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December 22, 2024
 

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Jiro Yamaguchi
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 27, 2017
Winners and losers in the election
Last week's Lower House election was quite different from the contests the ruling alliance won in recent years.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 29, 2017
Signs of the far right in Japan's politics
The decline in popular support for the Abe administration might usher in an even worse scenario for Japan's politics.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 25, 2017
Abe is stumbling but no challenger exists
Voters are ready for a viable alternative to the LDP, but the leading opposition party is failing to deliver.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 27, 2017
The ongoing collapse of parliamentary politics
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's actions and behavior are more suited to a patrimonial state than a democracy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 29, 2017
A crisis of constitutional politics
A state of barbarism incompatible with modern constitutional principles permeates Japan's politics today.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 25, 2017
A political tool called 'national security crisis'
The nation's deteriorating security environment explains why people continue to support the Abe administration even though they harbor doubts about it.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 22, 2017
The self-contradictions of Japan's conservative forces
Abe advocates freedom and openness while abroad, but at home he does not hesitate to reverse the accomplishments of postwar democracy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 21, 2017
The Japan-United States alliance of despotism
In both Japan and the U.S., the governments are retreating from the rule of law and guarantee of people's freedom under the cause of national security.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2017
Political realignment in the era of Trump
With the inauguration of new U.S. President Donald Trump, democratic politics are being confronted with changes of the magnitude that could happen only once in a century.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 28, 2016
Crisis of democratic politics
The Abe administration is also riding on the wave of anti-establishment politics that's sweeping the world.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 30, 2016
Facing a crisis in democracy
Japan is facing the same risk as the U.S. in the sense that politics of hatred and division prevail as people's lives get worse.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 28, 2016
Abe's risky game with Russia
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is going to great lengths to achieve a diplomatic breakthrough with Russia — perhaps too great.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 28, 2016
Japanese society deteriorating
Tolerance of discrimination is the hallmark of a troubled society.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 29, 2016
Postwar polity at crossroads
A full-scale debate on the Constitution needs to begin with a discussion on the significance of Japan's wartime defeat and the postwar reforms, and involve historical and philosophical explorations on the nation's postwar path.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 27, 2016
Japanese freedom an illusion
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has betrayed the Japanese people in his handling of his drive for constitutional revision.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 29, 2016
Much at stake in this election
If voters do not wish to give the Abe administration a carte blanche to revise the Constitution, they must express their intention in this election.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 31, 2016
Japan heading toward failure
The Abe administration's attempt to silence critical media coverage could cause the nation's downfall.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 9, 2016
Abe's questionable handling of the Kumamoto quakes
The Abe administration is making a shameful attempt to use the Kumamoto earthquakes to further and unrelated political agenda.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 3, 2016
Sentiment's role in politics
Japan's political class is doing a poor job of harnessing public sentiment in pursuit of meaningful reform.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 23, 2016
To make a comeback, DPJ must empower supporters
The DPJ's turnaround can only be achieved by inviting broad participation of citizens in the selection of its candidates and the establishment of a policy platform, thereby creating a new energy in politics.
Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Mother hopes for reunion with daughter ensnared by Tokyo host clubs
The Kabukicho district in Tokyo, where the daughter of a woman in her 60s fell deeply into the host club culture.
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
A group of elephant keepers in Chiang Saen, Thailand, remove plastic waste from the Ruak River, a tributary of the Mekong River, as a pair of Asian elephants bathe behind them.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.

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