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Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 30, 2023

A climate-vulnerable nation takes the world to court over emissions

After the world failed to boost targets for cutting emissions at last year’s climate summit, the Volcanic atoll in the South Pacific is turning to international law.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Oct 17, 2022

What did Nancy Pelosi’s visit do for Taiwan?

When Pelosi visited Taiwan in August, China launched large-scale military exercises. But Taipei still reaped some benefits from the event.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 22, 2022

Kishida would be riding high except for a political misstep

By going for a unity Cabinet, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was forced to bring in members from factions that were at greater risk of being linked with the Unification Church.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2022

Poll shows close to 50% in Japan support restarting some nuclear reactors

The proportion of respondents who expressed opposition came to 27.9%, while 23.8% said they had no opinion or did not know.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 3, 2022

Leaked draft abortion ruling a major blow to U.S. Supreme Court, experts say

While the substance of the draft sparked praise from anti-abortion conservatives and condemnation from abortion rights advocates, many court watchers blasted on the leak itself.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 2, 2021

Roe v. Wade in jeopardy if current arguments before top court are anything to go by

The court could hold that, properly interpreted, Roe allows states to restrict abortion at some point — so long as they allow women 'enough time” to end their pregnancies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 10, 2021

The domestic media largely moves on from ‘public concern’ over the Olympics

Public anxiety over the Olympics remains high, but the domestic media has moved on to other topics. Why are politicians still complaining about a focus on public concern?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 18, 2021

Take in the beauty of Hokusai's wave and then give your verdict on it in Japanese

Learn the basics of art criticism in Japanese while taking in Katsushika Hokusai's iconic print, 'Under the Wave off Kanagawa.'
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
May 8, 2021

Runner Hitomi Niiya doesn't feel athletes should get priority for vaccines

The IOC on Thursday announced a deal with Pfizer Inc. to provide doses tou00a0those participating in the Tokyo Games.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 8, 2021

Baseball deserves to lose its antitrust immunity

It never truly had any legitimate usefulness; the antitrust exemption, which no other professional sport enjoys, is as nonsensical a thing as exists in the law.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2019

Record high 85% of Japanese view China unfavorably, despite improving ties between Beijing and Tokyo

Although bilateral ties between Beijing and Tokyo are on the mend, a new survey has found that a record high 85 percent of Japanese have unfavorable views of China — a stunning contrast with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's talk of creating a "new era" of friendship with Japan's top Asian rival.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2019

Why it's risky to call e-cigarettes unsafe

Sure, it would be better if no one smoked any nicotine products, but the CDC's repetition of that message blurs important distinctions.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Heisei Icons
Apr 25, 2019

Junichiro Koizumi: Maverick reformer left Japan all shook up

Junichiro Koizumi is regarded as the most accomplished politician of the Heisei Era, according to one survey.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 5, 2018

Trump says he can pardon himself. Nixon was told he couldn't

U.S. President Donald Trump is asserting a power to pardon himself that not even Richard Nixon tried to claim before resigning the presidency in 1974, and that the Justice Department has said isn't constitutional.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 19, 2017

A contrite Abe takes blame for support plunge

Taking a recent plunge in his Cabinet's support rate to heart, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe admits that his government's recent handling of alleged favoritism scandals was at fault for stoking voter distrust.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 26, 2016

Abdication panel leans toward one-off deal after Emperor Akihito's rare video

A government panel appears ready to propose that a special temporary law be enacted to allow Emperor Akihito, 83, to abdicate, given his advanced age.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2016

More Japanese view U.S. as in decline and threat to nation, survey shows

A new study by the Pew Research Center has shown that while 72 percent of Japanese retain a favorable view of the United States, 61 percent see America in decline on the global stage.
Police and security personnel stand outside the entrance of the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Tuesday. Japan said that harassment being faced by its citizens in China after the Fukushima water release was "extremely regrettable," confirming that a brick was thrown at the country's embassy in Beijing.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 31, 2023

Fukushima water release dampens chances of Japan-China detente

Japan is now bracing for a new period of wide-ranging tensions with its neighbor as the strained ties look likely to continue into the months ahead.
People walk past the Taiwanese flag in Taipei. Ahead of elections, Taiwan routinely flags the risk of interference from Beijing, saying that China seeks to sway the outcome to benefit candidates who may be more favorable toward the country.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 4, 2023

Beijing has 'diverse' ways of interfering in votes, Taipei warns

Military pressure, economic coercion or fake news could create a false choice between "war or peace" in the election, frightening voters.
Kuomintang head Eric Chu, Hou Yu-ih, the party's presidential candidate, former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou and the People’s Party chief Ko Wen-je posing for a group photo in Taipei on Wednesday. The two parties have agreed to team up to take on the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in the January election.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 15, 2023

Taiwan opposition unite to challenge presidential front-runner

The island's two main opposition parties have vowed to renew talks with China even as the ruling party decries interference from Beijing.
Taiwan People’s Party head Ko Wen-je speaks to the media in Taipei on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 18, 2023

Clock ticking as Taiwan opposition bicker over joint presidency bid

The two main opposition parties failed to agree on how to interpret opinion polls and decide who will stand for what position by a Saturday deadline.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2023

U.S. Supreme Court unlikely to uphold Colorado ruling disqualifying Trump

The U.S. Supreme Court could overturn the Colorado courts decision, including challenging the state court's authority to keep Trump off the ballot.
Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza move southward as trucks carrying aid and fuel head toward north Gaza during a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, near Gaza City on Nov. 27.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jan 16, 2024

What the Hamas-Israel 'humanitarian pause' really meant

While many civilians have been victimized in the conflict, other countries have been at odds over calls for a break in the conflict.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a campaign rally in Rome, Georgia, on March 9.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 15, 2024

Trump launched CIA covert influence operation against China

A team promoted allegations that Communist Party members were hiding ill-gotten money overseas, sources said.
The massive Gemini fiasco unveils critical questions about artificial intelligence's role and accountability in decision-making.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2024

Google’s bad Gemini rollout did the world a favor

Part of the difficulty in grappling with AI’s full implications is the huge effort that has gone into devising models that express themselves like humans.
Demonstrators rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on March 18 as justices hear arguments on whether the 
government has the right to encourage social media companies to remove content it deems misinformation. 
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2024

It's just fine if public officials block you on social media

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision should reduce the frequency of litigation over social-media blocking. But it won’t eliminate it altogether.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a summit in Bangkok in November 2022. Despite Japan-China relations stagnating in recent years, Xi's administration presents some interesting opportunities for an overture between the two countries.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 12, 2024

Will Japan and China’s relations continue to stagnate?

Japan and China have historically been at odds and relations have stagnated. This pattern can be broken by seizing the moment, one that offers some key opportunities.
Economic security minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 9, 2024

Sanae Takaichi unveils LDP president bid with call for party's rebirth

In an announcement laden with detailed policy proposals, the economic security minister says the party needs to be “reborn” in the wake of its slush funds scandal.
The U.S. presidential debate is unlikely to change the minds of voters significantly; instead, it may maintain the current momentum of the race, with Harris emerging as the apparent victor and Trump revealing his limitations.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 12, 2024

Trump may not have met his Waterloo, but he more than met his match

The race is too close to call, but Tuesday, Harris was the clear victor. Trump, on the other hand, left no doubt about his limitations.

Longform

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