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Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 1, 2020

Elizabeth Warren warns 'democracy hangs in the balance' in New Year's Eve speech

Democratic presidential contender Elizabeth Warren sought to re-energize her White House campaign in a New Year's Eve speech on Tuesday, warning that "democracy hangs in the balance" five weeks before nominating contests begin in early February.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 31, 2019

Presidential election will define Japan-U.S. ties

The outcome of the U.S. presidential election will have profound implications for Japan and the rest of the world.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2019

Fifteen predictions for the new year

The U.S. presidential election will end in a tie and other educated guesses.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2019

Christmas is over, but the 'quinceaneras' just roll on

A dazed parent ponders a Latin American coming-of-age ritual that knows no bounds.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2019

Impeachment was 2019's wildest roller coaster ride

Just when you thought political developments had coasted to a stop, events in Washington took another crazy turn.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2019

How Instagram has changed the way we shop

It has also transformed the way we brag about what we bought.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 28, 2019

Worst case for climate change isn't realistic

In recent years, much of the commentary about climate change has gone from sternly serious to wildly despairing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2019

What happens when the internet gets less American?

The popularity of Chinese-owned TikTok raises concerns about security and values.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2019

U.S. trade wars expose an abiding truth

Free trade turns out to be something that helps a rising great power, until it doesn't.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 25, 2019

Masayoshi Son: Tech visionary or robber baron?

We're coming to realize that the SoftBank founder is less a business guru than a 19th-century capitalist.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 25, 2019

Director urges Bollywood stars to break silence over citizenship law and violence

One of Bollywood's leading directors called on three superstar actors to break their silence about a new citizenship law that has triggered riots in India, saying they could influence millions of fans.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Commentary
Dec 24, 2019

The great power game in the Pacific: What Japan can do

The Pacific island states have never been at the center of geopolitical discussion. The names of the 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) — nations such as Fiji, Kiribati, Palau and Samoa — may evoke a romanticized image of a remote paradise in the Pacific, but certainly not as a point...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2019

May the (space) force be with you

It may sound silly, but it's an idea whose time has come. Here's what everyone should know about the space force.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 23, 2019

Japan's unviable whaling nationalism

The cultural nationalist project to re-imagine whaling as a national culinary culture will likely fail since it appears unlikely that whaling can become a viable commercial enterprise.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2019

In 'Star Wars' economy, one thing doesn't pay

Junkyards and scavengers are everywhere in the series. So why do they waste so much valuable scrap?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 23, 2019

After gay marriage law passes, Taiwan emerges as new market for LGBT+ surrogacy

On Geoffrey Li's 40th birthday last year, he put aside his dream of an early retirement on an idyllic island and instead decided to raise a child in Taiwan using a surrogate in Southeast Asia.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Dec 23, 2019

The Reiwa Daijosai: Pomp, circumstance and litigation

The separation of church and state in Japan comes under scrutiny in the new era. However, we've been down this road before.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / 2019 in Review
Dec 22, 2019

Japanese trends you couldn't have missed in 2019

Amid the hard news of the past year, there were some trends that lit up Japan's media offered the nation a sense of, if not a little hope, at least some relief.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2019

U.S. prefers mass hysteria to sound policy on vaping

Protecting kids from nicotine shouldn't matter more than saving the lives of millions of smokers.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 20, 2019

'Obamacare' ruling likely to haunt Trump in 2020

While the eyes of America were on the House vote to impeach President Donald Trump, a court ruling to leave the fate of the Affordable Care Act, also known as "Obamacare," up in the air may be a bigger risk to his 2020 re-election hopes.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 20, 2019

Time for U.S. pivot on North Korea?

It is now time for the U.S., along with Japan and South Korea, to prepare to pivot on North Korea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2019

Britain: One nation but many voices

In the latest British election, people expressed this own free opinions and rejected old party allegiances as never before.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2019

The U.S. media is in the gutter with Trump

American journalism used to adhere to strict standards, then the U.S. media declared war on Donald Trump.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2019

India is abandoning its founding principles

The country's embrace of religious nationalism is trampling on a tradition of secular liberalism that has served its people well
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / 2019 in Review
Dec 17, 2019

Creative expression stifled by 'safety concerns' in Japan

As the taboo-busting comic Joan Rivers used to say after pressing her audience's buttons, 'Can we talk?' On the evidence of this year's Aichi Triennale, if it's about World War II atrocities, the answer seems to be 'no.'
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2019

Boris Johnson is an incredibly lucky politician

Corbyn was a gift but the prime minister's promises to his new blue-collar supporters on Brexit and spending will be difficult to honor.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2019

Protests could spark stronger U.S.-China deal

The West has a golden opportunity to craft a larger strategy of both containment and cooperation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2019

Don't mock Greta; listen to her

Let's put aside the finger-pointing, and let Time's choice be a reminder that the problem isn't going to solve itself. There's more carbon entering the atmosphere every day.

Longform

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