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COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2016

Don't build a wall — amend U.S. Constitution

A constitutional amendment can solve the U.S.' illegal immigration woes better than a wall on the border with Mexico.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 19, 2016

The suffragette Clinton should have followed

One of the reasons Hillary Clinton may have lost is that she was too much like Susan B. Anthony and not enough like Anthony's more daring mentor and partner, Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2016

A priest's advice for anti-Trump protesters

The demonstrations may be cathartic, but they are mostly counterproductive because they are not only about Trump's policies but his legitimacy.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2016

Bollywood jingoism rebounds against India

In its long-running battle with neighboring Pakistan, India's in danger once again of shooting itself in the foot.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2016

The differences between the Bushes and Trump

You have to be personally ambitious, occasionally ruthless, to seek the U.S. presidency, but you don't have to be sleazy or a demagogue. That's where the Bushes part ways with Donald Trump.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Sep 18, 2016

Chinese state media blasts Japan over South China Sea 'patrols,' but experts see no change in policy

Chinese state media outlets have responded to news of potential joint U.S.-Japan operations in the disputed South China Sea with a spate of fiery editorials, but experts say Japan's announcement of increased engagement in the waters breaks little new ground.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 29, 2016

Silly burkini ban's serious reason

Criticisms of France's strict assimilation policy ignore the equally apparent failures of politically correct approaches intended to create a society in which 'everyone feels they have a stake.'
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 25, 2016

Calls mount for Clintons to close charitable foundation despite impact on recipients

The Clinton Foundation, the family philanthropy of Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, should shut down or transfer operations to another charity despite its good work to avoid perceptions of "pay-for-play," The Washington Post and USA Today said in editorials on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 24, 2016

The Brexit question that nobody has asked

Is Britain's less-than-full-hearted commitment to the European adventure best pursued as an increasingly anomalous member of a broken EU or as a concerned and friendly neighbor?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 6, 2016

The Long Defeat

In "The Long Defeat," Akiko Hashimoto explores how Japan's World War II loss has been remembered. More sociologist than historian, she does this by looking beyond political speeches and newspaper editorials and examines how memories manifest in the media, in classrooms and in the home.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 1, 2016

Emboldened Chinese military presses Xi for stern response to South China Sea ruling

China's leadership is resisting pressure from elements within the military for a more forceful response to an international court ruling against Beijing's claims in the South China Sea, sources said, wary of provoking a clash with the United States.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 25, 2016

Why the U.S. should move nukes out of Turkey

The U.S. should move its nuclear missiles in southern Turkey to more secure European locations.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 6, 2016

Beijing using English-language videos, tweets and op-eds in PR push ahead of South China Sea ruling

Ahead of a key international arbitration court ruling next Tuesday over China's territorial dispute in the South China Sea, Beijing has unleashed an unprecedented English-language public relations push to tell its side of the story.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2016

For U.K., Brexit is just the latest ugly partition

More than a few countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa have scars to show from Britain's long and haphazard withdrawal from its onetime empire.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 27, 2016

Top Chinese envoy in Vietnam as tension looms before court ruling

China's top diplomat arrived in Vietnam on Monday for a scheduled meeting to strengthen ties at a time of strain over the South China Sea.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2016

Trump's economic policies a recipe for disaster

Some politically neutral economists have looked at Donald Trump's economic policies. What they found should scare the daylights out of you.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 21, 2016

Trump gives Clinton her much-needed cause

The political context around Hillary Clinton has changed. Donald Trump has transformed her from a transactional candidate to a conviction candidate.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 20, 2016

Regional papers reach out to voters in fight to stay relevant, solvent

With the July 10 Upper House election just around the corner, politics is once again in the air as Diet members head back to their local constituencies to campaign and promote their party platforms.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 14, 2016

The woman who spent seven years 'locked' in Issey Miyake's wardrobe

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Midori Kitamura says as she settles into her chair. "OK, let's take a break."
COMMENTARY / World
May 9, 2016

Turkey's last shreds of balance are disappearing

An increasingly radical Recep Tayyip Erdogan is forcing out the last of the team of smart and qualified people he brought in to run Turkey with him.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 12, 2016

Why women put on the suicide vest

On a list of history's most notorious assassins, alongside John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald and Gavrilo Princip, the name Thenmozhi Rajaratnam would probably draw mostly blank stares. But in her way, the Tamil Tiger terrorist — who blew up herself, the Indian leader Rajiv Gandhi and 13 others in...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2016

Those 'free rider' allies are finally paying up

There are signs that U.S. allies in Asia, Europe and the Middle East are starting to understand that the bill for the Pax Americana has come due.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 28, 2016

Trump is positioned to win the presidency

If the Democrats are serious about stopping Donald Trump, they should stop Hillary Clinton from clinching the nomination.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2016

Not time to normalize with Russia

The West shouldn't reengage with President Vladimir Putin until Russia stops posing a threat to Ukraine.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2016

Stop thinking 'reformers vs. conservatives' in Iran

The rest of the world may be confused, but for Tehran's business community and cafe-loving urbanites, it's pretty clear who won Iran's recent parliamentary election: They did.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 2, 2016

'Oyster Factory' dredges up the dreams and fears of Japan's rural workers

Japanese documentaries tend to be blandly inoffensive, especially those dealing with sensitive topics. Typically, a velvet-voiced narrator sets the scene and a sympathetic interviewer lobs questions to her subjects as gently upbeat music plays in the background.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 11, 2016

Note to Baltic states: Israel is a tiny country, too

The Baltic states should draw defense lessons from Israel, which also faces an attack from a larger enemy, with little territory upon which to fight a lengthy defense.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2016

Mustafa Koc, Turkey's beloved businessman

Turkish magnate Mustafa Koc was able to walk a fine line with a government that too often sees its secularist opponents as terrorists.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2016

Obama calls for bipartisanship while sabotaging it

In his final State of the Union, President Barack Obama offered a hopeful vision of the future while also expressing little interest in achieving it over the next 12 months.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2016

Saudi Arabia has bigger problems than Iran

While Saudi Arabia is hardly fertile ground for revolution, the government faces unprecedented challenges both within and outside the country.

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