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November 22, 2024
 

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Cass R. Sunstein
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2014
Why extremism loves company
Most violent extremists are not poor and do not lack education. But psychological experiments suggest that it's a matter of extremism loving company, and that participation in group decision-making tends to strengthen and polarize people's views.
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2014
How easy is it to indoctrinate students? Easy
Research from the University of Munich shows that it wasn't so hard for China's government to get high school students to believe that it is trustworthy, committed to the rule of law, and that free markets are a big problem.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 21, 2014
There's a conspiracy theory wherever you look
Whether it's Ukraine, the National Security Agency, assassinations of national leaders, recent economic crises, the authorship of Shakespeare's plays — some people jump at the chance to connect a bunch of dots to support a relevant conspiracy theory. Why is that?
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2014
Pope warns of hazards in browsing 'God's gift'
Pope Francis rightly warns that although the variety of opinions being aired over the Web can be seen as helpful, it also enables people to barricade themselves behind sources of information that only confirm their own ideas.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 14, 2014
Is it better to win Olympic bronze than silver?
Research suggests that in the Olympics, those who finish third are likely to be a lot happier than those who finish second. There are broader implications as far as our emotional reactions to other events are concerned.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 31, 2014
What exactly are these Obama 'executive orders'?
In the aftermath of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, there is a lot of confusion about the phrase 'executive actions.' These are an optional tool the president can use to get something done.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2014
Warring dogmas block climate-change progress
National debates over environmental issues are sometimes derailed by two kinds of extremists: eco-doomsayers and techno-optimists. Noisy, headline-grabbing dogmas are an impediment to progress.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2013
A pardon for war hero convicted of being gay
Queen Elizabeth II's long-overdue pardon of war hero Allen Turing should serve as opportunity for the world to reflect on discrimination against gays.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2013
Winners of 2013's behavioral economics oscars
The Oscars won't be awarded until March, but those who hand out the annual Behavioral Economics Oscars (Becons) are famously impatient, and it is time to announce this year's winners.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2013
Beatles' luck shows success isn't pre-ordained
The Beatles' success was anything but foreordained — and that the same can be said about countless others whose iconic status we now take for granted.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 31, 2013
Tea party anti-elitism harks back to Alger Hiss
The anti-elitism displayed by America's tea party harks back to the beginning of the socialist-and-liberal baiting dialogue of the late 1940s, especially to the perjury trial of Alger Hiss.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2013
The type who dare risk a government shutdown
Don't look for the refinement of public views in the U.S. Congress unless the most extreme members of the Republican Party feel they can risk moving out of their echo chambers.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 25, 2013
Diverse 'American exceptionalism'
American exceptionalism' began wth the Constitution's effort to establish a large self-governing republic, in which diverse views serve as both a safeguard and a creative force.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2013
How poverty harms people's mental resources
In a series of U.S. studies, it's been found that being poor, and having to manage serious financial problems, can be a lot like going through life with no sleep.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 10, 2013
The most important economist you never heard of
Economist Ronald Coase, who died last week at the age of 102, had an incalculable impact on academic thought and public policy.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 14, 2013
We lose serendipity if Bezos personalizes news
Whatever the emerging form of newspapers, it is crucial that they continue to provide readers with all sorts of stories, ideas and opinions that readers didn't select.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 2, 2013
Could the PTA and bowling leagues breed extremists?
What if exposure to civic organizations — and not social isolation, per se — is more likely to contribute to the rise of extreme movements, including fascism?
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2013
Why well-informed people are also close-minded
A U.S. study finds that if you know a lot about politics, efforts to undermine or dislodge your political beliefs with facts might well upset you and therefore backfire.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 8, 2013
When Supreme silence is golden in America
As the recent U.S. Supreme Court arguments over same-sex marriage attest, silence plays a role in constitutional law just as it does in ordinary life.
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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