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Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 2, 2020

Trump visits Wisconsin, not to urge racial healing but to back police

U.S. President Donald Trump defied requests to stay away and visited Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, not to urge racial healing after a white officer shot a Black man in the back but to express support for law enforcement in a city rocked by civil unrest.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 1, 2020

Our weird pandemic spending ways could change soon

There's been a lot of talk about the U.S. experiencing a K-shaped recovery, with large companies and the rich recovering while smaller companies and lower-paid service workers struggle. But this divide also shows up in the way Americans are shopping.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 1, 2020

Who says Iran is impervious to pressure?

Critics of the Trump administration’s sanctions campaign against Iran have long argued that the Islamic Republic is impervious to pressure. This claim never had a strong foundation: After all, extreme duress — prolonged diplomatic isolation, coupled with crippling economic sanctions — forced Tehran’s...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 1, 2020

India paid the price of lockdown for little reward

The troubles keep piling up for India, feted not long ago as a would-be commercial superpower. Economic data show the country is in far worse shape than previously thought, while it has overtaken Mexico to become the world’s third-largest tally of coronavirus cases. It will take the South Asian giant...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 31, 2020

How to end America's loneliness epidemic

Making people more economically secure is the first step to ending the 'intimacy apocalypse.'
Reader Mail
Aug 31, 2020

Nuclear waste disposal is a matter of environmental concern

It has been reported that the town of Suttsu in Hokkaido is considering applying for a two-year “literature research” into the possibility of storing high-level radioactive nuclear waste. A maximum of ¥2 billion in subsidies will be granted by the central government.
Reader Mail
Aug 31, 2020

Japanese connections with Indian languages

I came across the old July 6, 2008, opinion piece “Was the Japanese language influenced by Tamil? The war goes on,” and my view is that it’s not just Tamil, but the Japanese language is structurally (i.e grammar and expressions) very similar to Indian languages like Bengali. Now Bengali being a...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 29, 2020

After Abe’s exit, who should lead Japan?

On Friday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his intention to resign.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 28, 2020

The agonizing wait for better COVID-19 treatment

It's time to put renewed and coordinated emphasis on finding treatments for the novel coronavirus.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 28, 2020

Trump heads into election he casts as a crusade for law and order

U.S. President Donald Trump accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for a second term Thursday, joining a general-election contest against Joe Biden that he and his party cast this week as a crusade against left-wing ideology and violent social disorder, fought against the backdrop of a virus that...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 27, 2020

Abenomics finally finds its moment of genius

Muscular fiscal stimulus, large-scale monetary easing and a helping hand for businesses have become the global standard in the COVID-19 era.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2020

Did Europe make a mistake reopening its borders?

After a surge in new cases linked to travel within the continent, thorough testing is vital.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2020

Pharma rivals are fighting COVID-19 together — Why stop there?

Pandemics make for strange bedfellows.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2020

Belarus is Putin’s to lose

The Russian president's continued support for the Lukashenko regime risks pushing the country toward the West.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Aug 26, 2020

In a second Trump term, Tokyo would need to bolster ties elsewhere

The U.S. president has repeatedly voiced disdain for the existing alliance system, calling allied countries freeloaders that should pay more of its costs.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 25, 2020

Japan's take on a most unconventional Democratic convention

The reaction in Tokyo was mostly even-handed, if a little less enthusiastic than the coverage in the U.S. media.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 24, 2020

The crippling return of long-term unemployment

When joblessness is prolonged, more than people's economic security is at stake.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 24, 2020

An epidemic of depression and anxiety among young adults

As COVID-19 spreads, so do mental health problems, especially among Gen Z and millennials. A lot of this had to do with uncertainty.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 24, 2020

Longtime White House adviser Kellyanne Conway to leave at end of August

White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said late Sunday that she will be leaving the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump at the end of August, citing the need to focus on her family.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 23, 2020

For Abe, latest milestone is a moment of trepidation

Shinzo Abe, already Japan's longest-serving prime minister, is set to pass another milestone on Monday, when he surpasses a half-century-old record set by his great-uncle Eisaku Sato for the longest consecutive tenure.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 23, 2020

Abe faces hurdles to ambitions despite latest milestone

With criticism over his coronavirus response and questions about his health, Abe faces questions about what he might still be able to accomplish before his term ends.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 23, 2020

Wearing face masks outdoors isn’t always necessary

Joe Biden's call for a universal mask mandate is part of a confused public health message.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 23, 2020

U.S. college admissions are about to get even more unfair

The pandemic will make institutions even more eager to admit wealthy legacy students.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 22, 2020

'The Iconoclast' tackles Shinzo Abe’s political legacy

Tobias Harris' sweeping new biography serves as a definitive work on Japan's longest-serving prime minister.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 21, 2020

Calorie counts on restaurant menus probably won’t stop COVID-19

Britain's effort sounds like a good idea, but the evidence suggests it won't protect people.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 20, 2020

The 'phantom risk' of COVID-19

Some parts of the economy will struggle even after most of the dangers of the virus have passed.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat