Search - opinion

 
 
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2022

U.S. should follow the EU model for baby formula

American parents shouldn't have to turn to Europe for the highest-quality products — nor rely on foreign supplies when their own market is disrupted.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 22, 2022

Australia's Labor Party takes power as Morrison concedes defeat

The Labor Party is set to take power for the first time since 2013, as voters booted out Morrison's conservative government in a shift likely to bring greater action on climate change.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2022

The global safety net against hunger is frailer than you think

Political upheaval can accelerate food insecurity, particularly when the system is based on shaky foundations.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2022

North Korea’s missile frenzy must have consequences

After multiple missile launches, it's time for the U.S. and its allies in Asia to turn up the heat on Kim Jong Un's dictatorship.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2022

McDonald’s exit from Russia ends what was a hopeful era

If the 1990 opening in Pushkin Square was a symbol of hope, McDonald's exit announcement is confirmation that Russia is now not just uninvestible, but intolerable.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2022

The Indian government and its COVID-19 con

As the recent spat with the WHO over COVID-19 mortality figures suggests, clumsy attempts to influence the global narrative will only undermine India's international reputation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2022

Does your country really need digital cash?

Everyone's jumping on the digital cash bandwagon. But doing so should really depend on if your economy is more like that of Poland or Peru.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 18, 2022

With Ukraine taking firmer stance, peace talks grind to a halt

After weeks of trying to hammer out a peace deal, negotiators for Russia and Ukraine appear further apart than at any other point in the nearly three-monthlong war.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2022

Obesity is stalking poor countries where hunger once reigned

Low-cost calories are at the heart of the next big health crisis — and we have no systems in place to deal with the fallout.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 18, 2022

Does the Ukraine war herald a new era for Japan’s security policy?

Is the war in Ukraine creating a Japanese watershed moment? It might be up to Prime Minister Kishida.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2022

Companies should go green abroad, not just at home

Companies need to be rewarded for reducing emissions globally, not for scaling down their ambitions to focus on geographies where greener manufacturing is easiest.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 18, 2022

Fight with China risks backfiring on Australia's Morrison at the polls

Areas where Chinese Australians make up more than 10% of the voters could help decide who is the next prime minister.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2022

A mission to Uranus would be expensive, and worth it

The U.S. Congress should embrace a proposed $4 billion-plus Uranus mission for the discoveries it will make possible and to inspire a new generation of world-leading space scientists.
Lawrence Wong will become Singapore's fourth prime minister on Wednesday. He will be tasked with steering the city-state into new territory as its economy slows down and its population ages rapidly.
COMMENTARY / World
May 13, 2024

New Singaporean PM faces some economic headwinds

Lawrence Wong will be sworn in as the city-state's fourth prime minister on Wednesday. Despite Singapore's strong economy, new challenges lie ahead.
Nintendo tends to innovate and take unconventional product development routes, producing both great successes, like its Switch console, and spectacular failures.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 10, 2024

Nintendo needs to 'switch' its next console up

The Kyoto firm has been coy about what will come after the highly successful Switch console, but it needs to step up its game and learn from past mistakes.
Soldiers and police stand guard outside a South Korean Army boot camp in Yeoncheon county before the arrival of K-pop's BTS band member Jin, in December 2022. South Korea's economic success is often  overshadowed by its cultural exports.
COMMENTARY / World
May 10, 2024

A surprise South Korean boom is going unnoticed

Despite its robust economic performance, South Korea often takes a backseat to neighboring giants like Japan and China.
A German Navy frigate takes part in the BALTOPS 22 exercise in Baltic Sea in June 2022. Russia will push back against NATO's Baltic drills, although the correlation of forces at sea is now weighted heavily against it. 
COMMENTARY / World
May 10, 2024

Putin’s next target may be the ‘NATO lake’

Some say the argument that Putin would invade the Baltic states is overblown; but just three years ago, no one believed he would invade Ukraine.
Singapore's new prime minister, Lawrence Wong (left), shakes hands with his predecessor, Lee Hsien Loong, during the swearing-in ceremony at the Istana in Singapore on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 16, 2024

Singapore’s riches grew under its leader. So did discontent.

On Wednesday, the Southeast Asian country’s third prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, handed the reins to his deputy, the first leadership change in nearly 20 years.
The year 2023 was the hottest in recorded history. The next warmest 25 have all occurred since 1996.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2024

It’s officially hotter than anytime since the birth of Jesus

Tree rings hold records that can go back thousands of years, giving us the perspective we need to understand what’s happening today.
Meta's board of experts is seeking public comments regarding a post criticizing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on its Threads text messaging app.
JAPAN / Society
May 17, 2024

Meta seeks public opinion on Threads post criticizing Japan's PM

This is the first time the board has examined a case related to Threads.
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
JAPAN / Politics
May 17, 2024

Son of LDP heavyweight Toshihiro Nikai to run in Lower House election

Nobuyasu Nikai's decision to throw his hat into the ring also has larger implications for the Liberal Democratic Party.
Samples of cannabis edibles are offered during The 1st Phuket Cannabis Cup in Phuket, Thailand, in March 2023. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said marijuana should soon be classified as a narcotic again and its use limited to medical and health purposes.
COMMENTARY
May 17, 2024

Thailand’s cannabis U-turn is a cautionary tale

Banning the drug outright will no doubt cause a lot of pain to farmers, small business owners and consumers. A middle-ground approach to return to medical usage would be wise.

A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2024

America wasn’t made for walking, and it’s killing them

A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
Japan Times contributor Laura Pollacco (front right) was offered the role of one of her all-time favorite heroines, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet, in the Tokyo International Players’ production of “Pride and Prejudice.”
CULTURE / Stage
May 18, 2024

Local theater in Japan is more than a hobby — it’s a community

For contributor Laura Pollacco, companies such as Tokyo International Players and Sheepdog Theatre offer a home away from home.
A tactical ballistic missile with a new autonomous navigation system is test-fired at an undisclosed location in North Korea in this image released Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 18, 2024

North Korea confirms missile launch and vows bolstered nuclear force

North Korea has test-fired a tactical ballistic missile equipped with a "new autonomous navigation system," state media said Saturday.
Oleksandr Usyk punches Tyson Fury during their fight in Riyadh on Saturday. Usyk won to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
May 19, 2024

Oleksandr Usyk beats Tyson Fury to become undisputed heavyweight champion

Usyk is the first undisputed heavyweight champion in nearly 25 years.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili delivers a speech during an gathering celebrating Europe Day outside her residence in Tbilisi on May 9.
WORLD / Politics
May 19, 2024

Georgia president vetoes controversial 'foreign influence' law

The law has sparked unprecedented protests and warnings from Brussels that the measure would undermine Tbilisi's EU aspirations.
A man is detained after Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot at close range in an assassination attempt, after a government meeting in Handlova, Slovakia, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 19, 2024

A would-be assassin stirs Europe’s violent ghosts

Political violence and polarization stalk Europe today, with ominous echoes of the past.
South Korea, with the world’s lowest total fertility rate, is is pondering a radical solution to fix the probelm — offering a baby bonus that is about twice the nation’s annual per-capita income.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2024

Could a $70,000 baby bonus solve South Korea's fertility crisis?

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to say how much impact the South Korean baby subsidies would have, as there is no precedent.
China’s real estate sector has fundamentally changed in that existing home sales will become the norm, as is the case with developed countries.
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2024

China’s housing mess finally comes for Xi’s own

China’s real estate sector has fundamentally changed, in that existing home sales will be the norm, as is the case with developed countries.

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