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Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 12, 2021

Putin eyes working with 'predictable' Biden as Russia-U.S. ties remain tense

Putin suggested that, in spite of heightened tensions with the U.S., he may be able to work with Biden in part because he's more predictable than Trump.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 21, 2021

Thai protesters plan return to streets as COVID-19 response fuels disquiet

More than a million Thais have joined a Facebook group to discuss ways to leave the country for good.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 18, 2021

Singapore bloggers turn to crowdfunding to pay defamation bills

Blogs provide an avenue for government criticism in a country that ranks among the worst in the world for press freedom.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2021

Lessons from Britain: The old way of politicking no longer applies

The recent remarkable electoral events in the U.K. have big implications for British politics. But they also contain important lessons that should be of interest everywhere in the world where politicians and political parties seek the support of voters under modern conditions, Japan very much included....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 15, 2021

Can Japan say 'no' to China and 'yes' to political activism?

Japanese media reports a tense situation in the Taiwan Strait, with domestic brands dependent on Chinese money and a local populace that may not take action.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 7, 2021

Australia’s battered Scott Morrison bets on budget to repair image

After having his political judgment questioned, Morrison will attempt to reset the narrative by highlighting his economic stewardship through the pandemic.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
May 3, 2021

Moving house in a pandemic: Meeting the neighbors and readying your child for their 'playground debut'

In the final entry of a three-part series on moving house during the pandemic, our writer masks up to meet the neighbors.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 30, 2021

Alexei Navalny’s network crumbling under Kremlin pressure

The move seems likely to push resistance to Putin further underground as the Kremlin's yearslong effort to suppress dissent enters a more aggressive phase.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2021

The Cold War playbook won’t help Alexei Navalny

That Navalny ended his hunger strike and his life isn't in imminent danger — for now — doesn't remove the underlying issue.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2021

America’s undimmed global cultural reach continues

The influence of American culture remains as strong as ever. The growth of a QAnon movement in Japan is the clearest example that some of its more paranoid ideas are spreading overseas.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 26, 2021

LDP’s triple by-election loss a long-term worry for Suga

Opposition victory in Hiroshima could fuel further questions about a vote-buying scandal there, with any revelations having a knock-on effect on September's LDP presidential race.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Apr 22, 2021

Hong Kong activists retreat as China-style justice comes to their city

On March 23, a Hong Kong High Court judge denied former Democratic Party lawmaker Andrew Wan’s bail appeal and sent him back to Lai Chi Kok prison.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 19, 2021

Don’t stay silent on gender equality in Japan. Voice up!

Students are promoting discussions on gender equality via platforms such as Instagram and podcasting, and the mainstream media in Japan is starting to take notice.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2021

COVID-19 widens the cracks in a fragmented, contested world

Insight, however, no matter how good, is wasted when policymakers aren't paying attention — a lesson that the Global Trends report makes painfully clear.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 12, 2021

For Suga and LDP, worries build over Hiroshima poll in election year

A vote-buying scandal that forced the resignation of the previous representative has rocked the local political establishment and sparked voter anger.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 11, 2021

Russian troop movements and talk of intervention cause jitters in Ukraine

Russia has amassed more troops on the Ukrainian border than at any time since 2014. Western governments are asking: Why now?
Japan Times
EDITORIALS
Apr 10, 2021

WHO’s COVID-19 report fails litmus test on transparency

While virtually all evidence pointed to China as the source of the outbreak, precisely when the disease appeared and where it came from are bitterly contested.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 8, 2021

Olympic boycott risks becoming the next big U.S.-China battle

While most diplomats doubted there would be an outright boycott, they noted that a lot can change before the opening ceremony 10 months from now.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2021

Disorder from the courts

Judges have probably done as much as any band of revolutionaries to disrupt political systems — in the process often undermining, rather than advancing, the cause of justice.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2021

'Tankie man': Pro-democracy Hong Kongers stand up to Western communists

The people who've been dubbed “tankies” often identify as Marxist-Leninists and are fiercely against U.S. interference in foreign politics, especially in countries that are socialist.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 30, 2021

Stuck in the Suez, a warning to the world

The closure is not unprecedented. The Suez canal has been blocked five times: three times by accidents and twice because of regional politics.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 29, 2021

The push to find real solutions to sexual harassment is ongoing, even in ‘safe’ Japan

Experts believe that many victims of sexual harassment in Japan aren't aware that what their harassers are doing is wrong. That is changing, however.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Mar 21, 2021

Same-sex parenthood draws unexpected support in Hungary

The Family Is Family campaign has enlisted 140 companies so far, up from 40 in February, in response to steps by the prime minister to effectively ban adoption for same-sex partners.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 19, 2021

Patriotic voices find big audience outside China's tightly controlled media

The success of bloggers and social media personalities helps show where the line for permissible speech is under President Xi Jinping.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 7, 2021

Myanmar forces make night raids after breaking up protests

More than 50 protesters have been killed and well over 1,500 people have been arrested under the junta, an advocacy group has said.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 2, 2021

Putin is losing the battle for Russia’s future

Since Russians began protesting opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s imprisonment, the security forces have apparently had carte blanche to arrest demonstrators — and they have done so by the thousands. If Russians so much as honk their car horns in solidarity with the protesters, they risk personal...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 1, 2021

Historic roundup of Hong Kong opposition draws defiant protest

The arrests of 47 opposition figures represented the most sweeping use of the national security law imposed by China last year.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 12, 2021

The Olympics can no longer be run from smoke-filled rooms

The cozy world of male-dominated politics that gave rise to Yoshiro Mori is no match for 21st century corporate sponsorship and athletic diplomacy.

Longform

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