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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 10, 2023

ChatGPT has a lot to say, even about Japan-U.S.-China ties

OpenAI's ChatGPT was launched just over two months ago and is so effective at generating human-like prose that it is almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 9, 2023

Glacier lakes swollen by global warming threaten millions

Earth's average surface temperature has risen nearly 1.2 degrees Celsius since preindustrial times, but high-mountain regions around the world have warmed at twice that pace.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 9, 2023

A fifth of the world’s species-rich wetlands have been destroyed

Wetlands provide critical and historically under-recognized benefits to humanity, including flood defense, water storage and biodiversity protection.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 9, 2023

Trial of new COVID-19 treatment yields encouraging results, study shows

Stanford University professor Jeffrey Glenn, co-author of the study, said the new drug 'showed profound benefits for vaccinated and unvaccinated people alike.'
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 7, 2023

Bilateral ties between Tokyo and Manila at a crossroads

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s landmark visit to Japan this week is more significant than it first looks.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 7, 2023

The U.S. needs new thinking for old alliances

Washington needs to empower its alliance partners and to allow them to take more responsibility for key decisions on defense matters.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 7, 2023

Why was the Turkey-Syria earthquake so deadly?

Timing, location and the weak construction of the collapsed buildings are some of the factors that made the quake particularly deadly, experts said.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 6, 2023

Death, glory and warlordism in Vladimir Putin's Russia

The Russian state’s ideological madness and reversion to warlordism have been abetted by a religious fundamentalism.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 5, 2023

AI is improving faster than most humans realize

Technologies such as ChatGPT will profoundly change the economy and other aspects of life, but they are getting better so quickly that it’s impossible to say how.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 2, 2023

The importance of the Constitutional Democratic Party’s visit to Taiwan

Taiwan needs a broader base of supporters other than just conservatives in key partner countries to keep it safer.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 2, 2023

Asia is loosening rules on masks. Here’s why people still wear them.

Many other countries dropped pandemic mask requirements months ago. But in places like South Korea, which got rid of its rule this week, masks remain common.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 2, 2023

'Baian the Assassin M.D.': Lead actor brings gravitas to killer role

While Etsushi Toyokawa portrays the film's murderous hero with nuance and depth, the period drama's storyline creaks with age.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2023

Saving the planet and picking fights in the process

The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act’s climate change provisions are a game changer for a cleaner environment but are also antagonizing America's allies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2023

What to expect from the next round of globalization

There is growing support for the idea that the world is experiencing not 'deglobalization' but rather 're-globalization,' owing to accelerating changes in energy and technology.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 1, 2023

Planting trees could cut urban heat wave deaths by a third, study says

Of the 6,700 premature deaths attributed to higher temperatures in 93 European cities during 2015, one third could have been prevented, researchers found.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 31, 2023

First Nintendo theme park in U.S. highlights diversification push

The video games-maker is branching into overseas theme parks amid a push to better harness the company’s intellectual property treasure trove.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 30, 2023

One-size-fits-all COVID-19 booster plan needs a rethink

Public health officials should recognize that additional COVID-19 booster shots should now be a more nuanced decision.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 30, 2023

The assassinated are the peacemakers

Just as the Ukraine war carries a high price, so would peace with Russia — not least for whomever negotiates it.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 30, 2023

Japan to lag again on diversity if women shut out of BOJ race

Not a single woman’s name is doing the rounds as a potential replacement for Haruhiko Kuroda as central bank governor in the world’s third-largest economy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 29, 2023

Big Tech binged on workers during COVID-19 — now, comes the purge

The spate of Big Tech layoffs is a reaction to a hiring wave during the pandemic that got out of hand. But will it be an overreaction?
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jan 29, 2023

Brazil opens door to breaking foreign coach taboo

Despite knowing for some time before the 2022 FIFA World Cup that head coach Tite was leaving, Brazilian Football Confederation President Ednaldo Rodrigues still has not found a replacement.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2023

U.S. President Joe Biden's border travesty

Two years into its term, the U.S. administration of Joe Biden has failed to deliver on its promise of humane immigration reform.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 27, 2023

Nobuaki Moribe: ‘You were born to be happy, so make sure to love yourself’

Nobuaki Moribe is a delight to see when he strolls through Tokyo's Yoyogi Park, it doesn't hurt that he has multiple dogs by his side.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2023

‘Woke’ is a political term with a long and complicated history

The idea of wokeism has been used by both Black and White Americans to fight injustice since the early 1900s.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 23, 2023

Russia’s fractured state

In the wake of Yevgeny Prigozhin's aborted rebellion, President Vladimir Putin’s weakness — and the cracks in the system he so meticulously built — are unmistakable.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 23, 2023

No opposition. No choice. Cambodia’s election paves way for dynastic rule.

This dynastic succession within a parliamentary system, at the sole discretion of Hun Sen, demonstrates the grip he has on power after eliminating virtually all opposition.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2023

The coming disruption of animal food production is almost here

It will be easier to persuade people to avoid meat from animals if they can eat meat and other animal products that taste like those they know but do not require raising animals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 19, 2023

Barbie’s origin story takes a cheeky detour through Japan

As the “Barbie” movie opens to audiences in North America, a new podcast explores the history of the iconic doll.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 19, 2023

‘Thailand is not ready to change’: Prime minister vote puts coalition at risk

The progressive Move Forward Party has failed to form a government, leaving members of the liberal opposition scrambling to find alternatives.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji