Search - commentary

 
 
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 9, 2022

Just one bar in Japan named to World’s 50 Best Bar list

This year's rankings represent a bit of a decline for Japan's elite cocktail scene.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 6, 2022

The censor cannot hold: The pressure of controlling China's internet

'In China the line is blurred,' Zeng Jiajun said. 'You don't know specifically what will offend the government, so sometimes you will go beyond and censor more harshly.'
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 4, 2022

In Putin’s nuclear brinksmanship, weapons leave room for warning

The threats are part of a broad attempt by the Kremlin to intimidate the U.S. and Europe into cutting support for Ukraine and forcing Kyiv into negotiations on Moscow's terms.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 1, 2022

Can’t go forward, won’t go back: Truss’s government off to disastrous start

Less than a month in No. 10 Downing Street, Liz Truss and her team have already adopted an us-against-the-world mentality.
EDITORIALS
Sep 30, 2022

Time for Japan and China to get their relationship right

After 50 years of a normalized relationship, Japan and China need to work together — but that does not mean Tokyo should turn a blind eye to Beijing's misbehavior.
Japan Times
BASEBALL
Sep 15, 2022

A sports media empire runs on ‘good vibes only’

As Jomboy Media has grown, the startup has kept up the positivity and energy that made them popular in the first place.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA
Sep 14, 2022

Suns owner banned one year and fined $10 million over workplace conduct

The NBA commissioned its investigation following an ESPN article in November 2021 that detailed allegations of racism and misogyny during Robert Sarver's tenure.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 13, 2022

William Klein, who photographed the energy of city life, dies at 96

William Klein, one of his generation's most celebrated photographers, navigated multiple disciplines, breaking rules and expectations along the way.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 9, 2022

Queen Elizabeth's reign: Golden age, or last embers of a bygone era?

Some commentators describe her reign as a 'golden age' reminiscent of that of her namesake Elizabeth I, who ruled England during a period of growing power and cultural flourishing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 7, 2022

A man who genuinely cared: Mourning the real Shinzo Abe

Though the slain former Japanese prime minister belonged to the hawkish wing of his party, he was not the unbending nationalist conservative that many foreigners deemed him to be.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 4, 2022

Traders find haven from global stock gloom in Southeast Asia

The growing bullish chorus points to a reopening of Southeast Asia that's bringing back a swarm of tourists, as well as booming domestic demand that's helping shield it from a global slump.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Sep 4, 2022

Serena Williams in the broadcast booth? The ball is in her court

Industry officials say the former world No. 1 and 23-time Grand Slam winner would be welcomed with open arms were she to take on a commentary role after she retires.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 3, 2022

High-tech Japanese toilet maker sees U.S. growth after COVID ‘paper panic’

Sales of luxurious toilets complete with heated seats and cleansing jets of water are now taking off in the U.S. — thanks in no small part due to pandemic-induced toilet paper shortages.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 1, 2022

Step into the animated world of Mamoru Hosoda with 'The Man Who Leapt Through Film'

Charles Solomon's new book offers an inside look at the director's works such as “Summer Wars” and “Belle” via behind-the-scenes anecdotes, production art and exclusive interviews.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2022

Stop calling everything you disagree with ‘anti-democratic’

Democracy itself is not to blame for every wrongheaded or misguided decision made by a freely elected government.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 30, 2022

Yen’s reversal toward ¥140 revives talk of currency intervention

The Japanese currency has tumbled close to 4% this month and traded around the u00a5138.50 level Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 26, 2022

More data needed before ocean release of Fukushima water

There is insufficient scientific data to support release of contaminated water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 22, 2022

Yen weakness returns ahead of Jackson Hole with ¥140 level back in play

The greenback jumped almost 3% against the yen last week, helped by a spike in Treasury yields as traders readied for hawkish Federal Reserve commentary at the event.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 22, 2022

China’s cities face a tough choice — more green energy or food

The pandemic and recent bouts of extreme weather have shown how susceptible the nation is to disruptions to its food supply.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 20, 2022

Memento mori: Photography in the face of the inevitable

The Tokyo Photographic Art Museum examines how we face our own mortality in the new exhibition “TOP Collection: The Illumination of Life by Death.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 18, 2022

Nanako Sato brings back the groove of a bygone era

The singer-songwriter's latest release, “Radio Moon and Roses 1979Hz,” captures the creative freedom of 1970s Japan.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 16, 2022

The world of fashion and design has lost a titan

Famed Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake didn't just dress his clients, he challenged them.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 15, 2022

China stages more drills near Taiwan as U.S. lawmakers visit

The de facto U.S. Embassy in Taipei said the delegation is being led by Senator Ed Markey, who is being accompanied by four House lawmakers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2022

Fed minutes may reveal inclinations on size of next rate hike

Are further rate hikes likely to be of smaller incremental size, or is the door really open to something larger?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 13, 2022

A new life is born from a lie in Emi Yagi's 'Diary of a Void'

Emi Yagi's debut novel, which won the prestigious Osamu Dazai Prize in 2020, offers a penetrating look at the pressures of Japan's work culture and gender expectations.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Aug 8, 2022

With military drills near Taiwan, Xi tries to salvage Pelosi crisis

Chinese leader Xi Jinping may not have been able to stop Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, but he has ordered his country's military to rehearse for a much more aggressive step.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 3, 2022

China's 'COVID zero' could last for years because it works for Xi

While questions persist about the reliability of Chinese data, the country has reported just 5,226 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began, compared with more than 1 million in the U.S.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 26, 2022

Siga and peers rise on optimism over therapies to treat monkeypox

It has been a bumpy few months for shares of firms tied to the outbreak, as investors have piled in only to rush out on uncertainty about what medicine could be needed.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2022

China's latest heat wave exposes growing climate inequality

The richest 1% of the world's population are responsible for more than twice the emissions of the 3.1 billion poorest people, and disadvantaged groups bear the brunt of climate risks.
Japan Times
EDITORIALS
Jul 8, 2022

A despicable attack on Shinzo Abe — and a nation

Japan is a democracy, so the attack on former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Nara on Friday is an attack on us all.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.