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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2023

Elon Musk wants to pause AI? It’s too late for that

A petition on OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology calling for a pause on further development ignores the risk already unleashed.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 3, 2023

Petteri Orpo, Finland's unshakeable conservative, set to become PM after vote

Orpo's center-right National Coalition Party beat out charismatic incumbent Sanna Marin of the Social Democrats in Sunday's general election.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 2, 2023

Biden's strategic silence on Trump may be tested in days ahead

Joe Biden's strategy on Trump has been simple: silence is golden. The White House plans to continue that approach even though Trump has been indicted.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2023

Trump’s not just testing the law. He’s testing us.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has challenged our political, academic and civic institutions, and now it’s the justice system's turn.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2023

There's no such thing as artificial intelligence

The term artificial intelligence breeds misunderstanding and helps its creators avoid culpability for mistakes.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2023

NATO’s 2% guideline is stupid but needed

If the North Atlantic Treaty Organization had no free riders, it could do without dumb rules like the 2% of GDP spending guideline. But it does.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 30, 2023

As parliament debates kick into high gear, all eyes are on Kishida’s signature policies

The prime minister and his administration will now focus on some of his key legislative issues, including energy, defense and asylum programs.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2023

The world’s space junk problem just got an affordable solution

We’re getting better at spotting and dodging debris in orbit — a much more cost-effective option than spending billions on cosmic robot cleaners.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 30, 2023

World's usable nuclear arsenal rose in 2022, study says

The nine official and unofficial nuclear powers held 9,576 ready-to-use warheads in 2023 — up from 9,440 the previous year.
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 29, 2023

The Japanese Diet expels some GaaSyy

From running his mouth on YouTube to running for office — and now, possibly, running from the law — GaaSyy’s journey has been a wild one.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 29, 2023

Japan wants wage winners. Is it ready for losers?

Prime Minister Kishida has urged firms to boost workers’ pay. That would require more social upheaval than the country is prepared to accept.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2023

Manchester United looks immune to the banking crisis

The bidding war for Manchester United, a sporting institution, bears little connection to financial reality.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 28, 2023

Scotland’s top party, reeling from divisions, picks a new leader

Humza Yousaf emerged with a narrow victory in a bruising leadership race that followed the surprise resignation last month of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 28, 2023

Blocking the Louvre won’t defuse France’s pension bomb

France’s pay-as-you-go pension system will have only 1.2 workers for every retiree by 2070 — an untenable situation.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 27, 2023

Macron’s pension gambit sparks revolt, pushing France to the brink

The French president’s decision to ram through an increase in the retirement age has ignited labor unrest, destabilized his government, and risks paralysis for his remaining time in office.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 27, 2023

Finally, a serious offer to take Putin off Russia’s hands

The International Criminal Court just made it easier for any successor to get rid of Vladimir Putin.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 27, 2023

Ukraine visit buoys Kishida ahead of next month's local elections

A weekend survey found that 48% of respondents said they supported the prime minister's Cabinet, up five percentage points from the previous month.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 26, 2023

I saw America snatch defeat from victory in Iraq

Few of us who were on the ground couldn't imagine that the Iraq war could go so well, or the peace so badly.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2023

Japan battles to persuade big brands to help with military expansion

A key part of Tokyo's strategy hinges on persuading commercial firms that for decades have quietly armed the SDF to ramp up production.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2023

Japan releases nation’s first guidelines for refugee status eligibility

The new document aims to organize criteria relating to how refugee status in Japan is determined, with the intention of increasing transparency and promoting confidence in the system.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2023

China and Russia take steps to deepen their alignment

China and Russia have no choice but to deepen their ties as neither can afford a divorce amid their conflict with the West.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2023

Should the government get to spend your pension savings?

There’s a feeling in the U.K. that it isn’t right for pension money to sit around when there are socially meaningful things it could be doing instead.
Japan Times
Figure Skating
Mar 24, 2023

'Rikuryu' coach Bruno Marcotte has Olympic hopes after Grand Slam

As they aim for Olympic success, Marcotte hopes that Miura and Kihara’s success will encourage more Japanese skaters and coaches to get involved in the discipline.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / Q&A
Mar 23, 2023

To 'stand on Taiwanese soil': An interview with Taiwan's top diplomat

Joseph Wu shares his thoughts on Tokyo-Taipei cooperation, TSMC semiconductors, Japan's new defense posture and the future of relations with Beijing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 23, 2023

WBC baseball victory is a triumph for Japan’s soft power

The nation’s lost decades don’t extend to sports. That will help drive Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s narrative as he prepares to host the Group of Seven in Hiroshima.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Mar 23, 2023

China determined not to be slowed by U.S. chip controls

Sanctions instigated by Washington in October have made it virtually impossible to transfer advanced chip and supercomputer technology to China.
JAPAN
Mar 22, 2023

Japan sets date for launch of new children's agency

Beginning operations on April 1, the Children and Families Agency will adopt an integrated approach to tackling issues such as the falling birthrate, child abuse and bullying.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2023

Don't make the same mistake as SVB with your 401(k)

Treasuries aren’t always the safest asset in your portfolio. Your risk depends on the type of bond and what you need the money for.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2023

What do America’s spies really think about China?

While U.S. spy agencies focus on China’s military, economic and technological capabilities, they omit too much when it comes to the country’s domestic political challenges.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2023

We may never get the truth about Nord Stream or a COVID lab leak

War and plague are ideal breeding grounds for unsolvable mysteries and conspiracy theories such as the Nord Stream bombing or a COVID-19 lab leak.

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic