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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2021

COVID-19 improved how the world does science

The biggest problem for an open-access regime is how to ensure good refereeing, which if done correctly raises the quality of academic papers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2021

Who's on the hook if vaccines go wrong?

Policy makers in developing nations may not have a choice but to take what they can get — cheaply and quickly. But in so doing, they might just be storing up legal troubles for later.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2021

What sovereignty means today?

The U.K.'s sovereignty has been regained. What exactly is this sovereignty? And precisely who has taken back control?
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Jan 6, 2021

Climate action is embedding into how the world works

Positive developments in 2020 are perhaps a strong sign that climate action is starting to be 'institutionalized.”
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2021

The Kremlin’s new man will keep us guessing

Just as Vladimir Putin was helped by academic-turned-St. Petersburg mayor, Anatoly Sobchak, Mikhail Mishustin was a protege of former finance minister and reformer Boris Fyodorov.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2020

Japan's bitter vaccine history creates hurdle in COVID-19 fight

Japan has one of the lowest rates of vaccine confidence in the world, according to a Lancet study, which found that fewer than 30% of people strongly agreed that vaccines were safe.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 19, 2020

The public and private concerns of a princess in Japan

News outlets exploit the imperial family for their own ends without ever discussing the real meaning of the imperial system.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Dec 18, 2020

Paris 2024 chief says breakdancing included to reach out to youth

The inclusion of breakdancing at the 2024 Olympics may been surprising but organizers were drawn to the sport's potential to attract a younger fan base and grow the Olympic audience in the internet age, Paris Games chief Tony Estanguet said.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2020

All aboard the billionaires’ Bitcoin bandwagon?

A surge of 1,000% in 2017 took Bitcoin's value to $19,000. A year later, it had dropped to less than $3,500.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Dec 15, 2020

Certainly, 'tashika ni' is a Japanese term you'll want to know

While 'tashika' on its own in a sentence conveys the idea that something is most likely true, adding the particle 'ni' to it will make it more definite.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 8, 2020

Has Bacardi solved the world’s plastic problem?

Various types of plastic react differently during the recycling process. If two different types are mixed together, the output will be a mishmash of limited economic value.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2020

City of London wants to clean up the world

After many previous efforts to spur carbon trading failed amid a lack of clear government policy, this might be one of the better chances to get a market going.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Nov 15, 2020

Japanese fashion tackles the issues of the moment

From practical masks and saving sento culture to provocative commentary on gender, brands and designers find their moment.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 13, 2020

How one firm drove influence campaigns for big oil across the U.S.

In early 2017 the Texans for Natural Gas website went live, urging voters to "thank a roughneck” and support fracking. Around the same time, the Arctic Energy Center ramped up its advocacy for drilling in Alaskan waters and in a vast Arctic wildlife refuge. The next year, the Main Street Investors...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2020

How to think about a contested U.S. election

The surge in mail-in and early voting amid the pandemic meant that the chances of knowing whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden won sometime Tuesday night was very low.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2020

Terror attacks in France demand statesmanship, not demagoguery

What leaders say at moments like these matters. And all the more so now because too many leaders have recently been unable or unwilling to say the right things.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 27, 2020

China shocked to discover the developed world views it in a negative light

China risks losing the trade and investment that it needs from the developed world. To be seen as a “responsible major country,” it must behave accordingly.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 21, 2020

Jacinda Ardern landslide is a vote for COVID-19 competence

Shutting down New Zealand's economy at a time when there'd been just 102 cases was a political gamble, but one that's paid off.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 14, 2020

Will Donald Trump cause a civil war?

A critical part of Trump's effort to undermine confidence in the election outcome, if it goes against him, is his attempt to discredit millions of ballots preemptively.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 11, 2020

Trump seeks to put COVID-19 behind him and get back to election campaign

The U.S. president, trailing his Democratic challenger Joe Biden in opinion polls, addressed supporters from a White House balcony on Saturday afternoon.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 11, 2020

French billionaires seize pandemic opportunities

France is the land of what writer Pascal Bruckner calls 'Bolshevism-lite,” where wealth is publicly hated but privately hoarded.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2020

Japan records most negative view of China as unfavorable opinions surge, survey finds

The jump in negative views of China comes amid widespread criticism over Beijing's global response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Top Global Universities in Japan
Oct 5, 2020

Expectations toward universities and global talent

The business world has high expectations for globalizing universities to better prepare students to contribute and lead as global talent. We asked David Macdonald, representative officer and president of Discovery Japan, about his expectations and hopes for universities in the global era.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 2020

If we can’t ban nukes, let’s stigmatize them

Since the end of the Cold War, most people have become much less afraid of nuclear war, when instead they should worry more.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 24, 2020

A new justice wouldn't guarantee a pro-Trump election verdict

For liberal court watchers, the situation is dire. But it is not yet time to write off the Supreme Court.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2020

Sedition laws are the last resort of weak governments

It's highly unlikely anyone will be prosecuted for sedition by the DOJ, but the harm to the independence of the U.S. criminal justice system has already been done.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 14, 2020

Johnson sends Brexit proposals to Parliament as rebellion grows

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will send his Brexit law-breaking proposals to Parliament this week, facing a growing rebellion from his MPs and further criticism from former premiers and European Union leaders.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 9, 2020

What to watch for in the LDP leadership race

With Yoshihide Suga's assured victory, we now have a clearer outlook of Japan's political landscape for the next twelve months.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 9, 2020

A bubble scarier than big tech is brewing in China

Much as Beijing has advocated investing in young hard-tech stocks, professionals are still apprehensive.

Longform

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