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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2022

The prince of Wales and his discontents

Queen Elizabeth II has kept the monarchy popular — and the country united around it — by keeping her opinions to herself. Charles should master the discipline
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 24, 2022

Understanding the extent of Chinese public support for Russia

The Chinese public is purported to overwhelmingly be on Russia's side amid the invasion of Ukraine, but there is little appetite for China to play an active role.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 19, 2022

Climate-conscious independents could determine Australian election

Enraged by the lack of government action on climate change, the candidates are campaigning hard on environmental issues in the hope of appealing to moderate voters.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 4, 2022

Biden pledges to try to enshrine Roe into law if court strikes down landmark ruling

The Court's chief justice, John Roberts, said he had ordered the marshal of the court to investigate the source of the leak.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 3, 2022

What would the end of Roe v. Wade mean? Key questions and answers.

A leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn the Roe v. Wade legal precedent describes a United States not seen in half a century.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 8, 2022

Tokyo’s tough stand against Moscow comes at a cost

Tokyo's recent decision to line up with the West on sanctioning Russia is a serious shift for Japan, and one with the obvious cost of alienating Moscow in the Northern Territories dispute.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 7, 2022

The other threat to democracy

In recent years, we have watched authoritarian leaders come to power democratically, only to erode constitutional norms and institutions once in office.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 30, 2022

American book-banning tradition is as old as the Mayflower

One activist said, 'Why is everyone so upset? Controlling what children read is entirely different from controlling what adults read.”
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 17, 2021

Pork referendum poses test for strengthening U.S. and Taiwan ties

Taiwanese citizens will vote Saturday on four questions, but it's a potential pork ban that has Washington worried.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Nov 10, 2021

Aaron Rodgers admits he 'misled' people about his vaccine status

Days after he tested positive, the former Super Bowl champion defiantly told 'The Pat McAfee Show' that he had not lied, but returned to the program on Tuesday to clarify his comments.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 10, 2021

In LDP race, divided factions and empowered junior lawmakers make election a toss-up

Unlike last year, when a majority of the party's prominent factions swiftly banded together to back Yoshihide Suga, most factions are divided over who to support.
JAPAN / Politics / The LDP's game of thrones
Sep 10, 2021

What to watch once official campaigning begins in the LDP race

While previous presidential elections have subscribed to a typical formula, this year's vote will be anything but dull.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 13, 2021

‘The Party and the People’ shows Chinese leadership as responsive but unaccountable to the public

In his new book, Bruce J. Dickson refers to contemporary Chinese politics as a study in nuanced contrasts: authoritarian yet cooperative; repressive yet responsive to public opinion.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 6, 2021

'Prelude to Pearl Harbor': With diplomatic lines drawn and soft power spent, a standoff emerges

Author John Gripentrog looks at the events and attitudes that paved the way to the Second World War in “Prelude to Pearl Harbor: Ideology and Culture in US-Japan Relations 1914-1941.”
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
May 13, 2021

IOC expresses confidence despite public opposition to Tokyo Games

As things stand now we are moving full ahead. We continue to plan for full games. That's the way it has to be for us,' IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 24, 2021

China lashes out at U.S. allies in bid to thwart Biden strategy

China's assertive response on the heels of a rare public dust-up with U.S. officials in Alaska last week shows Xi's government is digging in against international criticism.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2021

The second Jacksonian age

The Jacksonian era, like our own, was a time of extreme democratization and rampant anti-elitism.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 28, 2021

Left out? Israeli's unvaccinated fear exclusion as economy reopens

Other countries are likely to scrutinize Israel's early experience to see how it addresses mostly unanswered questions about balancing individual rights with obligations to public health.
SOCCER / From the Spot
Feb 12, 2021

WE League chair 'grateful' for Yoshiro Mori's sexist remarks

Kikuko Okajima is pleased that the now-former Tokyo 2020 president brought attention to the issue of gender equality in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2021

Hong Kong’s slum landlords put everyone at risk

Subdivided apartments — cubicles carved out of existing flats or buildings — are an emblem of the government's failure to tackle the city's housing shortage.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2021

Bezos-Buffett-Dimon dream team couldn’t fix health care

The dissolution of the Haven accord is emblematic of the profound challenge that haunts business leaders and politicians alike.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 28, 2020

Battered Turkish economy puts a powerful Erdogan to the test

Turks had been grappling with a falling currency and double-digit inflation for two years when the pandemic hit in March, sharply worsening the country's deep recession.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 25, 2020

Battles over U.S. voting rules fuel concern about postelection fights

With less than six weeks until the U.S. election, laws governing how Americans vote remain in flux in many battleground states, with the two parties locked in an intensive fight over the rules as President Donald Trump continues to suggest he will challenge any outcome unfavorable to him.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 27, 2020

Republicans emphasize law and order as Trump wades into Wisconsin protests

Republicans opened the third night of their convention on Wednesday with a strong law-and-order message, casting U.S. President Donald Trump as a supporter of law enforcement amid protests over the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 29, 2020

Look to the American people, not their government, for inspiration

It is increasingly clear that the real source of U.S. influence is its civil society.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2020

With crisis, old media suddenly has the upper hand

After failing to anticipate the financial crisis, networks and major newspapers have earned a good chance of flourishing in the future.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 26, 2020

Spring Basho provided unique experience but raised concerns

The just-finished Spring Grand Sumo Tournament has left us writers with a wealth of storylines.
Reader Mail
Mar 20, 2020

Now is not the time to bash China

Regarding the opinion pieces "Crisis exposes China's institutional problems" by Stephen R. Nagy in the March 13 edition and "COVID-19 crisis reveals CCP's true colors" by Denny Roy on March 7, both authors use the COVID-19 crisis to bash China and its political system.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 15, 2020

Unmarried single parents find an unlikely ally in scrap over tax deduction

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party submitted an amendment to the Diet in January to expand the "widow's deduction" to cover single parents who have never been married. This system allows single parents who have lost spouses to death or divorce to deduct a certain amount of money from their taxable income...

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic