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November 22, 2024
 

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Jeff Kingston
Jeff Kingston lives in Tokyo, teaches history at Temple University Japan and has been contributing to The Japan Times since 1988. "Contemporary Japan" (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012) is his most recent book.
COMMENTARY / World / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 17, 2015
Sri Lanka votes against fear and kleptocracy
The stunning ouster of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Jan. 8 was good news for that island nation of 20 million, and further evidence of a universal yearning for good governance.
COMMENTARY / Japan / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 10, 2015
The people's Emperor speaks truth to power
Emperor Akihito began the new year with a statement that pointedly referred to two major controversies: war memory and nuclear energy. His thoughts on these demonstrate why he is so admired by the public and underscore the crucial role the 81-year-old monarch plays in contemporary Japan.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 3, 2015
Revisiting controversy in the Year of the Sheep
The year 2015 will not be a quiet one for Japan or its people as the region marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the Fifteen Year War (1931-45), the Pacific War (1941-45) and Japanese colonialism in Korea and Taiwan.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 27, 2014
Homage to a beautiful dog named Rhubarb
Earlier this month, our 15-year-old dog died, leaving our household grieving and heartbroken.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 20, 2014
The good, and not-so-good, reads from 2014
I was lucky enough to read a number of good and informative books on Japan in 2014, but also read my share of clunkers.
COMMENTARY / Japan / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 13, 2014
Abe's secrets law undermines Japan's democracy
On Dec. 10, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's new special secrets law took effect despite overwhelming public opposition.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 6, 2014
Hot-air Abe can't campaign on 'womenomics'
For a guy with a two-thirds majority in the Diet, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has accomplished remarkably little since 2012.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 29, 2014
Abe seeks mandate for floundering 'Abenomics'
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's call for snap elections, implausibly pitched as a referendum on "Abenomics," is a waste of time and money, and a stunning 63 percent of the public remains unconvinced there is any good reason to hold it.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 22, 2014
Okinawans reject Abe's base deal, but he won't listen
On Nov. 16, Okinawan voters sent Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a clear message: Close the U.S. marine air base in Futenma and locate the replacement somewhere outside our prefecture.
COMMENTARY / Japan / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 15, 2014
Japan's 21st-century tsunami stones
A familiar sight along Tohoku's Sanriku coastline are the tsunami stones erected by past generations that alert residents to the high-water mark of previous tsunami and the perils of building any closer to the sea.
COMMENTARY / Japan / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 8, 2014
Right-wing witch hunt signals dark days in Japan
Many Japanese and long-time Japan observers have expressed dismay about the recrudescence of self-righteous nationalism under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has emboldened right-wing extremists now threatening democratic institutions and civil liberties.
COMMENTARY / World / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 1, 2014
Commemorating wartime Soviet spy Sorge
Seventy years ago on Nov. 7, the Japanese authorities executed Richard Sorge, a Soviet spy who became a member of the Nazi Party and was operating as a journalist in wartime Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / Japan / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 25, 2014
Abe downsized, comfort women reprised
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe now understands why political gurus say that a week is a short time in politics.
COMMENTARY / Japan / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 18, 2014
The Abe conundrum and the pitfalls ahead
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a polarizing figure, lauded as the resolute leader Japan needs to revive its flagging fortunes and slammed for mishandling history issues in ways that undermine national interests.
COMMENTARY / World / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 11, 2014
China's new strongman Xi has a dream
President Xi Jinping is China's most authoritarian leader since Deng Xiaoping, a strongman who has moved aggressively to assert and consolidate power while promoting a cult of personality.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 4, 2014
Manga, the Rising Sun and Abe's history problem
During his recent visit to the United Nations, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reasserted his eagerness to improve relations with Japan's East Asian neighbors, but the reaction from Beijing and Seoul was tepid.
COMMENTARY / Japan / COUNTERPOINT
Sep 27, 2014
Hyperbole over Asahi affair tarnishes brand Japan
The Asahi Shimbun has been apologetic of late after it confessed to journalistic wrongdoing in several articles.
COMMENTARY / World / COUNTERPOINT
Sep 20, 2014
Jokowi's victory brings high hopes and challenges
In July, Joko Widodo, universally known as Jokowi, won a decisive victory in Indonesia's presidential elections. Even before assuming office in October, he faces extravagant expectations in a nation that has endured mercurial (Sukarno), repressive (Suharto) and feckless (B.J. Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid,...
COMMENTARY / World / COUNTERPOINT
Sep 13, 2014
Empowering Asian women through education
Asia University for Women, launched in 2008, is an audacious project in Chittagong, Bangladesh, that is aiming to develop the region's future leaders.
COMMENTARY / Japan / COUNTERPOINT
Sep 6, 2014
Showmanship trumps substance during Modi visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is re-energizing Indian diplomacy and trying to carve out a more dynamic role for his country in global affairs. He has just wrapped up a visit to Kyoto and Tokyo, playing the role of pitchman-in-chief and holding a summit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

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