Search - politics

 
 
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 23, 2022

Momoko Nojo: ‘Our society is looking for someone who can fix everything, a hero. That is a delusion.’

Momoko Nojo had a study abroad experience that changed her life. When she returned to Japan, her newfound purpose in life led to her being named to Time magazine's 100 Next list.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Oct 3, 2022

Persistent gender gap and use of social media key takeaways from Okinawa votes

On Sept. 11, multiple municipal elections were held simultaneously with the governor's election for the first time in Okinawa Prefecture's political history.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 24, 2022

The death of Shinzo Abe must not be in vain

At the onset of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's second administration, the expectations were low. However, the perception of him changed over time as a result of his accomplishments.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 9, 2022

The massive void that Shinzo Abe’s assassination has left behind

Japan's longest-serving prime minister wasn't just any other leader — he was a towering figure whose death has completely changed the nation's political landscape.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 26, 2022

How Zelenskyy ended political discord and put Ukraine on a war footing

Ukrainian politics were known for sharp-elbowed infighting. But as he defends his country against the Russian invasion, Zelenskyy has his government presenting a unified front.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 26, 2022

Macron’s win is also a blow to Viktor Orban’s nationalist crusade

But analysts say Macron must also learn lessons from his first term, as his penchant for announcing proposals rather than building coalitions at times annoyed his European counterparts.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 30, 2022

How the pandemic exacerbated Japan's gender inequality

Hanako Montgomery, a reporter for Vice World News in Japan, discusses Japan's poor record on gender equality.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 15, 2022

A succession drama, Chinese style, starring Xi Jinping

Nobody knows how long Xi wants to stay in power, or when and how he will appoint a political heir. Keeping everyone guessing is 'Xi's political genius.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Dec 23, 2021

Takashi Hara: The commoner who lost his life leading Japan

On the 100th anniversary of the prime minister's assassination in Tokyo, we examine the peace-loving global aspirations of a man who coveted self-determination over succession.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 1, 2021

The LDP won the Lower House election, but it has few reasons to celebrate

Despite achieving a strong majority of its own, high-profile upsets and a reduced ruling coalition seat count have taken the edge off victory.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 17, 2021

Paralysis and calm: Two sides of Japan's inertia

COVID-19 hasn't (so far) affected Japan as badly as other Western countries, but sometimes extreme situations can push people to get up and try to improve their lots in life.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 11, 2021

Straddling Senate and pulpit, Warnock highlights rise of U.S. religious left

'Jesus was very political,' said the Reverend Mark Sandlin, a Presbyterian minister in Greensboro, North Carolina, who helps run Christian groups with about 400,000 members nationwide.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 6, 2021

Democrat Warnock beats Loeffler in Georgia Senate race

Turnout in rural, overwhelmingly white counties where Republicans needed a strong showing has been lagging without Trump on the ballot.
Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman, Bangladesh's army chief, arrives at Dhaka International Airport to receive Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus on Aug. 8 to lead the country's interim government.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 29, 2024

Will Bangladesh go the way of Pakistan?

The Islamist resurgence poses a serious law-and-order challenge in Bangladesh, as it has long done in Pakistan.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during a press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 28, 2023
WORLD / Politics
Sep 4, 2024

Israel's Netanyahu and Gallant are locked in a divided government

Arguments have repeatedly broken out between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the Gaza war.
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at a campaign stop at Northwestern High School in Detroit on Sept. 2.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 9, 2024

Harris’ combative debate style will get its biggest test against Trump

Much of Kamala Harris' debate performance will depend on whether she can successfully adapt to an opponent best known for his unpredictability.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba reacts during a news conference ahead of the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election in Tokyo on Sept. 6.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 24, 2024

Why is Shigeru Ishiba so unpopular among his LDP peers?

The former defense minister is highly regarded among the public and local chapters of the ruling party, but it's a different story when it comes to LDP lawmakers.
Incumbent Mayor Shuhei Azuma announces the opening of applications for a possible successor at a news conference on Sept. 25.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 11, 2024

City in Osaka Prefecture looks for new mayor using job search site

The idea is to encourage more people to get involved in local government in Japan, but questions have emerged about the project and its implications.
People walk through Vilnius, Lithuania, on Dec. 17. Lithuania’s national opera house had stopped showing Tchaikovsky’s 1892 masterpiece in solidarity with Ukraine over the war with Russia.
WORLD / Society
Dec 22, 2024

A cultural casualty of the war in Ukraine: ‘The Nutcracker’

Many in the art world oppose banning works on the basis of their nationality, believing that culture has the power to unite and should not be contaminated by politics.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Monday to announce his resignation.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 7, 2025

Canada's Trudeau resigns after nine years in power as Liberals force him out

Trudeau, 53, currently the longest-serving leader of any Group of Seven country, bowed to sagging approval numbers and a rebellion within his political party.
A banner belonging to the "Alley of Angels" project displays images of children purportedly killed in conflict, at a demonstration of far-right groups in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 25, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 19, 2025

How a Moscow-linked exhibit tried to erode German support for Ukraine

Publicly, the exhibit’s organizers say they aren’t affiliated with any government and are driven by a desire to end the suffering.
As more countries gain global influence, disagreements over the future world order are making cooperation harder, especially between democracies and autocracies.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 23, 2025

The age of multipolarization

The shift to a multipolar world has been accompanied by deepening polarization within and between countries.
Multibillionaire and Trump adviser Elon Musk speaks via video link to an election campaign rally for the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Halle, Germany, on Jan. 26.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 5, 2025

Musk rallies the far right in Europe. Tesla is paying the price.

The multibillionaire's support for right-wing political parties could help boost his empire by cutting back regulations he thinks impede tech innovations.
Polls show Generation Z men, influenced by economic and social crises like the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, have shifted right, favoring Republicans while Generation Z women have remained more liberal, supporting Democrats.
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2025

Gen Z is politically old before its time

For many years, both younger men and women have leaned decidedly left. No longer.
Members of the California National Guard stand outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles on June 8. California Democrats have unified against the Trump administration’s use of federal troops to quell unrest and its deportation campaign, but the stance may backfire for the party nationally.
COMMENTARY
Jun 16, 2025

ICE protests in LA are forcing a tough choice on Democrats

As the rightward shift among voters in the last election made abundantly clear, the state’s politics don’t always translate to other parts of America.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes part in a campaign event in Yokohama on July 6. Japan faces deep structural challenges but lacks bold political vision and leaders willing to take risks for transformative change.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 20, 2025

Performative ‘elections’ expose a sad lack of vision

Political parties jostle for position and trade barbs but offer no clear plan for Japan’s growing structural challenges.
Noe Ito (third from right) was editor-in-chief of feminist magazine Seito and her partner Sakae Osugi (second from right) was a prominent anarchist of the Taisho Era. Both were murdered by military police in 1923.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Aug 16, 2025

Taisho Democracy: A turbulent, tenuous era of conflicting ideals

The resilience of Japanese politics, culture and society were tested during the 14 years of the Taisho Era (1912-26).
As French President Emmanuel Macron seeks a fifth prime minister in less than two years to tackle the country’s debt problems, there are no obvious candidates with a decent chance of success.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 9, 2025

Macron is running out of viable prime ministers for France

Prime Minister Francois Bayrou will resign nine months into the job after failing to win support for his deficit-cutting plans.
Komeito chief representative Tetsuo Saito speaks during a debate with leaders of other political parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo in July. His party exited the ruling coalition with the ruling-LDP after 26 years, citing concerns over political donations and transparency.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2025

Is Komeito’s split with the LDP really about political funding?

Was Komeito negotiating in good faith or looking to undermine the Takaichi administration before it even commenced?

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years