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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2021

Five things moms gained during COVID-19 — and should refuse to give up

While the pandemic has brought many of us to the brink of our sanity, it has also forced many organizations to give moms long-overdue concessions. We must refuse to give them back.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 10, 2021

China’s much-hyped digital yuan leaves early users underwhelmed

Observers suspect China has high hopes for international use of the digital yuan as Xi Jinping tries to lessen his country's reliance on the U.S.-led global financial system.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 9, 2021

Colonization by other means: China’s debt-trap diplomacy

In stark contrast to China's loans, interest rates for Japan's infrastructure loans to developing countries, for example, mostly run below half a percent.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 4, 2021

Biden tax rule would take billions from biggest fortunes at death

Ending the current practice of stepping up the tax basis of inherited assets and raising the capital gains tax rate would amount to the biggest curb on dynastic wealth in decades.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2021

Hard to believe, but we’re running out of sand

Sizzling demand in a post-pandemic recovery will encourage the usual bad behaviors that accompany exploding markets: environmental degradation, forced labor and criminal profiteering.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 3, 2021

Modi experiences setback after loss in key India state poll

The prime minister's party lost big in a state he visited frequently before the recent virus surge forced him off the campaign trail.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 3, 2021

The downside of decision-making practices in Japan

Adherence to the rules is important in Japan. When those rules don't work, it is sometimes easier to make a whole new set.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2021

G.I. Joe Trotsky

According to The Washington Post, of the 380 of the people now facing federal charges stemming from the riot, some 44 are current or former U.S. armed forces members.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 2, 2021

‘Tokyo Junkie’: Robert Whiting recounts a lifelong addiction to his adopted city

The author and longtime Japan resident tackles his hardest writing project ever — “interviewing himself” for a memoir on his life, the changing urban landscape and, of course, baseball.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 1, 2021

‘Now we are united’: Myanmar’s ethnic divisions soften after coup

Amid the resistance to military rule, some are saying that democracy can't flourish without respecting the minorities that have been persecuted for decades.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2021

Biden’s great tax rebalancing act

With U.S. government spending likely to remain high after the COVID-19 pandemic, tax revenues must increase, because additional borrowing can finance only so much.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Apr 29, 2021

Right to disconnect gains ground as pandemic brings work home

Ireland introduced a legal right for employees to not respond to emails, telephone calls or other messages during nonwork hours from April 1.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 29, 2021

After three U.S. strikeouts, will Afghanistan be the fourth?

A primary concern is the withdrawal could make the region far more unstable than it was previously — a pattern that the world has seen before.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 29, 2021

Canary in the coal mine: Study finds world's glaciers melting faster

Nearly all of the world's glaciers are losing mass — and at an accelerated pace, according to a new study published Wednesday that could impact future projections for ice loss.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Apr 28, 2021

African samurai earns hero status in new anime ‘Yasuke’

Director LeSean Thomas brings the story of Yasuke, a real-life black samurai, to Netflix as 'a new kind of anime action hero.”
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2021

Social capital: The overlooked variable to economic growth

Social capital is the glue that holds communities together. Under the right conditions, such mutually beneficial social interactions lead to economic growth and better health outcomes.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 28, 2021

Urgent methane cuts needed to rein in climate change, U.N. warns

Methane has a higher heat-trapping potential compared with carbon dioxide and it breaks down in the atmosphere much more quickly, meaning cutting methane emissions can have an impact sooner.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 27, 2021

Economic issues, once divisive, now bind Japan and the U.S.

The two governments' discussion of economic issues is a path to mobilization and cooperation, not contestation (at least between themselves).
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2021

America’s undimmed global cultural reach continues

The influence of American culture remains as strong as ever. The growth of a QAnon movement in Japan is the clearest example that some of its more paranoid ideas are spreading overseas.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Perspectives
Apr 26, 2021

Afghanistan withdrawal: Reconciling the 'Forever War'

A scholar, negotiator and Afghanistan veteran reflects on what the end of the 20-year conflict means.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 25, 2021

The dangers of data-based certainty

But before we entrust more decisions to data-based machine-learning and AI systems, we must be clear about the limitations of the data.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 23, 2021

After tech crackdown, Xi looking to tap Chinese firms' wealth of data

Beijing is pouring money into digital infrastructure, with the goal of positioning China as a leader in transforming the world economy within decades.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 23, 2021

Cracks emerge in Five Eyes intelligence pact over approach to China

A polite disagreement between Australia and New Zealand showed a fissure among U.S. allies, underscoring the difficulties Joe Biden faces in forging a common front.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 21, 2021

What Germany’s next leader means for Europe and the world

Angela Merkel's departure after some 16 years as chancellor brings into play not simply the direction of Europe's biggest economy, but the balance of power on the continent.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2021

Why would anyone want to be president?

More often than anyone might think, ample grounds exist for wondering why anyone would want to be president of the United States. Yes, there’s the glory of being elected to occupy the country’s most powerful office, hearing “Hail to the Chief,” receiving military salutes, and being called “Mr....
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 21, 2021

Chad leader Idriss Deby, a key Western ally, killed in battle

Deby visited troops on the front line Monday after rebels based across the northern frontier in Libya advanced hundreds of kilometers south toward the capital, N'Djamena.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 20, 2021

With Afghanistan withdrawal, Biden focuses on the big picture

By eliminating a distraction for U.S. decision-makers and ending the drain on their resources, it allows the U.S. to better address real dangers it faces. For many, that is China.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Longform
Apr 19, 2021

The female brewers shaking up Japan’s sake industry

Bringing a fresh perspective to the brewing process, women are increasingly producing inspirational new interpretations of the nation's traditional alcoholic drink.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 18, 2021

‘At the End of the Matinee’: Love and longing in the recent past strike a chord

In his novel, Keiichiro Hirano provides a detailed view of politics, culture and economics at the start of the 21st century alongside a story about star-crossed lovers.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 18, 2021

To achieve long-term happiness, try taking these daily steps

Researchers have found strategies work perfectly when hope is on the horizon, but the path toward it isn't clear.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake