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COMMENTARY / World
May 14, 2015

Germany is Mercury, the U.S. is Mars

Washington has to realize that it is increasingly neglecting America's geoeconomic power in favor of its military dimension, at the cost of its influence.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 14, 2015

Maya Inoue makes a play to refine her father's theatrical legacy

Hisashi Inoue's death at the age of 75 on April 9, 2010, at his home in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, was a major event in the postwar Japanese theater world. It moved many dramatists to stage works by the great author and playwright who combined comedy and searing social and political commentary into...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 13, 2015

Don't trust the U.K. pollsters

Britain's Labour Party lost the recent election because it had the wrong leader and unconvincing policies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2015

Little Englandism goes big in British elections

The unraveling of British identify, which started when Britain lost its empire, will likely accelerate in the months to come.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2015

What propelled Cameron to victory?

What factors propelled Britain's Conservative Party to a stunning victory in an election that opinions polls had deemed too close to call?
EDITORIALS
May 11, 2015

A win to test Cameron's mettle

British Prime Minister David Cameron pulled off a remarkable feat last week. He may come to rue his success.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
May 11, 2015

Imperial family will pay close attention to Abe's statement

The Abe administration's effort to break away from the postwar regime is a defiant political move to file a formal objection to the postwar Imperial family and to put Japan's best 'knowledgeable and thinking people' into a subordinate position.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 11, 2015

Dinner, data part of Obama's courting of Democrats on trade authority, TPP

By the time Air Force One touched down in Oregon on Thursday before a pro-trade pep rally at Nike Inc., Rep. Suzanne Bonamici already had gotten the full Barack Obama treatment.
COMMENTARY / World
May 10, 2015

An open letter to Indian leader Narendra Modi

The Congress Party wasted 60 years. Narendra Modi must not waste the remaining 48 of his 60 months.
JAPAN
May 10, 2015

Japan Today says it will retain foreign perspective despite acquisition by conglomerate Fuji Media

Recently acquired Japan Today will stick to its motto of presenting news 'through the perspectives of foreigners,' the Fuji Media Holdings group says.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 9, 2015

It's all fun and games until war breaks out

Not far from where I live is a kind of amusement park where you can play soldier. It has a lot of chain-link fences and gray structures that look like bombed-out buildings. On weekends, men, and sometimes women, dressed in camouflage and armed with replica air rifles, re-enact the kind of military operations...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 9, 2015

Academics fail Abe administration on history

On May 5, in an open letter in support of historians in Japan, an international group of 187 scholars (of which I am one) urged Japan to acknowledge and atone for the forced prostitution that occurred during wartime, stating: "Denying or trivializing" what happened to the "comfort women" is "unacceptable."...
COMMENTARY / World
May 9, 2015

Pacquiao has shot at Philippines presidency

Filipino boxer Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao could ride his fame to the presidency, but in office he would face many serious problems.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 8, 2015

Japan's craft beer mug runneth over

Tatsuo Aoki's low-key Tokyo bar, Popeye, has become a destination for beer fanatics from around the country. They make the pilgrimage to sample Hokkaido ales and Shizuoka stouts, or for an impromptu lecture from Aoki on hops and yeast.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 8, 2015

We need to talk about Abe

Shinzo Abe is bent on making Japan a 'normal' country, but has he thought out the consequences of elevating the SDF to a full-fledged military?
COMMENTARY / World
May 7, 2015

Ditch the anger translator, President Obama

President Barack Obama should use his last months in office to take on what he has described as 'the same cycles of periodic conflicts between the police and communities.'
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2015

Death and destruction in Nepal

Can the tragedy of Nepal be turned into an opportunity for that country and the world?
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 4, 2015

Japan Times contributor Mitchell among winners of FCCJ's first Freedom of the Press awards

Japan Times contributor Jon Mitchell, who for years has covered the alleged existence of the toxic defoliant Agent Orange on Okinawa and issues surrounding U.S. military bases there, was among the winners of the first annual Freedom of the Press awards at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 4, 2015

Retired surgeon Carson says he'll seek Republican presidential nod; Florina, Huckabee set to follow suit

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson told a Florida television station on Sunday that he is running for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 3, 2015

Blame Abe's bad history on diplomat George Kennan

U.S. diplomat George Kennan was instrumental in reversing U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur's efforts to liberalize Japan's economy and society.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 2, 2015

Baltimore homicide charges could face swift initial court test

The chief Baltimore prosecutor, who came out swinging on Friday with charges against six police officers in the death of a 25-year-old man, could be quickly asked to disclose some of the potential evidence she has collected.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 30, 2015

Abe on message, but regional tensions remain

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may have done a relatively good job in delivering one message Wednesday to the joint session of the U.S. Congress: Japan and America have reconciled well since World War II ended 70 years ago.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 28, 2015

How far is Japan willing to go to back the United States?

What was once America's most stable relationship in Asia is moving into the category of 'it's complicated.'
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2015

Britain's strange silence on Europe

Britain's election was supposed to be about the nation's future in the European Union, but the issue is being given short shrift by both Labour and the Conservatives.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2015

Abe adviser fears BOJ has den of conspirators opposing reflation

The Bank of Japan appears to be wavering in its commitment to unprecedented monetary easing, said Kozo Yamamoto, an adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and an advocate of reflationary policies.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2015

Three memorable encounters with Hillary

Does Hillary Clinton's determination to become president stem from a desire to show what an unblemished Clinton administration would look like?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 26, 2015

Honeymoon over for Indonesian leader as policy flip-flops erode authority

When Indonesian President Joko Widodo wanted to push this year's budget through the opposition-dominated parliament, he left it to his advisers to hash out a deal with lawmakers.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 25, 2015

U.S. towns pulled into Japanese politics

A recurring news story over the past several years concerns claims of the harassment of Japanese nationals residing on the East and West coasts of the United States. Most appear to have originated from municipalities where South Korean immigrants and Korean-Americans have successfully campaigned to erect...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 25, 2015

History that's been brilliantly objectified

When "A History of the World in 100 Objects" aired its final episode on Oct. 22, 2010, millions of loyal listeners eagerly tuned in.

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