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December 21, 2024
 

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Stephen R. Nagy

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Stephen R. Nagy
Protesters hold placards reading "Arrest Insurrectionist Yoon Suk Yeol!" during a demonstration near the presidential residence in Seoul on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2024
Yoon’s martial law order divides South Korea and may alter foreign policy direction
South Korea’s vibrant civil society also fuels a divided citizenry, evident in protests for and against Yoon’s declaration.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers his speech declaring martial law in Seoul on Dec. 3.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 10, 2024
Impending fallout from Yoon's political problems
It is conceivable that a potential Lee administration, with its pro-Beijing positions, may annul Yoon’s positive contributions to stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Japan's allies are hoping for a leader who will continue the effective foreign policies established by Shinzo Abe while the nation's enemies are looking for inexperience and chaos within the Liberal Democratic Party.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 25, 2024
The LDP election through the eyes of allies, 'frenemies' and foes
Allies hope for a Japanese leader who will continue Shinzo Abe's effective foreign policies, while enemies seek inexperience and chaos within the LDP.
Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai (left) meets with with Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, in Beijing, on Aug. 28.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 24, 2024
Form over substance: The contradictions in Japan-China relations
How Japan and other countries in Beijing’s periphery navigate the many incongruities in bilateral relations offers lessons for the U.S. and other Western nations.
Tokyo needs to leverage its political, economic, diplomatic and security strengths to shape Washington's engagement and regional stability in the Asia-Pacific no matter who wins the U.S. presidential election.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 1, 2024
Japan's strategy for navigating an uncertain U.S. election
Japan needs to continue its role as a diplomatic bridge in shaping U.S.-China strategic competition to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Japan, once a secondary player in Southeast Asian regional integration, now needs to balance strengthening ties with ASEAN while navigating its position between the U.S. and China.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 8, 2024
Japan takes a soft diplomatic approach to ASEAN ties
Shifting dynamics in Southeast Asia are compelling Japan to carefully navigate its role amid intense U.S.-China competition.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, view international order as hinging on the concept of indivisible security.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 12, 2024
Russia and China want security for themselves and no one else
Putin and Xi seek indivisible security, that is, exercising draconian control over their respective spheres of influence — which shows the extent of their hypocrisy.
Japanese troops during an amphibious landing exercise on Tokunoshima island, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan is letting go of old assumptions about the reliability of the rules-based international order and is making efforts to boost its military capabilities.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 8, 2024
As militaries are rebuilt, are we turning American?
Some countries stopped investing in their militaries and defense under the illusion that the rules-based order would prevail. Now, they're facing tough, new realities.
The right-wing slogan “Make Europe Great Again” — a play on Donald Trump’s campaign slogan — is gaining prominence in European politics.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 3, 2024
‘Make Europe Great Again’ is becoming 'MEGA.' Should Japan worry?
The right-wing "Make Europe Great Again" movement is gaining traction, but Japan shouldn't put it in the same box as its more problematic cousin, MAGA, in the U.S.
Canada Day is held on July 1 to mark Canada’s founding in 1867. This year, the country celebrates its 157th anniversary among resounding successes and tough challenges at home and abroad.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2024
Canada at 157: Lots to celebrate, but also to rethink
At 157, Canada is stable and prosperous, but cracks are starting to form. Its citizens think politicians are out of touch and the country holds little sway abroad.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin take part in a welcoming ceremony in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 23, 2024
Playing a risky 21st-century game of ‘Russian roulette’
The U.S. and its allies should reinforce the rule of law and resist the destabilizing efforts of Russia, North Korea, China and Iran.
Wins by conservative parties and losses by their leftist green opponents in the EU elections reflect broader trends of political polarization and nationalism not only in Europe, but also the world. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 13, 2024
Impact of EU elections on global politics and Japan's foreign policy
Japan is concerned about the rise of right-leaning parties that might undermine support for Ukraine and send signals to revisionist powers like China.
China’s defense minister, Dong Jun, addresses the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Sunday. Beijing says it has a long commitment to regional peace and stability. The problem is its actions speak louder than words.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 5, 2024
Great powers talk past each other in Singapore gathering
Beijing says it has a long commitment to regional and global peace and stability. The problem is that China's actions speak louder than words.
A pro-Palestinian supporter in Tokyo takes part in a protest against Israeli attacks on Gaza. Japanese universities are also experiencing their share of pro-Palestinian student demonstrations similar to those elsewhere in the world.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 15, 2024
What the campus Gaza protests lack — in Japan, too
Students are right to be distressed over the suffering of Palestinians. But are they applying cognitive empathy to understand the other side, too?
If Donald Trump returns to the White House, will his foreign policy be as erratic as it was the first time? Would that help or hinder the U.S.? Leaders all over the world are asking themselves these questions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 10, 2024
Would Trump 2.0 rekindle the merits of volatility?
Was Trump's erratic foreign policy an asset or a liability for the U.S.? In capitals all over the world, leaders are weighing the prospect of his return.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference at May’s Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 28, 2023
Canada's path to pragmatic Indo-Pacific engagement
As part of Canada’s Indo-Pacific pivot, we have already seen its relations and cooperation with Japan deepen.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 12, 2023
Are they Asian values or just Chinese dreams?
Beijing is pushing for so-called Asian values in the region — but how that should work differs with each country.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 7, 2023
Remembering a man who transformed his country
Shinzo Abe's policies have had far-reaching consequences for Japan’s economy, society and international relations — and his legacy will be debated and analyzed for years to come.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 21, 2023
Dysfunction and dissonance define U.S.-China relations
The bad news of spiraling U.S.-China relations is that it has the potential to descend into a kinetic conflict that could have negative ramifications for Japan and the broader Indo-Pacific.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 7, 2023
China should heed the concerns of its neighbors
Beijing’s behavior is a key driver behind the growing number of Southeast Asian states aligning themselves with Washington.
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.
A year after going private, structural reforms bearing fruit for Toshiba
Toshiba's Corporate Senior Executive Vice President Koji Ikeya speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
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.
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.
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.
Curiosity didn’t kill the meme: Why cats still rule Japanese YouTube
A screen shot from YouTube user @lagelda shows the simplicity of going viral in Japan in 2024: A cat dancing to EDM in front of a green screen.
With rare Asia carrier deployment, France seeks greater interoperability
The flight deck of the French Navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier during a stop at Changi Naval Base in Singapore in May 2019

Podcast

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

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
By Alex K.T. Martin

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