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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 25, 2019

The British monarchy needs to get serious about brand management

Sweden's experience shows that smaller and cheaper reigning houses are better investments.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 5, 2019

Impeachment panels can't make officials testify without lawyers present, U.S. Justice Department says

House committees conducting impeachment proceedings can't force officials from executive branch agencies to testify about matters that might involve protected information without government lawyers present, the Justice Department said in a new legal opinion.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 31, 2019

Resignations offer insights into Cabinet politics

The latest resignations are symptomatic of broader Japanese Cabinet politics.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 16, 2019

Bank of Korea warns of weaker growth after cutting rates again

South Korea's central bank warned Wednesday that economic growth would be weaker than forecast after cutting its policy rate for the second time this year as a global downturn pummels exports and weighs on prices.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2019

Climate change finally concerns Americans

U.S. public opinion is slowly catching up to the scientific consensus.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2019

Japan to demand greater accountability from audit firms

The Financial Services Agency decided Tuesday to demand greater accountability from audit firms that check corporate financial reports, by revising auditing standards.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / The Argument: South Korea-Japan relations
Aug 28, 2019

Moon's anti-Japanese policy at the root of fractured relations

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, whose distorted perception of Japan has led to the current deterioration in bilateral ties, has stepped up his administration's harsh anti-Japanese policy since Tokyo decided to implement stricter export controls on its neighbor.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 22, 2019

On Iran, Japan faces a difficult decision

Tokyo is being pulled in several different directions when considering whether to join a U.S.-led coalition in the Strait of Hormuz.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2019

U.S. probes Chinese banks' role in North Korean nuclear arms

The U.S. is investigating a chain of financial transactions involving three big Chinese banks that allegedly helped finance North Korea's nuclear weapons program, according to an appeals court opinion unsealed Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2019

You can trademark whatever words you want now

The Supreme Court takes a big step toward an absolute view of free speech by allowing the registration of a 'scandalous' clothing line name.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 15, 2019

U.S. Treasury chief on solid ground in withholding Trump tax returns, Justice Department says

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin did not violate the law by refusing to provide President Donald Trump's tax returns to Congress because the confidentiality of returns is protected under the law, the Justice Department said in a legal opinion released Friday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 26, 2019

May's Brexit deal hinges on just one man

It's not Jeremy Corbyn, for all his calls for another referendum.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jan 23, 2019

Waxing philosophical in English class with 'Thinking Experiments'

If you've ever taught English at a Japanese school, you'll likely be familiar with a certain kind of silence — pervasive and tinged with teenage ennui. Authors Alexander Dutson and James Hill want to recommend breaking the ice with philosophy.
EDITORIALS
Dec 24, 2018

Eliminate disparity in the value of votes

Last week's Supreme Court decision that the 2017 Lower House election was constitutional should not slow efforts to reduce the nearly 2-to-1 disparity in the value of votes.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 20, 2018

Japan and Russia could finally end WWII

Abe and Putin seem determined to reach a deal on decades-old territorial dispute.
EDITORIALS
Nov 10, 2018

A centennial to remember

As we mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, politicians and publics around the world must recognize that peace is fragile and it must be nurtured.
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Nov 8, 2018

Views from Tokyo: Should Japan follow Canada and legalize recreational marijuana?

What do Tokyoites and tourists think of Canada legalizing pot for recreational use? Could or should it ever happen in Japan?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 29, 2018

Mass media and democracy in prewar and postwar Japan

Now, more than ever, the free press must avoid the perils of populist pandering and fulfill its responsibility as one of the key pillars of democracy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Oct 10, 2018

Can five Little Japans defuse one big demographic time bomb?

What about if Japan split into a confederation of five semi-autonomous 'regions,' each delineated roughly by geography and population?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2018

A master class in the art of political survival

The Kremlin isn't completely unresponsive to popular opinion, but it won't tolerate dissent that demands radical change.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 26, 2018

Brexit's big short: Hedge funds hired pollsters and cashed in

At 10 p.m. on June 23, 2016, Sky News projected the words "IN OR OUT" across the top of a London building as an orchestral score ratcheted up the tension. "In or out—it is too late to change your mind," declared Adam Boulton, the veteran anchor, seated in a makeshift studio across from Big Ben. "The...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 21, 2018

Japan's refugee-screening system sets high bar

Last year, Japan granted refugee status to just 20 out of a record-high 19,629 applicants. After the figure was released in February, global and domestic coverage was noticeably polarized.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 9, 2018

Why killing the nuclear pact was only the first step

Netanyahu sees Trump as a partner for broader regional change.
EDITORIALS
Mar 25, 2018

China's coming propaganda offensive

Beijing is overhauling its state media to better control domestic content and to create a propaganda behemoth that will spread its message around the world.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 23, 2018

In Indonesia, a shadowy campaign, attacks on Islamist stokes unrest as elections loom

A spate of mysterious attacks on Islamic clerics, schools and mosques in Indonesia in recent weeks has ramped up tensions as the world's most populous Muslim-majority country heads into provincial elections and a presidential poll next year.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Feb 24, 2018

'Peace Games' are no game-changer for South Koreans

South Korea's self-styled "Peace Games" have been a sporting success, but public reaction suggests Seoul may have failed its bigger test — to generate the support the president needs to make bold moves to improve ties with old enemy North Korea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2018

What to do when liberals are the censors?

'Offense' and 'hurt' are central concepts in rising efforts on the left to curtail free speech.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 5, 2017

Paul Manafort tried to ghost-write positive op-ed on Ukraine work, even after court order: special counsel

The special counsel investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on Monday accused President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, of working with a Russian colleague to draft an opinion piece about his political work for Ukraine.
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.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone. 
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan