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Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 20, 2023

Lab leak or not? How politics shaped the battle over COVID-19’s origin

In the U.S., Democrat-Republican political divisions mean that the evidence for competing theories on the origin of the virus is often filtered through partisan political lenses.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 12, 2023

AI is making politics easier, cheaper and more dangerous

Deepfakes have plagued politics for years, but with AI, savvy editing skills are no longer required to create them.
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2022

In Japan, ties between politics and religion run deep

The assassination of Shinzo Abe has shed light on politicians' ties to the Unification Church, but less controversial organizations also play a political role.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
May 30, 2022

A 26-year-old sex-crime fighter dives into South Korean politics

Just months after emerging from anonymity, activist Park Ji-hyun was named interim co-chair of the Democratic Party and the leader of its rebuilding efforts.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2022

Japan's government releases video to help eradicate harassment from politics

The video is based on 1,324 stories shared by local lawmakers from across Japan who have experienced some sort of harassment by their constituents or senior lawmakers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / The Year Ahead: Reckonings
Jan 3, 2022

America’s struggle at home

America's politics have become an insider's game to favor the super-rich and corporate lobbies at the expense of the overwhelming majority of citizens.
Japan Times
EDITORIALS
Oct 1, 2021

Elections everywhere: Fateful moments in global politics

In this world, leadership is vital. These elections do not augur well. While forces of illiberalism consolidate and gain traction, democracies spin their wheels.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 28, 2020

The impact of compensation politics on Japan's defense

The system derived from compensation politics has real and immediate impacts on Japan's defense designs.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 6, 2020

Women in Japanese politics: Why so few after so very long?

To mark International Women's Day on March 8, there will be worldwide marches, parades, protests and public awareness activities on the contributions of women and the barriers and discrimination they still face.
EDITORIALS
Mar 10, 2019

An opportunity to reduce the gender gap in politics

Upcoming local elections will test whether the parties take the gender gap as a serious issue that needs to be fixed.
JAPAN / History / Heisei Icons
Feb 19, 2019

Ichiro Ozawa: The kingmaker and destroyer in Japanese politics

Reformer, kingmaker, shadow shogun, destroyer. With so many labels, no politician stands out like Ichiro Ozawa among Japan's conformist legislators.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 31, 2018

'Country of cowards': Comedy duo's political satire stands out in gun-shy Japan

In what was perhaps a make-or-break moment for their careers, comedy duo Woman Rush Hour did something on prime-time television in December that most of their fellow comedians try their best to eschew: They talked about politics.
EDITORIALS
Jul 31, 2017

Nawaz Sharif's exit in Pakistan

The struggle between civilian and military authorities remains the real fault line in Pakistan's politics.
COMMENTARY / World
May 8, 2017

France's 'can't lose' candidate pays a price

Depressed turnout and record support for the National Front suggest that something real has happened in French politics, something that should worry the establishment.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2017

Dutch should replace politics of fear with reason

As the Dutch confront the results of their most consequential election in decades, they should heed the lessons of their most famous philosopher and not allow themselves to be governed by fear.
EDITORIALS
Aug 10, 2016

A veneer of legitimacy for Thailand

Thailand's new constitution locks in the role of the military as the guiding force in Thai politics.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 7, 2016

Britain, too, is infected with political silliness

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is a reactionary masquerading as a revolutionary.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 3, 2016

Sentiment's role in politics

Japan's political class is doing a poor job of harnessing public sentiment in pursuit of meaningful reform.
EDITORIALS
Feb 15, 2016

A tumultuous campaign in the U.S.

Anger and insecurity threaten to shape, if not determine, the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
EDITORIALS
Jan 3, 2016

2016 opens on a hopeful note

The challenges facing Japan this year will require hard work, patience and creativity.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2015

Indian voters allow for an upstart

Perhaps a sense of the increasing lopsidedness of political power in India explains why so many voters around the country are so keenly interested in the results of last weekend's elections in the city-state of New Delhi, involving the fledgling Aam Aadmi Party.
United Hindu Front activists protest in New Delhi on Sunday over Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of Indian involvement in the assassination of a Sikh independence proponent back in Canada.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2023

The politics behind Canada and India’s diplomatic tiff

Ottawa's soft-power righteousness over assassination of Sikh leader in British Columbia ruffles feathers in New Delhi
Seoul-based American physician John Linton — Korean name Ihn Yohan — speaks during a meeting in Seoul on Nov. 3
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 7, 2023

'Blue-eyed Korean' tasked with shaking up Seoul politics

Born in rural Jeolla province, John Linton is nicknamed the "blue-eyed Korean" and speaks the language perfectly, albeit with a strong regional accent.
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Vandalia, Ohio, earlier this month.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 20, 2024

The zombification of American politics

Turning a party into an autocracy is a logical first step toward turning the country into one.
Koichi Hagiuda, former economy minister, shakes hands with his supporters in Hachioji, Tokyo, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 18, 2024

In western Tokyo, national scandals rub up against local politics

In the Tokyo No. 24 district, the LDP is grappling with a backlash, but the opposition is struggling to capitalize on the public’s lingering dissatisfaction.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba bows to Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers during a news conference at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Monday, a day after the party recorded disappointing results in the Lower House election.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 29, 2024

A disastrous poll puts Japan politics on shaky path

The Japanese public was crying out for change, but Ishiba entirely failed to offer it, instead using warmed-over catchphrases from Kishida.
Leaders of Japan’s political parties pose for a group photo at the start of a debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Oct. 12. Sunday’s Lower House election saw the ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party take a drubbing.
EDITORIALS
Nov 1, 2024

The balance of power shifts in Japan’s politics

Despite the LDP's losses at polls, the recent election didn't exactly indicate popular support for an opposition-led government either.
Motohiko Saito talks to reporters on Monday after his reelection as Hyogo governor. His surprising comeback highlights rising populism in Japan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 22, 2024

Has the age of populism finally reached Japan?

Motohiko Saito's reelection in Hyogo sparks concerns over populist trends in Japan's politics.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch are both nonbelievers. That’s a rare shared trait in the country’s political history.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 25, 2025

How much does faith influence British politics?

For the first time in British political history, both the nation’s premier and the official leader of the opposition have shared such an attitude toward God.
The Bank of Japan in Tokyo. Turmoil in developed nations such as France and Japan underscores how politics is eclipsing central bank policy as a key market driver.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 13, 2025

The politics premium is punishing bonds from Paris to Tokyo

Investors are demanding fiscal consolidation, while anything resembling austerity can prove politically contentious and toxic at the ballot box.

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