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Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2021

Death row inmates sue over Japan's 'inhumane' same-day notification policy

Those awaiting execution in the country are usually not informed of the date of their punishment until the day itself.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 4, 2021

Unpacking Japan’s post-election narratives

Though the LDP maintained a stable majority, Osaka-based Nippon Ishin no Kai was the biggest winner in the election, securing 41 seats — 31 more than its previous 10.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2021

Joe Manchin tells Democrats what they need to hear

If the best that other Democrats can do is accuse Joe Manchin of being 'the new Mitch McConnell,” they may as well give up.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 3, 2021

China moves to quash online rumors that Taiwan war is looming

The controversy shows the challenge President Xi Jinping's government faces in trying to manage Chinese public sentiment over Taiwan, even with its vast censorship powers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 3, 2021

The domestic and migrant workers left behind by Singapore’s travel lanes

Left behind by this exodus after the start of quarantine-free travel are more than half a million domestic and migrant workers, many of whom haven't seen their families in years.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 3, 2021

How Russia and Belarus are weaponizing migration

Belarus has been flying refugees from various points in the Middle East — Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria — then herding them toward neighboring countries that are members of the European Union.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 3, 2021

Britain begins to think the unthinkable: Life after the queen

'Long live the Queen” was the proclamation made following her accession to the throne. But ever since her husband's death her subjects are beginning to grasp that her life has a terminus.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 3, 2021

The next big hack could come from the stars

Some 30 years of internet history shows us that businesses and governments may not truly take security seriously until a massive hack occurs and satellites are breached or lost.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Nov 3, 2021

China’s climate goals hinge on a $440 billion nuclear buildout

China's planning at least 150 new reactors in the next 15 years, more than the rest of the world has built in the past 35.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 2, 2021

Nippon Ishin faces fundamental hurdles to further electoral success

Experts say it's likely that the party will remain official outsiders but mostly align with the ruling coalition's policies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 31, 2021

Why financial firms can’t be climate change cops

Trying to force an industry that's designed to pursue profit to become the climate-change sheriff sounds a bit like foxes guarding henhouses.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2021

Voting in Japan's Lower House election kicks off in first test of Kishida’s popularity

All 465 seats — 289 single-member districts and 176 elected under proportional representation — will be contested, with the ruling bloc widely seen as maintaining a simple majority.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 30, 2021

New opera ‘Yuzuru’ cautions against the dangers of capitalism

For his first foray into opera, dramatist Toshiki Okada is modernizing a Japanese classic, centering it on 'the damaging influence of capitalism' instead of a tragic love story.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 29, 2021

To tax billionaires, democrats should keep it simple

Instead of taxing the wealthiest each year on their assets, as has been proposed, Biden's original plan would tax them upon their death.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Oct 29, 2021

Climate-vulnerable countries float 'emergency' timetable to cut emissions

The grouping wants countries to ramp up their plans for emissions cuts at every annual U.N. climate summit through to 2025.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 28, 2021

America’s jammed-up ports need help

At one point recently, about 200,000 containers were stranded aboard anchored vessels outside the Port of Los Angeles. Experts expect the crunch to last for months.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 28, 2021

Japan’s Communists are hardly radical, but make a handy election target

The party, which long ago abandoned Marx and Lenin and never really had time for Stalin or Mao, is about as radical as a beige cardigan.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 27, 2021

Why 25 previous conferences have failed to stop climate change

Climate talks are at a disadvantage from the start as their intent is stunningly broad: remaking the energy systems that have powered the planet since the Industrial Revolution.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 27, 2021

A $1 trillion Tesla almost makes you feel for the other car giants

The trigger for Tesla's latest surge — a deal to supply 100,000 vehicles to Hertz — is a head-scratcher, as it represents 'only” about $4.2 billion of revenue.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Oct 27, 2021

Xi’s toughest ‘common prosperity’ test is raising China’s taxes

Hiking taxes wouldn't seem difficult in the one-party state. But the Communist Party is sensitive to public opinion, and taxes are as politically fraught in China as anywhere else.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 26, 2021

Illiberalism appeals, even in democratic societies

A growing number of people are alarmed by changes they see in their own country and fear that a tipping point has been reached where some are ready to abandon democracy.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 23, 2021

Biden said the U.S. would protect Taiwan. But it’s not that clear-cut.

After the president's remarks at a CNN event, the White House quickly declared that the American policy of “strategic ambiguity” over the island's defense had not changed.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 22, 2021

Mark Zuckerberg needs to change more than Facebook’s name

While Zuckerberg's baby has weathered prior crises, has an enviable global footprint and continues to rake in massive profits, critics have turned it into a pinata for myriad good reasons.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 21, 2021

Top ByteDance investor to weigh $500 million stake sale

The future of the world's most valuable startup is unclear as Beijing's scrutiny over the Chinese tech giants intensifies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 21, 2021

The fragility of the internet is a threat to the economy

After Facebook's outage, an expert called it a reminder about the fragile nature of internet, where millions of interconnected systems are dependent on each other to make it work.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2021

America’s superstar cities aren’t what they used to be

The 10 biggest U.S. cities, while large and growing, now account for less than 7.9% of the country's population.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?