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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 1, 2017

The poverty of thought in our welfare systems

Sometimes I want to look up from whatever I'm doing (usually when I'm staring at a screen) and send up a prayer of thanks that at 81 years old, filmmaker Ken Loach continues to be who he is.
EDITORIALS
Mar 1, 2017

Doubling down on chaos in Seoul

South Korea needs to get hold of the chaos currently paralyzing its political world.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 20, 2017

Europe's fear of Muslims runs deep

A poll on European attitudes toward immigration, Islam and terrorism, shows that a majority of Europeans don't want any more Muslim immigration.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 4, 2017

Food contamination fears after 3/11 make the invisible visible

"Radiation brain" was a pun that made the social media circuit after March 11, 2011, deriding people whose brains (nō) had become unduly contaminated with fears about radiation after the disaster at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. They had, people claimed,...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2016

Five big political risks for the incoming year

A Trump White House, leadership intrigue in China and Australia, Islam unnerving Indonesia, and Kim Jong-un's tantrums threaten stability in Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2016

As liberal Europe withers, whither the EU?

The EU started as a loose collection of states cooperating for common ends but has turned into a consolidated continental state with little concern for what European peoples desire.
EDITORIALS
Dec 6, 2016

Europe shaken by Italian vote

Matteo Renzi's decision to resign ushers in a political and economic crisis for Italy — and for Europe.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Nov 29, 2016

LDP ignores needed reform by focusing on term limits

The Liberal Democratic Party is being very shortsighted by focusing its reform effort so narrowly.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 28, 2016

What will America's Berlusconi do?

Italy's experience with tycoon-turned-politician Silvio Berlusconi provides six clear lessons for Americans and the world on what to expect from Donald Trump.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2016

Trump finds supporter in 'fellow dictator' Hashimoto

The victory of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election has been greeted with concern and anxiety among political and business leaders, and the general public around the globe, who fear relations with Washington will worsen under his presidency.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 9, 2016

Trump and his policy in Asia remain an unknown for Japan

Trump represents uncharted waters, a situation that could undermine the Japan-U.S. alliance and upend security in Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2016

Witch hunts follow Thai king's death

Thailand's much revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away Oct. 13. His death has heightened the anxiety felt by some members of the Thai public about the country's uncertain future without the charismatic monarch. Increasingly many royalists are expressing their concerns through a series of witch-hunt...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 31, 2016

In U.S. election, the fix is in

When push comes to shove, the status quo must — and will — be maintained.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 8, 2016

Unknown quantity: How the outcome of the presidential election in November could affect Japan-U.S. relations

"Jesus! Where will it end? How low do you have to stoop in this country to be president?" — Hunter S. Thompson, "Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72"
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 2, 2016

Shimon Peres, Israel's last founding father

Shimon Peres was an Israeli leader with a vision and a message.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 26, 2016

Myanmar army chief reshuffles officers, promotes intelligence chief

Myanmar's army chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, reshuffled top posts on Friday, promoting his intelligence chief and other officers leading efforts to present the military as a responsible partner in a democratic transition.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2016

How Pakistan betrayed its founding father's vision

Until Pakistan decides whether it wishes to operate as a Muslim theocracy or as the liberal and progressive state that its founder intended, it will remain gripped in a battle between competing forces.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 31, 2016

Corruption a recurring theme in Tokyoites' picks for governor

The money scandals that felled Tokyo's past two governors apparently influenced Sunday's election with many voters saying they expected their new leader to stamp out graft in the capital.
EDITORIALS
Jul 28, 2016

Trump's troubling Russian ties

Donald Trump should provide more transparency about the nature of his financial dealings and interests in Russia.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 27, 2016

Japanese freedom an illusion

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has betrayed the Japanese people in his handling of his drive for constitutional revision.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 22, 2016

Hillary Clinton, the candidate we know so well — and don't

When she was about 14, Hillary Clinton says, she wrote to NASA volunteering for astronaut training.
EDITORIALS
Jul 16, 2016

Getting youths to the ballot box

Teachers and students alike should be encouraged to express their political opinions and discuss concrete issues while refraining from imposing their views on others.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2016

On the campaign trail for the foreign right to vote

Permanent residents argue their tax contributions entitle them to a degree of representation at the ballot box. With the Upper House election just around the corner, we examine both sides of the debate.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 22, 2016

LDP grandee Kunio Hatoyama dead at 67

The death was announced Wednesday of veteran lawmaker and former internal affairs minister Kunio Hatoyama. He was 67.
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 Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2016

Bangladesh in deep trouble

Four secular bloggers were hacked to death in Bangladesh last year in a campaign of murder. What was remarkable was the response of the government — or rather, its lack of response.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2016

U.S. establishment trampling on democracy

If the ruling class can steal elections from someone as rich as Trump, there is nothing left of American democracy.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2016

Conservatives in academia need to 'come out'

Unless left-wing academics come to value, or at least tolerate, political diversity, intellectual inquiry in the humanities and social sciences faces a bleak future.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 29, 2016

Obama says journalists partly to blame for tone of presidential race

President Barack Obama on Monday laid some of the blame for the tone of the presidential campaign on political journalism that has been pinched by shrinking newsroom budgets and cheapened by a focus on retweets and likes on social media.

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