Search - long form

 
 
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 13, 2021

Kishida reverses government’s position on cash handout

After weeks of a vacillating central government and frustrated local officials, the reversal raises questions about intraparty cooperation.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 8, 2021

Before Biden’s democracy summit, China says: We’re also a democracy

Beijing argues that its system represents a distinctive form of democracy, one that has dealt better than the West with challenges like the pandemic.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 29, 2021

Fixing Europe’s migrant predicament requires a new approach

The causes behind the sudden and ugly new migrant tableau are blurred, but one theory is the Belarus government may be inviting immigrants in and then urging them to enter Poland and the EU.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 29, 2021

'Like the Stasi': Online volunteers in India silence critical voices

The suspension of dozens of social media accounts deemed to be critical of the government came shortly after the launch of a cybercrime volunteers program.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 27, 2021

Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim, whose work transformed musical theater, dead at 91

Sondheim's quick-witted lyrics made audiences sit up and listen in the 1950s, while his ground-breaking shows in the 70s and 80s thrust the American musical into the modern era.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 4, 2021

Nord Stream 2 is still months from easing Europe’s gas woes

The pipeline might not be approved until May if regulators use all the time they're allowed.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Nov 2, 2021

The Yamathon gets a COVID-era rebrand

The Yamathon is a more pandemic-friendly event this year, and like a climb up Mount Fuji it is turning into an activity that everyone should at least try once.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 30, 2021

New opera ‘Yuzuru’ cautions against the dangers of capitalism

For his first foray into opera, dramatist Toshiki Okada is modernizing a Japanese classic, centering it on 'the damaging influence of capitalism' instead of a tragic love story.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Oct 14, 2021

North Korea’s display of weaponry hints at what to expect in the months to come

Analysts say Kim Jong Un is positioning himself to ride out the pandemic and the Biden presidency — all while normalizing his regime's weapons tests.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 6, 2021

Iron battery breakthrough could eat lithium’s lunch

As the world's electric grids struggle to find ways to produce clean energy, the innovative iron battery may provide a solution.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 14, 2021

Japan needs a strategy for economic growth in the post-virus era

The country's financial stability faces challenges from a global perspective, especially regarding overseas investments.
SOCCER / WE LEAGUE
Sep 10, 2021

Japan's ambitious WE League aims to empower in historic first season

Japan's first professional women's soccer league will launch on Sunday with the goals of promoting gender equality and raising the country's level of play.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 5, 2021

How are those pandemic hobbies going, really?

How many of us have actually kept up with those trendy pandemic activities from last year? And how can we take an activity from “hobby” to “habit”?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 3, 2021

Unsettling, unrelenting and confident: Ms. Machine's debut is one of the year's best

Ms. Machine's debut features Nordic-inspired lyrics and a sludgy sound that recalls witch house, industrial and metal, making it one of the best Japanese albums released this year.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Aug 24, 2021

Are you ready for sentient Disney robots?

The Magic Kingdom knows the nostalgia of herky-jerky animatronics won't cut it with today's children.
PARALYMPICS
Aug 24, 2021

Athletes to watch at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics

A primer on 10 Paralympians who are poised to make their mark on the Games.
Japan Times
SPORTS
Aug 11, 2021

In Lionel Messi’s move, a dim portrait of modern soccer

With clubs backed by oligarchs, billionaires and nation states, meaningful change in the game looks unrealistic.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 26, 2021

Journalists fear land-purchase law may hit local residents

Recent concerns about a new law meant to restrict the sale of property near sensitive sites to non-Japanese entities focus more on the trouble the law may cause Japanese individuals.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2021

Accommodating China is unavoidable

In today's world, attempting to “contain and confront” those with different values or systems, rather than negotiating a new global compact that accommodates them, is a recipe for conflict.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 20, 2021

Polly Barton's 'Fifty Sounds' is an excavation of language through onomatopoeia

Many readers may know Polly Barton better as the translator behind Aoko Matsuda’s “Where the Wild Ladies Are,” which won an English PEN award last year; and Kikuko Tsumura’s “There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job,” released in November 2020. But if her latest individual work, “Fifty Sounds,”...
Japan Times
EDITORIALS
Jun 12, 2021

An agreement on tax could remind world of G7’s value

The G7 could be relevant, however, as an avatar for democratic and value-oriented leadership and some leaders see the institution evolving in that direction.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 19, 2021

How Myanmar's military moved in on the telecoms sector to spy on citizens

Intercept spyware gives the military the power to listen in on calls, view text messages and web traffic, and track the locations of users without the assistance of telecom firms.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 14, 2021

Too cold to handle? Race is on to pioneer shipping of hydrogen.

Companies including Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries are beginning to develop a new generation of vessels that can deliver hydrogen to heavy industry.
Incoming child care policy minister Junko Mihara (center) arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday. Mihara is one of only two female ministers in Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 1, 2024

A very LDP Cabinet — more of the same, despite hints of a power shift

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba retained veterans in key posts and rewarded those who supported him in the LDP presidential race.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has floated an idea of creating an Asian version of the NATO security framework.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 8, 2024

Ishiba's 'Asian NATO' dead on arrival as new PM set for diplomatic debut

Many Asian countries maintain delicate ties with China, making the creation of any defense group aimed at countering Beijing's influence difficult.
Matt Groening (right), creator of the show "The Simpsons," attends the premiere of the "The Simpsons Movie" along with characters from the series in Springfield, Vermont, in July 2007.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2024

‘The Simpsons’ has become a parody of itself. That’s a good thing.

With the "The Simpsons" viewership down to just 10% of its peak, the show is often in the news for controversies rather than content.
An Air Self-Defense Force airman sets up a drone during a bilateral live fire exercise at Draughon Range, near Misawa Air Base, in Aomori Prefecture in July 2023.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 5, 2025

Taking a page from Ukraine war, SDF carves out growing role for drones

Whether for use in the air, on land or at sea, the SDF is gradually integrating these increasingly capable and often autonomous systems into their units.
Billed as a “cultural bridge that connects Japan and Vietnam,” Tet Viet Saitama drew tens of thousands of attendees from across the Kanto region.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 2, 2025

Home away from home: My first time at a Tet festival in Japan

A longtime resident of Japan attends Saitama’s first public celebration of Vietnam’s most important holiday.
Government officials and energy executives from countries such as India, Kuwait and Japan have been holding talks about procuring more U.S. gas, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 1, 2025

From India to Japan, specter of Trump tariffs spurs interest in U.S. gas

Trump’s tactics, however, are pushing away some other buyers, like those in China, the world’s top importer.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami