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COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2003

U.S. test of U.N. relevance

Time was when those threatening to go to war had to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt. Today we are asked to prove to the powerful, to their satisfaction, why they should not go to war. The U.N. inspectors don't have to prove that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction; Iraqi President Saddam Hussein...
COMMENTARY
Dec 26, 2002

Marketing matters in foreign policy

HONOLULU -- Call me a cynic, but I've long believed that one of the greatest foreign-policy advantages the United States has enjoyed is the ineptness of the governments it has confronted. It's always good to have right on your side, but sometimes that isn't enough. Nor is might the answer: The reality...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 3, 2002

Abductees watch fate unfold through TV

Fuji TV, the Asahi Shimbun and the Mainichi Shimbun received unanimous disapprobation for their Oct. 25 interview with Kim Hye Gyong, the 15-year-old daughter of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korean agents in 1977 at the age of 13 and is presumed dead. The three media companies apologized,...
COMMENTARY
Oct 17, 2002

Face down lobbies, factions

LONDON -- Why can't Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi carry out his promised reforms of the Japanese economy? Some may argue that he never really intended to reform the system and that his promises were all sham designed as a political boost. I don't agree, although I do question whether he and his close...
EDITORIALS
May 18, 2002

Making a mockery of the public

Once again a Lower House resolution recommending the resignation of the scandal-tainted lawmaker, Mr. Muneo Suzuki, has been shelved. A motion calling for such a resolution to be brought before a plenary session of the House of Representatives was rejected Tuesday, with the Liberal Democratic Party and...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 20, 2001

Ending Chinese interference

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 13, backtracking on his vow to make the visit Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. Although he signed his name and title in the visitors' register, Koizumi would not say whether his visit to the shrine...
COMMENTARY
May 28, 2001

Junichiro Koizumi: Can stardom become success?

LOS ANGELES -- Quality political leadership is so frequently conspicuous by its absence that even the slightest whiff of its sudden presence can electrify a political region. Is Japan finally experiencing the dynamic quality leadership it deserves? That's the question intriguing Asia.
EDITORIALS
Apr 24, 2001

Mr. Lee comes with baggage

Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui is now on a "private" visit to Japan with a visa the Japanese government issued after days of vacillation -- and with strings attached: Mr. Lee should stay in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, where he will get a medical checkup, and should not conduct any political...
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2001

Toward financial transparency

Fifth in a series
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2001

Toward financial transparency

Fifth in a series
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2000

Dermatitis forum gets doctors, patients to chat

A group of Japanese atopic dermatitis patients and their families set up an online conference room to exchange information on treatment -- then asked doctors for their opinion.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jul 9, 2000

Taking better care of business

The 37th annual Japan-United States Business Conference is being held this week at the Hotel Okura. Top business executives from the two nations who comprise separate, compatible organizations are spending three days discussing important issues that concern commerce between the two most important economies...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 1999

Pinochet advances human rights after all

Both the anti-Pinochet crowd that had gathered outside the House of Lords in London and the Pinochet supporters at the Pinochet Foundation in Santiago, Chile, cheered and celebrated soon after the seven Law Lords gave the gist of their judgments live on radio and television. Both pro-Pinochet and anti-Pinochet...
Japan Times
TENNIS
Jun 1, 2023

Novak Djokovic doubles down on Kosovo comments after reaching third round of French Open

Djokovic defended his message in comments to Serbian media, saying that Kosovo is Serbia's 'cradle, our stronghold.'
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 15, 2023

Squaring the circle of same-sex marriage in Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is being drawn into a debate on marriage equality ahead of the G7 summit. Could he turn it into an opportunity?
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 1, 2023

The sword, the shield and the new face of Japan's military

As 2022 wrapped up, the Japanese government let forth a flurry of defense policy announcements. Those were followed by a five-nation tour by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and talk of a tax hike to pay for it all. Gabriel Dominguez joins the podcast this week to try to help us make sense of it all.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 4, 2023

Prigozhin’s public support remains significant, polls show

Prigozhin’s short lived-rebellion, which he called off within hours, had posed the most dramatic challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s leadership in his two decades in power.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference, following the central bank's policy meeting, on July 28.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2023

BOJ debated chance of sustained inflation at July meeting

The central bank's upbeat view on the inflation outlook suggests they are now more convinced that conditions for phasing out stimulus could fall in place.
Donald Trump has until noon on Aug. 25 to surrender to Georgia authorities and submit to an arrest after he was indicted 
for an array of crimes related to efforts to sabotage the vote in the state in the wake of his 2020 election loss.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 16, 2023

Trump's Georgia indictment has a smoking gun

Trump, along with 18 alleged co-conspirators, was indicted in Georgia for an array of crimes related to efforts to sabotage the 2020 presidential vote.
A supporter of the main opposition Kuomintang party shows their fingernails painted with the Taiwan flag, during the party's annual conference in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on July 23.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 31, 2023

Taiwan parties spar for young vote as high-stakes elections loom

The outcome of the closely watched January 2024 vote will set the tone for Taipei's tumultuous relationship with Beijing.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (center) arrives for a trilateral summit at Camp David, Maryland, on Aug. 18.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 3, 2023

Deterrence is not enough in Northeast Asia

Forging closer ties with Japan is crucial for Yoon to achieve his foreign-policy goal of making South Korea a pivotal global player.
An activist in Seoul protests Japan’s plan to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 7, 2023

Anger at Fukushima’s wastewater; hope in its renewables

Good news and bad news out of Fukushima.
A screen shows an image of Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers in Beijing in August last year. The PLA's newspaper recently explained to its readers how ChatGPT can be used for military purposes.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 12, 2023

Will generative AI hold power in international relations?

The technology has the ability to create influential text and imagery, giving it power to potentially sway public opinion.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks at a news conference following the central bank's policy meeting on Oct. 31.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 9, 2023

BOJ debated groundwork for future easy-policy exit at meeting

The October discussions highlight how the central bank is looking to exit its decade-long accommodative regime.
Dutch driver Max Verstappen speaks to the press after the opening ceremony for the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 16, 2023

Verstappen slams Las Vegas race as '99% show'

The Red Bull three-time world champion criticized the new street course and said Wednesday he had no interest in the razzmatazz around the event.
Taiwan's Vice President Lai Ching-te and his running mate Hsiao Bi-Khim arrive to register for the upcoming presidential election for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) at the Central Election Commission in Taipei, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 22, 2023

Taiwan ruling party moves ahead with opposition mired in dispute

Taiwan cannot afford chaos or "experiments" when it comes to being president, the frontrunner to be the island's next leader said on Wednesday as the opposition remained mired in a bitter dispute on mounting a joint presidential challenge.
Ko Wen-je (right) and his running mate, Cynthia Wu, on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 27, 2023

Taiwan’s latest poll shows outsider leading presidential race

Ko Wen-je, the Taiwan People’s Party’s nominee, had an approval rating of 31.9% versus 29.2% for Democratic Progressive Party’s Lai Ching-te.
Supporters of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi wear masks of his face at an election campaign rally in the city of Meerut, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, on March 31.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 4, 2024

Modi could sweep away biggest opposition party in India election: survey

The opposition is struggling to stay united and its leaders are facing multiple corruption charges that they say are politically motivated.
Emperor Naruhito at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on Tuesday
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2024

Japan to launch full-scale talks over shrinking imperial family

Japan's ruling and opposition parties are set to start talks on measures to address the shrinking number of imperial family members.
The world is waiting to see if tit-for-tat missile and drone strikes by Israel and Iran will end after one exchange or escalate into a wider war that threatens the region. 
EDITORIALS
Apr 19, 2024

Stop the slide toward catastrophe in the Middle East

Tensions mount as Israel and Iran trade strikes, threatening regional stability.

Longform

The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo is a popular place to foster curiosity in the natural sciences.
Can Japan's scientific community rebound from a Nobel nosedive?