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July 16, 2024
 

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Takamitsu Sawa

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Takamitsu Sawa
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 19, 2015
Grasping the key to innovation
Japan should make 'new combination' innovation the nucleus of its growth strategy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 24, 2015
Piketty boom fading too fast
Income inequality is high in Japan, and under the Abe administration it appears to be getting worse.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 29, 2015
Flawed entrance exam reform
The education ministry's effort to reform the university entrance exam system has serious flaws.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 17, 2015
Picketty's impact on Japan
Every policy proposed by Thomas Picketty clashed head-on with the view of mainstream economists in Japan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 15, 2015
Growth-stunting technology
Though information and communications technology has made remarkable strides since 1991, it appears to have stunted Japan's economic growth rate.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Jan 20, 2015
Why Abe's third arrow flopped
Japan's deflation can now be attributed to stagnant demand in the domestic market and to stagnation in technological innovation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 9, 2014
'Abenomics' in the spotlight
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe blames the opposition camp for criticizing 'Abenomics' without presenting lternatives. But finding a way to put today's economy on a virtuous circle is akin to trying to create something out of nothing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 20, 2014
The high price of a long life
In the near future, advanced medical technology will greatly extend the lives of those who can afford to pay for it. But is it worth it?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 21, 2014
The battle to boost universities
The government should consider the latest lackluster global rankings for Japanese universities and undertake a fundamental review of its university education policies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 18, 2014
Comfy life amid stagnation
While information and communications technologies have increased the conveniences and comforts of life in Japan to an unprecedented level, the nation's economy remains stagnant, partly because of the saturation of the auto market.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 24, 2014
Japan's universities can't win
In view of the disparity in professors' pay between Japanese and American universities, the notion of elevating Japanese universities' global rankings simply by bringing in outstanding 'foreign talent' as instructors and researchers is a castle in the sky.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 27, 2014
What economic policies will fit the 'growth strategy'?
The Abe government has decided on its new economic growth strategy — the 'third arrow' of 'Abenomics' — but what of today's production systems, which are quite different from the models depicted in economics textbooks?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 22, 2014
University is not a business
Members of the Industrial Competitiveness Council and others are headed down a dead-end road trying to remake the governance of Japan's universities after that of business corporations.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 25, 2014
Funding higher education
The percentage of Japanese high school graduates entering university is not growing as fast as one would expect. It is well below the average ratio for the 34 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 14, 2014
Internet raises misconduct risk
The road to glory for a scientific pioneer leads to temptations to plagiarize background info and must pass through a panel of 'referees' who may be inclined to judge a research paper by the name of the author rather than its contents.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 25, 2014
Yamatoism is coming back
Although 'Abenomics' is at a standstill and its eventual success uncertain, the prime minister rushes to push a right-leaning agenda against the advice of close associates.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 23, 2014
Plans don't make the grade
Don't count on the education ministry's plan to hire more foreign teachers and students to have much effect on its goal of getting at least 10 Japanese universities to place among the world's top 100.
COMMENTARY
Jan 21, 2014
Japan heading for darker days
It's still baffling why the Abe administration was in such a hurry to have the state secrets bill passed when various opinion surveys showed that the bill was opposed by about 80 percnet of respondens on the very day the Upper House voted on it.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 16, 2013
Abe shows totalitarian bent
The president of a Japanese university classifies the Abe administration as neither conservative nor liberal. Instead, he calls it 'totalitarian' and suggests that Japan is drifting away from European ideals based on democracy and individualism.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 26, 2013
Place university academics on an annual wage system
In academics as in other fields, traditional Japanese systems and practices are hampering the nation's globalization.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.
How to tweak your diet when temperatures spike
Most people think of hydration as a strictly liquid-based concept, but eating foods with high water content is an essential part of making it through a Japanese summer unscathed.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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