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COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2016

Why Russia didn't go further than Crimea

A newly released document sheds light on why Russia's annexation of Crimea was bloodless, and on the limits of Putin's aggressiveness.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 23, 2016

Solution to the inequality puzzle proving elusive

As difficult a puzzle as income inequality may seem today, failing to solve it could lead to far more severe challenges.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 22, 2016

With eye on Downing Street, Boris bets all on 'Brexit'

With one hand in his suit pocket and the other mussing his signature blond hair, Boris Johnson on Sunday took the riskiest gamble of his career: to oppose Prime Minister David Cameron by campaigning for Britain to leave the European Union.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Feb 21, 2016

In Japan, don't just celebrate black history, be black history

There are a number of annual celebrations of Black History Month here in Japan. I've attended dozens of them over the years. Have even spoken at several, and in fact will be speaking at one later this month. And more often than not, I'll be asked the question, "Why?"
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 21, 2016

A lot more war than peace

After decades of relative peace, the death toll from armed conflicts is rising once again. While countries rarely go to war with each other, a constellation of other kinds of conflicts rages on.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 20, 2016

1936 coup failed, but rebels killed Japan's 'Keynes'

This Friday marks the 80th anniversary of the February 26th Incident, a coup staged by young military officers who hoped to spark a general uprising, but whose revolt was quashed on the orders of Emperor Hirohito.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Feb 20, 2016

CG gains a 'real' foothold in anime

Japanese audiences have long responded tepidly to the use of extensive computer graphics (CG) in anime. Even as CG has become the global standard for animation studios, anime fans prefer their homegrown artists to stick to labor-intensive 2-D illustration techniques and cel animation — or to at least...
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Feb 20, 2016

'The Doctor's Wife' fictionalizes the life of Japan's pioneering anesthetist

"Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes," the comedian Jim Carrey once joked. Sawako Ariyoshi's novel "The Doctor's Wife," based on historical facts and first published in 1978, tells of the woman behind real-life pioneer surgeon Seishu Hanaoka, who used general anesthetic long before any...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 20, 2016

No nation should fight atrocities alone

The doctrine of the responsibility to protect (R2P) does not guarantee the world will act when atrocities occur, but the chances of a better outcome increase when it is used.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 19, 2016

Apple-FBI legal battle isn't about encryption

Apple is standing up for iPhone users' privacy rights now, but there's no guarantee its stance won't change in the future.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 18, 2016

For Sanders and Clinton, politics is personal

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders represent two worldviews: one for whom wealth and privilege have long been assumed as her due, the other whose sympathies lie with those who are less fortunate because he once was.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2016

At last, scientists show Neanderthals some love

That modern humans ridiculed Neanderthals so maliciously for so long says more about our shortcomings than theirs.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2016

Refugees, jihad and the specter of terrorism

The Mediterranean holds the key to Europe's security, yet little attention is being paid to shoring up the continent's southern flank.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2016

Military cuts can fund Sanders' social programs

Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders could fund his ambitious social programs by slashing America's bloated military budget.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2016

Korean tensions at an alarming level

Rising tensions between North and South Korean pose a dangerous threat to regional peace and stability.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Feb 16, 2016

Fisher a victim of Jackson's coaching purism

Phil Jackson is much less Zen master than basketball apostle.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2016

China pushes back on THAAD

China is critical of moves to deploy a missile defense system in South Korea in the wake of North Korea's rocket launch, but fails to offer much in the way of constructive suggestions on how the South can ensure its own security otherwise.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2016

The huge public impact of domestic violence

Domestic violence against women is so widespread that it has become a global public health issue.
WORLD
Feb 11, 2016

Consternation follows Austrian case over Nazi camp survivors called 'a plague'

Concentration camp survivors voiced indignation on Wednesday at an Austrian prosecutor's statement that it was justifiable for a far-right magazine to call people who were liberated from the Nazi camp at Mauthausen a criminal "plague."
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 10, 2016

Hillary doesn't get what campaigns are about

Hillary Clinton's biggest flaw as a candidate is her failure to project an optimistic vision for the future.
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 10, 2016

Climate change will make westbound transatlantic flights longer: study

Flights from Europe to North America will take slightly longer and nudge up airline fuel costs if climate change strengthens high altitude winds as widely expected, a study said on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2016

When drama undercut diplomacy

If the Modi government wants history to stop repeating itself, it must develop a credible counterterrorism strategy vis-a-vis Pakistan.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2016

Palestinian attacks wound Israel's reputation

The latest round of Palestinian violence with is costing Israel far more than the human toll.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Feb 8, 2016

Disgraced Kiyohara's situation similar to that of former pitcher Enatsu

Last week, a bat used by Kazuhiro Kiyohara during his high school days was removed from an exhibition celebrating the long and rich history of high school baseball at Koshien Stadium.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Feb 7, 2016

What's in a surname? A court divorced from reality

Here at Law of the Land, I try to share "the Japanese law experience" with general readers. Today's experience is called "The Frustration of Reading Supreme Court Decisions" and takes as examples two of the most significant decisions of 2015: one on a law requiring spouses to have the same surname, the...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 5, 2016

Europe's shift to dark green forests stokes global warming: study

An expansion of Europe's forests toward dark green conifers has stoked global warming, according to a study on Thursday at odds with a widespread view that planting more trees helps human efforts to slow rising temperatures.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 5, 2016

China filming its own version of 'The Big Short'

The second biggest economy has $23 billion of potential junk debt. A rash of downgrades could trigger the next bout of turmoil in global markets.

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