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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 16, 2021

Avoiding battle with daughter over vice presidency, Rodrigo Duterte to seek Senate seat

Sara Duterte-Carpio is set to contest two of the most powerful posts in a country where the family has built considerable political clout.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2021

China’s very distressed developers are also very clever

Developers, attuned to Beijing's fast and furious credit cycles, are once again coming up with naughty if twisty ways to borrow and survive this harsh winter.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 13, 2021

When will China flinch and stop the Evergrande meltdown?

If China is at all serious about cutting down its debt, it will have to relent and do something dramatic. Maybe even bail out Evergrande.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 7, 2021

Will mixed expectations on Kishida affect economic security?

Kishida's approval ratings seem to reflect the current mood of the nation's pandemic-frustrated public.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 29, 2021

A post-Merkel postmortem

While Angela Merkel pushed the SPD to the left, she vacated so much space on the right that the far-right AfD emerged to take important votes away from the CDU.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 29, 2021

Most Americans want more diplomacy and many fewer troops abroad, survey shows

The poll also found that 42.2% of respondents believe the U.S. military should defend Taiwan if it were attacked by China.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 28, 2021

Taro Kono faces intractable opposition — from his own party

Vicious infighting from the far-right of the LDP could destabilize the next administration, rendering even a popular prime minister practically a lame duck upon election.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2021

Manny Pacquiao isn’t the hero the Philippines needs

What's not to like about Pacquiao? There's plenty such as his lack of legislative accomplishments as a lawmaker and his support for President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2021

Starvation is as much a threat to Afghan women as the Taliban

In an aid-dependent economy already in deep trouble, the removal of tens of thousands female workers, many supporting large families, will only add to those facing hunger.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 17, 2021

Why Shinzo Abe is backing a little-known hawk

The move by the former prime minister is aimed at allowing LDP heavyweights to maintain control of an increasingly fluid political situation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 16, 2021

Seoul doesn't have Beijing's crackdown muscle

Apple and Google felt South Korea's legislative wrath last month thanks to a new law that stops software developers from having to use payment platforms tied to their app stores.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 10, 2021

With Aso’s blessing, vaccine chief Taro Kono officially joins the LDP race

At a packed news conference on Friday, Kono touched on his achievements as the minister in charge of administrative reform and the vaccine rollout.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 8, 2021

Xi’s ‘common prosperity’ drive triggers a rare debate in China

Competing viewpoints in China's tightly controlled media space point to internal confusion over just how far Xi plans to go in reining in 'disorderly capital expansion.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 7, 2021

Facing intraparty obstacles, Ishiba wrestles with role in LDP election

The former defense chief has long had ambitions to become prime minister, but his fraught relationship with the LDP could block his way — and change the race for everyone else.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 6, 2021

Kono emerges as top contender to replace Suga in polls as LDP race gains steam

With the party's popularity having taken a hit over the pandemic, and an election due to be held this autumn, public support could give a candidate a crucial edge in the LDP vote.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 31, 2021

Don’t let politicians off the hook: Their choices determine Japan-South Korea relations

Many like to blame structural factors for the troubled ROK-Japan relationship. The focus should be on those who weaponize foreign policy to serve domestic political interests.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 30, 2021

China calls Xi’s regulatory crackdown a ‘profound revolution’

Xi's campaign calling for 'common prosperity” has intensified in recent weeks.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 20, 2021

Widening Hong Kong crackdown sweeps away unions and activist groups

The pressure on civic organizations — ranging from teacher's unions and legal societies to journalist associations and activists groups — shows Beijing isn't finished remaking Hong Kong.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 20, 2021

Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Jekyll and Hyde year

The artist famous for his riddling photos has turned to old-fashioned function and grace in his design for the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden in the U.S.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 13, 2021

Discovering 'meaning' in Japanese with one kanji in particular

As we reflect on the Olympics, some may be wondering what the significance of holding them during a pandemic was. The kanji that helps express that is used for other deep thoughts, too.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 12, 2021

Does Scarlett Johansson have a case against Disney?

The movie star claims that Disney breached her contract when it released 'Black Widow” simultaneously in movie theaters and on the Disney+ streaming service.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 11, 2021

Not vaccinated? Here’s how you could kill someone’s father

Misinformation, or even mere scientific confusion, can cause a lot of trouble when it appears to come out of the Centers for Disease Control.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 6, 2021

In defense of ‘misinformation’

The sight of powerful politicians and business leaders joining in a campaign to chase misinformation from public debate conjures up vicious images of ideological overreach.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 2, 2021

North Korea threatens week-old detente over U.S.-led exercises

Kim Yo Jong, sister of the country's leader Kim Jong Un, said Sunday that the plan to hold annual allied exercises this month 'seriously undermines” efforts to restore ties with South Korea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 22, 2021

At this point, the U.K.'s COVID-19 rules follow politics as much as science

If the last 18 months have taught us anything, it's that a successful COVID-19 policy requires three things: high levels of public trust, a coherent strategy and effective implementation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 19, 2021

China and Taiwan’s ‘unrestricted vaccine warfare’

Last year, the countries of East Asia were hailed for their success stories in the effort to stop the coronavirus pandemic. Today, these same countries are battling a resurgence in infections. One unintended consequence of their early success in suppressing the virus has been a late start in vaccinating...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 12, 2021

How Vietnam's 'influencer' army wages information warfare on Facebook

Force 47 soldiers are tasked with setting up, moderating and posting on pro-state Facebook groups, to correct 'wrong views' online.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 3, 2021

Japan’s LGBTQ community ends up losing thanks to intraparty politics in the LDP

The media coverage of a bill on LGBTQ 'understanding' focuses on a conservative purity test instead of the contents of the legislation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 26, 2021

Mapping the cyber-activism of Japanese rightists

Jeffrey J. Hall's 'Japan's Nationalist Right in the Internet Age' brings academic rigor to exploring how neo-nationalist groups use the internet to bypass the mainstream media.

Longform

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