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Despite mainstream media downplaying the significance, the rise of figures like France's Marine Le Pen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni indicates a normalization of the radical right.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 21, 2024

The specter of neo-fascism is haunting Europe

Despite mainstream media downplaying the significance, the rise of figures like Marine Le Pen and Giorgia Meloni indicates a normalization of the radical right.
Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto speaks at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 1. The leader is expected to pursue an ambitious foreign policy aiming for a bigger role for Indonesia as a regional and global player.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2024

What Prabowo’s presidency in Indonesia will look like

Rather than being a puppet of the outgoing Widodo, incoming President Prabowo will pursue a strong foreign policy and potentially roll back some democratic institutions.
Canada Day is held on July 1 to mark Canada’s founding in 1867. This year, the country celebrates its 157th anniversary among resounding successes and tough challenges at home and abroad.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2024

Canada at 157: Lots to celebrate, but also to rethink

At 157, Canada is stable and prosperous, but cracks are starting to form. Its citizens think politicians are out of touch and the country holds little sway abroad.
U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at a campaign event in North Carolina on Friday, the day following the president's disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump. Biden has brushed aside calls from some Democrats to step aside.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2024

Replacing Joe Biden is a fantasy Democrats must abandon

Those Democrats calling for a change in candidate need to keep calm and let Biden carry on. He may have had a bad performance, but he's still the man who beat Trump.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers the first speech of his premiership outside No. 10 Downing St. in London on Friday, following his Labour Party's win in the general election.
WORLD
Jul 6, 2024

New U.K. PM Keir Starmer speaks to world leaders and names top team

Starmer named Rachel Reeves the U.K.'s first female finance minister and appointed David Lammy as foreign secretary, among other Cabinet choices.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris attends an event in New Orleans on Saturday. Democrats should do what they should have done long ago: Elevate Harris as the party's future, rather than sidelining her for her perceived unpopularity.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 9, 2024

Kamala Harris is Democrats’ future, no matter what

Whether with Harris as presidential nominee or No. 2 on Biden's tickets, Democrats should do what they should have done long ago: Elevate rather than sideline the VP.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington in April. Both leaders face an uphill battle to stay at the helm of their respective parties and countries.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 10, 2024

Japan too is wrestling with a flawed leader

Questions about election prospects plague Biden in the U.S. and Kishida in Japan, with both trying to hang on to their commanding positions despite growing discontent.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike meets with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday following her victory in Sunday's gubernatorial election.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 11, 2024

Sense of crisis remains in LDP over next general election

The LDP suffered a major defeat in Sunday’s Tokyo metropolitan assembly by-elections, adding to their string of recent national and local losses.
Politicians pay their respects to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday in the city of Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 11, 2024

Two years after Abe’s death, LDP's conservatives still lack direction

The absence of a figure who is able to embody conservative ideals and marshal widespread consensus within the party has weighed heavily on conservatives.
Recent events in U.S. politics, including an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, a favorable court ruling and his nomination at the Republican National Convention, have strengthened the perception he may be “untouchable,” yet nothing is set in stone.
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 2024

Trump’s wild week and a changing U.S. presidential race

Recent events have reinforced the idea of the “Teflon Don,” an extraordinarily lucky man for whom the laws of politics do not apply.
An aerial view on Monday of the Butler Farm Show grounds in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally on July 13.
WORLD / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Jul 20, 2024

From honor student to the gunman who tried to kill Donald Trump

Thomas Crooks was a brainy and quiet young man who built computers and won honors at school, impressing his teachers. Then he became a would-be assassin.
Sheikh Hasina, then the prime minister of Bangladesh, in her office in Dhaka on June 11, 2023
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 6, 2024

Swift downfall of iron-fisted Sheikh Hasina marks new era in Bangladesh

Hasina saw her 15-year rule as Bangladesh’s prime minister unravel over the course of a bloody weekend that left scores of people dead.
Thailand's Move Forward Party Leader Pita Limjaroenrat (center) during a rally in Bangkok in July 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 7, 2024

Thai court disbands opposition party over royal reform push

In a unanimous ruling, the nine-member court found that Move Forward’s bid to amend the lese majeste law violated poll rules.
Health minister Keizo Takemi fields questions from reporters in March after a Cabinet meeting to deal with health problems caused by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's beni kōji red yeast rice supplements.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 14, 2024

Health Minister Keizo Takemi on how to improve Japan's health care system

Digitalization, hiring high-skilled foreign workers and increasing wages are among the steps that Japan could take.
In a news conference Wednesday, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan's former chief, Yukio Edano, expressed his resolve to build a party that can challenge the dominance of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in national politics.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 21, 2024

CDP's Edano takes another shot at party leadership after 2021 polls failure

After a poor showing three years ago, Edano is seeking to return to lead Japan's largest opposition party ahead of upcoming polls.
Digital minister Taro Kono speaks during a news conference to announce his candidacy in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 26, 2024

Taro Kono joins contest for LDP presidency

Touting his international credentials, the digital minister put economic reform at the top of his agenda, pledging to cut publicly funded projects that are ineffective.
The U.S. presidential debate is unlikely to change the minds of voters significantly; instead, it may maintain the current momentum of the race, with Harris emerging as the apparent victor and Trump revealing his limitations.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 12, 2024

Trump may not have met his Waterloo, but he more than met his match

The race is too close to call, but Tuesday, Harris was the clear victor. Trump, on the other hand, left no doubt about his limitations.
Kimberly Guilfoyle speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17. More than two decades ago, the future vice president Kamala Harris and the conservative firebrand Guilfoyle were rising legal stars in San Francisco when Guilfoyle accused Harris of trying to deny her a job.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2024

The long, strange saga of Kamala Harris and Kimberly Guilfoyle

More than two decades ago, the future vice president Harris and the conservative firebrand Guilfoyle were rising legal stars in San Francisco.
Japan's allies are hoping for a leader who will continue the effective foreign policies established by Shinzo Abe while the nation's enemies are looking for inexperience and chaos within the Liberal Democratic Party.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 25, 2024

The LDP election through the eyes of allies, 'frenemies' and foes

Allies hope for a Japanese leader who will continue Shinzo Abe's effective foreign policies, while enemies seek inexperience and chaos within the LDP.
Digital minister Taro Kono, who is contesting the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, shows a board saying "accomplishment of reformation" during a debate in Tokyo on Sept. 14.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 25, 2024

How Taro Kono lost his mojo

Recent polls have shown the digital minister trailing behind his eight other rivals in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race.
Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) leader Yoshihiko Noda speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 13, 2024

Amid skepticism, CDP faces once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Oct. 27 polls

The party can capitalize on dissatisfaction against the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over a recent scandal, but it must battle voters' deep-seated doubts against it.
Yahya Sinwar gives a speech in Gaza City in April 2023. Israeli forces cornered and killed the leader of Hamas in a ruined house in Gaza on Oct. 16.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 23, 2024

The killing of Sinwar presents a tricky opportunity

It’s always a mistake to speak of "solutions” in the Middle East, but plausible grounds for optimism can do a lot to dissolve the allure of fanaticism.
Liberal Democratic Party candidate Nobuyasu Nikai speaks in front of a crowd in the district of Aridagawa, Wakayama Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 25, 2024

Election wildcard in Wakayama puts rural district in national spotlight

Former LDP member Hiroshige Seko's decision to seek a Lower House seat as an independent candidate highlights the fractured state of the ruling party.
While Donald Trump is typically seen as the instigator of the slide in America’s standing and credibility as a global leader, in truth, questions about U.S. commitment and resolve have persisted long before his administration. 
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 29, 2024

This election won’t — can’t — solve U.S. foreign policy woes

While Trump is typically seen as the instigator of this slide, in truth, questions about U.S. commitment and resolve predate his administration.
With the next prime minister needing to be selected soon after the recent election, there are questions about whether the Democratic Party For the People and Nippon Ishin no Kai will support Shigeru Ishiba in his bid to remain Japan’s leader.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 31, 2024

Ishiba's future in question as support from allies wavers

The question now is whether the DPP and Ishin will support the LDP nominee to ensure victory, or if they will nominate their own candidates.
Timeleft uses an algorithm to match its users with five or six strangers in an effort to prompt “human connection” over dinner at a restaurant. It determines the attendees with the help of a simple personality quiz available when you sign up for the service.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Dec 2, 2024

Seven strangers and an algorithm: Can this new dinner app help you make friends?

An app called Timeleft hopes to combat big-city alienation through a simple meal with a diverse group of people.
Protesters angry over President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declarations of martial law call on him to step down at a rally at the national assembly in Seoul on Wednesday. REUTERS
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2024

Where does South Korea's democracy go from here?

Why did he dig himself such a deep political hole? The answer to that is Yoon is not really a “politician” either.
Yurie Collins is a bilingual comedian based in Tokyo. In addition to being a prize-winning roast comic, her dating-themed "Tokyo Hoe Tales" shows have proven to be a hit with women of all nationalities.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 10, 2024

Yurie Collins: ‘Everyone seems sedated, fed-up … that’s why they turn to comedy’

Yurie Collins is a bicultural stand-up comedian who has opened for comedian Atsuko Okatsuka and the upcoming Iliza Shlesinger show in Tokyo.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Shinjiro Koizumi during a meeting last month in Tokyo
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 12, 2024

LDP and opposition far from consensus over corporate donations

At this point, there is no prospect of any bill securing a majority and the focus is on whether parties can compromise with each other and reach an agreement.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives at the federal Liberal caucus holiday party, the day after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland unexpectedly resigned, in Ottawa on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 22, 2024

From liberal icon to MAGA joke: The waning fortunes of Justin Trudeau

Canada’s prime minister gained global renown 10 years ago for his unabashedly progressive politics. But at home, voters turned sour on him long ago.

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