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December 12, 2024
 

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Campaign spending in the U.S. has surged, with dark money and Super PACs dominating elections.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 13, 2024

Dark money is a cancer on U.S. lawmakers — but it’s curable

Nearly three-fourths of Americans voters say lobbyists and special interests wield too much influence compared to constituents.
The real significance of Brussels' case against Apple is that it will increase pressure to reform how multinationals allocate their profits globally and are taxed.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 15, 2024

Ireland struck it rich with Apple. Others struck it poor.

The Apple case highlights the need for global tax reforms to ensure multinationals pay taxes where they operate, benefiting countries beyond just Ireland.
The scariest aspect of America’s recent debate is that Trump’s over-the-top comments revealed a serious risk that needs global attention, not just in the U.S.
COMMENTARY
Sep 15, 2024

Trump is right about WWIII, wrong on the analysis

The risks of nuclear war go beyond campaign hyperbole. What, though, should the U.S. do? Prepare for World War III? If it’s coming anyway, that would seem prudent.
The core issue holding back the quicker adoption of electric vehicles is the high cost and complexity of installing DC fast chargers, essential for quick EV refueling.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 15, 2024

EV charging faces deeper problems than we realize

The core issue holding back the quicker adoption of electric vehicles is the high cost and complexity of installing DC fast chargers, essential for quick EV refueling.
In China, discussing feminism is apparently forbidden, as seen with the controversy over the maker of Black Myth: Wukong censoring feminist topics during streaming, despite its global success and praise for visuals and gameplay. 
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2024

Wukong makes equal rights for women a taboo topic

Women are increasingly active consumers in the gaming industry: The growth rate of new female gamers in Asia is nearly double that of males.
Japan might have created the PlayStation brand, but the cost of the latest generation of the console will exclude all but the most hardcore fans.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 18, 2024

PS5 Pro price is a sticker shock for the country that made the PlayStation

With even an entry-level PS5 now costing some ¥72,980 following the latest hike last month, an entire generation of Japanese could be cut off.
Attendees to the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at National Convention Center in Vientiane take a group photo on July 26. Southeast Asian nations are concerned about nuclear weapons but are more focused on regional security and stability.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 18, 2024

Southeast Asia untroubled by China’s nuclear modernization efforts

Southeast Asian nations are concerned about nuclear weapons but are more focused on regional security and stability.
A soldier stands guard near the American University of Beirut Medical Center after as many as 2,800 people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon on Tuesday
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 18, 2024

Hezbollah pager attack looks like a decapitation strike

The sophisticated nature of the attack, involving the insertion of explosive material into pagers, suggests a high level of intelligence and planning.
The World Trade Center's South Tower (left) and the North Tower burn after al-Qaida terrorists flew hijacked airliners into the buildings in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. Nearly 3,000 people died in the incident, including 24 Japanese nationals. REUTERS
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 18, 2024

The forgotten impact of 9/11 on Japan

Though an ocean away, 9/11 was a wake up call to the Japanese people that the 21st century would not be an era of everlasting peace.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell injected uncertainty as to where future rates will ultimately land during his news conference following the Federal Open Market Committee meeting in Washington on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2024

The Fed’s uncertain destination troubles the bond market

The upshot is that longer-term bond yields don’t have much room to fall in the near-term unless the economy weakens materially.
Circle K owner Alimentation Couche-Tard’s initial $14.86-a-share proposal, seen as cheap at only 20% above Seven & I’s share price, may fail without a higher bid.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 19, 2024

How 7-Eleven can get a big price from Circle K

Alimentation Couche-Tard’s initial $14.86-a-share proposal, seen as cheap at only 20% above Seven & I’s share price, is unlikely to succeed without a higher bid.
Guaranteeing Ukraine’s security will require increased military support, a clear path to NATO membership and international support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace plan.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2024

Achieving peace through strength in Ukraine

To secure a lasting peace, Ukraine’s allies must make Vladimir Putin understand that he cannot dictate terms.
A vaccine that can protect against six types of cancer is available: the human papillomavirus vaccine. Despite its proven effectiveness, many parents and others remain hesitant over its use.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 20, 2024

Boys need the HPV cancer vaccine as much as girls

The virus doesn’t only cause cervical cancer, it’s the culprit behind numerous other cancers
Scientists used a version of ChatGPT to challenge conspiracy theories and beliefs and found people more open to evidence than expected, contradicting the "post-truth" era idea.
COMMENTARY
Sep 20, 2024

AI can debunk conspiracy theories better than humans

Believers often invest huge amounts of time in researching their theories online. Maybe only LLMs can keep up.
U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman attends the annual Pride march in Budapest on June 22.
COMMENTARY
Sep 20, 2024

What does America stand for? The world no longer knows.

Pressman argues that Orban is miscalculating by betting on Trump’s return to power and warns of a shift in U.S.-Hungary relations if Kamala Harris becomes president.
Taiwanese honor guards take part in the changing of the guard ceremony outside the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei in July. As new approaches to engaging with Taiwan have emerged in the global community, the notion that the U.N. must choose between China and the island is a false dichotomy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 20, 2024

To secure peace in the Indo-Pacific, include Taiwan in the U.N. system

As new approaches to engaging with Taiwan have emerged in the global community and the notion that the U.N. must choose between China and Taiwan is a false dichotomy.
Decades after Bhutan introduced its Gross National Happiness index, the idea that gross domestic product is an inadequate indicator of human well-being and social progress is gaining ground.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2024

Is gross national happiness the way forward?

The World Happiness Report's top-ranked countries tended to be smaller Western countries, led by Finland. Larger Western economies tend to perform worse.
Lebanese soldiers and civilians inspect the site of an Israeli strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2024

Israel’s plans for Hezbollah are becoming clearer

No ground invasion is imminent; instead, the aim appears to be to degrade Hezbollah to the point where it’s incapable of continuing the rocket and missile attacks.
Feeling overshadowed by U.S. elections, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un might conduct a nuclear test, fire missiles, annul the Korean War armistice or demand territorial concessions.
COMMENTARY
Sep 23, 2024

Kim Jong Un will have his October surprise

Feeling overshadowed by U.S. elections, Kim Jong Un might conduct a nuclear test, fire missiles, annul the Korean War armistice or demand territorial concessions.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to kill thousands of barred owls in California, Oregon and Washington to protect the endangered spotted owl.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2024

If killing one species might save another, should we do it?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to kill thousands of barred owls in California, Oregon and Washington to protect the endangered spotted owl.
Regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential election in November, Chinese decision-makers expect bitter disputes over trade, technology and Taiwan.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2024

How Beijing is preparing for America's next president

Both Trump or Harris are expected to continue contentious issues surrounding trade, technology and Taiwan, without desiring open conflict.
Americans face a choice in the November presidential election between Donald Trump’s isolationist vision of America alone and Kamala Harris’ approach, which builds on the Biden administration’s legacy of strengthening alliances to tackle global challenges.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2024

America’s role in the world is hard. It just got much harder.

November's election offers stark contrast between Donald Trump’s isolationism and Kamala Harris’ focus on strengthening alliances.
Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai (left) meets with with Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, in Beijing, on Aug. 28.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 24, 2024

Form over substance: The contradictions in Japan-China relations

How Japan and other countries in Beijing’s periphery navigate the many incongruities in bilateral relations offers lessons for the U.S. and other Western nations.
Japan's flag flies at half mast at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Thursday after a Japanese schoolboy was stabbed to death in the southern city of Shenzhen.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 24, 2024

The death of a Japanese school student: Is this just a tip of an iceberg?

Despite the fact that an innocent 10-year-old boy was brutally murdered, the reaction of the Japanese government and media was predictably restrained.
Japan's allies are hoping for a leader who will continue the effective foreign policies established by Shinzo Abe while the nation's enemies are looking for inexperience and chaos within the Liberal Democratic Party.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 25, 2024

The LDP election through the eyes of allies, 'frenemies' and foes

Allies hope for a Japanese leader who will continue Shinzo Abe's effective foreign policies, while enemies seek inexperience and chaos within the LDP.
Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a campaign meeting on Sept. 12 in Tokyo in the lead-up to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election scheduled for Friday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 24, 2024

Japan’s next leader will be different — and flawed

While nine LDP lawmakers are contesting the race to become the country’s next leader, the field has narrowed to just three.
Italian former prime minister and economist Mario Draghi (left) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen take part in a joint news conference about the future of European competitiveness at the EU headquarters in Brussels on Sept. 9.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 25, 2024

Draghi warns Europe — and Japan — about the failure to innovate

The warning could not be clearer. Europe faces “an existential crisis.” “Over time, we will inexorably become less prosperous, less equal, less secure and, as a result, less free to choose our destiny.” Moreover, “without action, we will have to either compromise our welfare, our environment...
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Aug. 28. The visit was part of efforts aimed at resetting British relations with the European Union, especially on defense and trade.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 3, 2024

Yes, let’s reverse Brexit (a bit) for Gen Z

Youth mobility isn’t just for privileged graduates seeking experience, CV points or language skills; it can also help fill labor shortages in the U.K.
Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian cities have been unsuccessful in breaking Ukraine's resolve and the strategic benefit of such attacks is questionable.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 26, 2024

Lessons from Ukraine and Gaza on humanitarian law

The conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza challenge, if not outright violate, humanitarian law, which seeks to balance military objectives with minimizing harm to civilians.
Smoke billows over southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike amid the ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2024

In Lebanon, Israel set a trap for Iran and itself

Unable to rescue hostages or eliminate Hamas after nearly a year of war, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu expanded the fight to target Hezbollah and Iran.
Firms should quit turning foreign workers into Japanese ones
Filipino housekeepers undergo training to work for a Japanese staffing company. By applying the same criteria when hiring overseas and local workers, Japanese firms tend to underutilize the unique skills that foreign nationals can bring.
Winter chill, hot baths and the risk of heat shock: How to stay safe
A health ministry survey showed that 5,824 people age 65 and older died in a bathtub in their home or other residential facilities in 2022, more than double the number of people who died in a traffic accident.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Nihon Hidankyo calls for a world without nukes
One of the representatives of 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winner Nihon Hidankyo, Terumi Tanaka, speaks during the Nobel Peace Prize awarding ceremony in Oslo City Hall on Tuesday.
Victim of alleged staged suicide was subjected to years of abuse
Manabu Sasaki, who runs a painting company, is one of four suspects arrested on suspicion of murdering 56-year-old Osamu Takano.
South Korean police blocked from raid on president's office
Protesters attend a rally calling for the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in front of the headquarters of the ruling People Power Party in Seoul on Tuesday.
‘Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron’ documentary meditates on auteur's creativity and legacy
“Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron" provides an in-depth look into the octogenarian auteur’s creative process and personal reflections.
Yurie Collins: ‘Everyone seems sedated, fed-up … that’s why they turn to comedy’
Yurie Collins is a bilingual comedian based in Tokyo. In addition to being a prize-winning roast comic, her dating-themed "Tokyo Hoe Tales" shows have proven to be a hit with women of all nationalities.
As Japan nears new climate goal, criticism of policy process ramps up
The government is preparing to set Japan’s new Nationally Determined Contribution, an emissions reduction commitment made by members of the United Nations climate framework's Paris Agreement.
Winter chill, hot baths and the risk of heat shock: How to stay safe
A health ministry survey showed that 5,824 people age 65 and older died in a bathtub in their home or other residential facilities in 2022, more than double the number of people who died in a traffic accident.
It’s Japan versus China for 2024’s game of the year
While FromSoftware's Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is a strong contender for game of the year, Black Myth: Wukong, the first AAA game made by a Chinese developer, offers some stiff competition.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

People in cities across Japan will pop into their local convenience store for any number of products they believe will help them with a night of drinking.
Hangover cures are everywhere in Japan — but do they work?
By Thu-Huong Ha

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’
Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’

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