Search - opinion

 
 
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 24, 2023

After cyclones leave many homeless, Vanuatu takes climate plea to world stage

More than 3,000 people are still in evacuation centers three weeks after two category-four cyclones hit Vanuatu, which has a population of 319,000 spread across 80 islands.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 23, 2023

Japanese Communist Party expulsions cause jitters in party ranks

Citing a serious violation of party regulations, the JCP expelled Nobuyuki Matsutake and Hajime Suzuki after both used book publications to agitate for the vote among party members.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 22, 2023

Kishida in Kyiv: PM tries to burnish diplomatic chops, but will this translate domestically?

While Kishida was able to contrast himself with Xi and boost his own global profile, the affect the trip will have on his popularity at home remains uncertain.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2023

BOJ debated side effects of easy policy at March meeting

While global banking woes have taken some pressure off long-term interest rates, the debate underscores the challenge incoming BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda faces in keeping borrowing costs low.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 17, 2023

How China lost Asia

China’s efforts to bully its neighbors into acquiescing to its demands have not only failed, they have led Asia's democracies to deepen cooperation with the United States.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 12, 2023

Boris Johnson wants to knight his dad? That's Britain.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson may be causing the latest dismay, but much of Britain’s political class no longer knows how to behave.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 4, 2023

Taiwan wary of China charm offensive risks ahead of presidential vote

As Taipei and Beijing gradually resume travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan security officials expect China to relaunch an influence campaign.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 4, 2023

The Murdoch empire — and Fox News — is at a crossroads

Just how influential Rupert Murdoch remains looms large in Republican circles ahead of what portends to be a contentious 2024 U.S. presidential primary race.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 14, 2023

Britain needs some leveling up in its military

Worries mount over the British military falling behind as Vladimir Putin’s land war rages in Ukraine.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 6, 2023

Tokyo High Court to decide whether to reopen Iwao Hakamata murder case

The decision on whether to reopen the high-profile 1966 Shizuoka Prefecture murder case will come on March 13, defense lawyers in the case have said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 5, 2023

After U.S. downing of suspected Chinese spy balloon, can ties can be stabilized?

Washington's dramatic decision to shoot down the balloon has highlighted the growing trust gap between the two superpowers and raised fresh questions about the trajectory of bilateral ties.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 1, 2023

If Kishida's approval ratings remain in a rut, who might succeed him as prime minister?

Lawmakers like Taro Kono and Shigeru Ishiba might be popular with the public, but whether they can garner support from within their party is a major question mark.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 29, 2023

Can South Korea and Japan repair their strained relationship?

Both nations are aiming to mend ties clouded by years of mistrust and a tumultuous past, but many challenges remain.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 29, 2023

Big Tech binged on workers during COVID-19 — now, comes the purge

The spate of Big Tech layoffs is a reaction to a hiring wave during the pandemic that got out of hand. But will it be an overreaction?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 26, 2023

BOJ policymakers divided on wage and inflation outlook, meeting summary shows

The divergence in views highlight the challenge policymakers face in determining whether the recent cost-driven rise in inflation will shift to one backed by robust demand and higher wages.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 19, 2023

Meet the $4 billion AI superstars that Google lost

Eight alumni made one of the biggest discoveries in AI, then left to build their own startups. Why did Google miss the boat?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 11, 2023

What lies behind China's unconventional approach to diplomacy?

The country is pushing its own narratives to the international community by using its economic influence and shaking up the very concept of how order should be.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 5, 2023

Would you spend the night in a coffin … for art?

Want to know what it’s like to spend the night in a coffin? Culture critic Thu-Huong Ha joins us to discuss her night in artist Marina Abramovic’s nightmare-inducing Dream House.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2023

Crucial role: Defense of Taiwan hinges on Japan's support

Without the use of bases in Japan, the United States would not be able to employ tactical air power in the event of a conflict.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2023

New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern gives the world a lesson in humility

Jacinda Ardern's leadership stood in such stark contrast to many of her boorish male counterparts, and represented a different kind of politics.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 19, 2023

Kishida Cabinet approval falls to record-low 26.5%

The result apparently reflected anxiety about Kishida's plans to raise taxes to boost defense spending, as well as higher consumer prices.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 18, 2023

What the Kardashians can teach climate activists

Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time, a crisis that will affect every every nation and every human life — and yet people seem more curious about the Kardashians.
Members of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild take part in a picket line outside Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California, on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2023

AI shines a spotlight on Hollywood hypocrisy

Studios haven’t informed or paid background actors properly for being digitally scanned, yet they want the same courtesy from AI companies.
An extreme heat warning in Death Valley, California, on July 15
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2023

Our civilization was built for a climate that’s vanishing

Weather disasters linked to climate change like those unfolding across the northern hemisphere will affect more and more of us.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2023

Government explains radar deployment plan to residents of Okinawan island

The Defense Ministry stressed the need to build a tight surveillance system in the Pacific, where the Chinese military is increasing its activities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 12. The leader's efforts to conduct diplomacy in the face of conflict have drawn comparisons with British wartime leader Winston Churchill.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 20, 2023

Why Zelenskyy's diplomacy is a key factor in Ukraine's efforts to win war

The leader's counteroffensive came at a critical time, sandwiched between two summits — the Group of Seven summit in May and a NATO summit earlier this month.
Demonstrators protest against Japan's plan to discharge treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant into the ocean, in Seoul on July 7.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 20, 2023

Fukushima water opposition is steeped in anti-science

Skepticism over Japan’s plan to discharge treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant must not give way to scaremongering.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during Prime Minister's Questions, at the House of Commons in London on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 21, 2023

British PM Rishi Sunak avoids wipeout in key local elections

By-elections were seen as an indicator of the two main parties' prospects at a time when voters are struggling with high inflation, strikes and rising mortgage rates.
Support for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet dropped to 30.8% in July, a survey shows.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 13, 2023

Poll shows Kishida Cabinet approval down to 30.8%

The slide in support may have reflected the string of problems related to My Number personal identification cards.
The hack of a U.S. IT management company shows how North Korean cyber spies are now tackling companies that can give them broader access to multiple victims downstream — a tactic known as a "supply chain attack."
WORLD
Jul 21, 2023

North Korean hackers breached U.S. IT company in bid to steal cryptocurrency

The hack shows how North Korean cyber spies are now tackling companies that can give them broader access to multiple victims downstream.

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