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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Feb 2, 2021

Public investment in vaccine development is crucial for Japan's future

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the nation's inability to research, develop and produce supplies in a timely manner.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2021

Now they tell us: Austerity is out in a low-interest rate world

It is no coincidence that there have been waves of populism across the Western world in the wake of the global financial crisis — and the imposition of the austerity orthodoxy.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2021

Japan’s old politicians struggle to convince young people to stay home

Students and young professionals say government communication has failed to be empathetic to their situation and is unconvincing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2021

Biden and Trump deliver vastly different messages

Joe Biden’s inauguration last week was the most heavily guarded in memory: Washington’s entire National Mall was fenced off; numerous military checkpoints were set up; and 25,000 National Guard troops were deployed to prevent the public from entering the city center.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 21, 2021

Read the full text of Joe Biden's inaugural address

The following is the inauguration speech as prepared for delivery by Democrat Joe Biden, who was sworn in as president of the United States on Wednesday:
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 14, 2021

Trump confronts political future with burden of historic rebuke

U.S. President Donald Trump’s political future suffered a grave blow Wednesday after the U.S. House of Representatives impeached him for a second time, an unprecedented rebuke that may result in the White House doors being forever shut to him.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 10, 2021

For Trump and America, a final test of accountability

The fresh bid to remove Trump from office and strip him of his power without waiting until his term expires Jan. 20 capped a traumatic week that has rattled Washington.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 7, 2021

For Democrats in Georgia, ‘There’s no going back’

Georgia going Democratic was not just a fluke for President-elect Joe Biden in November. There are forces at work that are rapidly turning the state blue, redrawing the U.S. electoral map.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2021

Ivanka the Inevitable?

Ivanka may be considering a Senate run, especially if her father plans to run for re-election in 2024.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 25, 2020

Remembering a mentor: Ezra Vogel's big vision on Asia

There are many scholars who are well-versed in matters related to Japan and China, but Vogel was simply in his own league in terms of his academic work.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2020

Erdogan's political challengers are getting tougher

Neither investors nor the general public seem to be buying Erdogan's promise of a new economic era for Turkey.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Dec 21, 2020

A summer of solidarity: Looking back on the Black Lives Matter marches in Japan

COVID-19 wasn't the only story of 2020. In May, footage of the murder of George Floyd was posted online and resulted in a month of protest in the U.S. and in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2020

Who will succeed Angela Merkel as Germany's next leader?

Whereas the U.S. and the U.K. essentially have two-party governments, Germany governs through multiparty coalitions that don't swing radically to and fro with every election.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 4, 2020

Despite scandals, Suga achieves his goals in first Diet session as PM

The prime minister overall stayed on course to pass necessary bills and ward off criticism in relation to a science council and cherry blossom-viewing party.
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 2, 2020

Episode 75: What will a Joe Biden presidency mean for Japan?

Sheila A. Smith joined us from Washington earlier this week to give her take on what a Biden presidency might mean for Japan going forward.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 2, 2020

Thai court ruling could see prime minister ousted amid protests

Thailand’s Constitutional Court is set to decide on Wednesday whether Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha should be disqualified for breaking ethical rules, a move that would see him ousted even after he’s repeatedly rejected calls by pro-democracy groups to resign.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2020

Why Democrats lost and will keep losing elections

When you expected to pick up tons of seats in the House and take back the Senate, and none of that happens and you just barely win the presidency, you basically got your a-- kicked.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Nov 19, 2020

How Tokyo can navigate the Japan-U.S.-China trap

The relationship between the world's three largest economies is a beneficial one, but must be maintained with delicacy and skill to keep conflict at bay.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 13, 2020

‘A black eye’: Why U.S. political polling missed the mark. Again.

This year's problems are alarming, both to people inside the industry and to the millions of Americans who follow presidential polls.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 11, 2020

Reality show over as the world gets ready for a new U.S. president

Despite a wish to return to his version of internationalism and traditional alliances, Joe Biden may face many obstacles as he tries to advance his agenda.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 9, 2020

It's the Fed, not the White House, that matters most in Asia

Asia's monetary system depends on the stability of the greenback. Currencies are mostly priced against the buck with more than a few countries have soft pegs to the dollar.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 8, 2020

'I just couldn't be silent': How U.S. women decided the 2020 election

More than half of female voters — 56% — chose Biden compared to 48% of men, according to exit polls from the Edison Research firm.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 7, 2020

Libertarian spoiler in U.S. presidential election? Not a chance, experts say.

The thin margins that separated U.S. President Donald Trump from Democratic rival Joe Biden in several swing states raised the question: Was the Republican incumbent hurt by the third-party run of Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 5, 2020

2016 was Hillary Clinton's to lose. Who lost in 2020?

Can American voters really stop the degradation of U.S. politics? Probably not. Did they make the right decision on Nov. 3? Maybe.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 3, 2020

Almost like clockwork, talk of a military coup follows Thai protests

For the protesters, the military's enduring power in a country that markets itself as a modern democracy is as alarming as it is anachronistic.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2020

Some statistics to enliven election night

Never mind the geysers of overheated 2020 rhetoric about a constitutional crisis. Tuesday evening in the U.S., the nation will likely know that Vice President Walter Mondale's elegant words of concession on election night 40 years ago are still apposite: "The American people quietly wielded their staggering...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 2, 2020

Women are leading Taiwan’s public relations war against China

The island's legislature consists of 43% women, the highest rate of female legislative representation in Asia, and among the highest in the world.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Nov 2, 2020

Make Science Great Again: U.S. researchers dream of life after Trump

Dozens of U.S.-based climate scientists shifted their research to France, or sought refuge in academia or in left-leaning states after Donald Trump was elected in 2016.

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