced by one of fear.
EDITORIALS
May 20, 2019

Australians opt for stability in Canberra

The center-right government's policies will ensure that Japan has a close and predictable diplomatic and security partner.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 17, 2019

South Korean court wades into historical issue

Is there a way out of the Tokyo-Seoul spat?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 17, 2019

Foxconn's Terry Gou says he will follow order of sea goddess to run for Taiwan presidency

Foxconn founder Terry Gou has claimed divine endorsement for his bid to become Taiwan's president: support of the Chinese sea goddess Mazu.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Apr 16, 2019

Productive partnership: Hamada helps Zhou find success

Sometimes in life we meet a person we automatically connect with.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 11, 2019

Taxation, climate and inequality to top campaign as Australian PM Scott Morrison calls May 18 poll

Australians will go to the polls in a general election on May 18 after Prime Minister Scott Morrison fired the starting gun Thursday on a campaign set to be fought over taxation, climate change and inequality.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 10, 2019

U.S.-China 'Cold War' narrative is misleading

Misreading Chinese public opinion and U.S. intentions is one of the most classic mistakes that Japan tends to make.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 8, 2019

Trudeau licks wounds and tries to change channel on SNC-Lavalin scandal

Justin Trudeau is trying to move on after the most bruising two months of his time in office — but the damage may already be done.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 23, 2019

Are democratic principles at risk of being undermined?

Is democracy dying? Certainly authoritarianism is rising. A generation ago, it was the opposite — authoritarianism seemed moribund, democracy on the cusp of new life. Sekai magazine (April) sums up the gloomier mood now gaining ground. "We cannot," it says, "take democracy for granted."
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2019

America isn't as divided as it looks

On some important issues, public opinion is starting to converge.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2019

Treat far-right terrorism as the serious threat it is

White supremacists should finally receive the government attention they deserve
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 16, 2019

News outlets gloss over South Korea friction

March 1 marked the 100th anniversary of a speech given by a student in a Seoul park declaring Korean independence. To commemorate the event, South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivered an address in which he called for strengthening bonds between Japan and South Korea, which are severely frayed at present...

Longform

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