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January 29, 2025
 

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DEMOCRACY

Donald Trump pardoned Jan. 6 participants, while Joe Biden granted clemency to family members and officials to avoid potential prosecutions, highlighting the personalization and politicization of U.S. presidential pardon power.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2025
Trump seriously abused his pardon power. Biden also indulged.
A torrent of U.S. reprieves signals democratic decline and the rise of a monarchical presidency.
French workers load a replica of the Statue of Liberty, or Lady Liberty, onto a truck outside the Musee des Arts et Metiers in Paris in June 2021, before it departs for Ellis Island in New York to arrive on Independence Day.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2025
Liberal democracy faces doubts. But collapse? Not likely.
Democracy, it is often heard these days, is in crisis.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / The Year Ahead
Jan 3, 2025
AI has not yet destroyed democracy
The worst predictions about AI disrupting the democratic process were not borne out in 2024.
Supporters of then-President Donald Trump clash with police while storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
COMMENTARY / World / The Year Ahead
Dec 29, 2024
Will the guardrails of U.S. democracy hold?
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump continues to express admiration for authoritarian leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Then-Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa (left) and then-U.S. President Bill Clinton meet for talks at the White House on April 16, 1993.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 26, 2024
Ex-PM Miyazawa aired doubts about China's democratization to Clinton in '93
In a summit with the then-U.S. president, then-Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa said he was skeptical about democracy taking root in China as living standards improve.
Hong Kong's Secretary for Security Chris Tang speaks to the media over the landmark national security trial, in Hong Kong on Nov. 19.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 24, 2024
Hong Kong offers bounties for six more democrats in security squeeze
The move to add more names to Hong Kong's wanted list comes as the city strives to revive its economic growth and international reputation.
Supporters of the French far-right National Rally party wave French flags on Dec. 15. In Europe this year, the far right made gains in several legislatures, including that of France.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 24, 2024
Democracy heads into 2025 bloodied but unbowed
Overall, there were no attempts this year to prevent a peaceful transfer of power, but autocracies grew more repressive.
Through a de facto partial suspension of democracy, French President Emmanuel Macron has kept the far right out of power and restored stability. Similar measures may prove necessary elsewhere.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2024
Saving democracy from Itself
Macron’s actions may seem undemocratic, but they were necessary to maintain stability and block the rise of the far-right.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia leader Vladimir Putin talk during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki in July 2018.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 9, 2024
The long global trail of resentment behind Trump’s resurrection
Disillusionment with the world that emerged from the Cold War has fueled a long-gathering revolt against the established order.
Donald Trump is joined on stage by former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a campaign event in Duluth, Georgia, on Oct. 23.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 5, 2024
When the leftists embrace the far right
Do these political migrations reflect a mere opportunistic betrayal of principles or is something more complicated going on?
Tesla CEO Elon Mus joins former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the site of the first assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2024
The growing shadow of big money in U.S. politics
Changes in federal election law have made it easier for candidates like Donald Trump to trade influence for donations.
Voters line up outside a polling station during India's general election in Kairana, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, on April 19.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2024
From the year of elections to the year of governance
One of the biggest election years in history has already led to significant political shifts around the world, underscoring the resilience of democratic systems.
Myanmar's then-state counselor, Aung San Suu Kyi, meets with Fumio Kishida, Japan's then-foreign minister, for talks in Tokyo in November 2016.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 27, 2024
Kishida’s failure to support democracy in Myanmar
Kishida's lack of engagement with Myanmar's pro-democracy movement shows he prioritized economic relations over democratic values.
Men use a stole to cover themselves from the sun as they wait in a line outside a polling station to cast their votes during the sixth phase of India's general election in Bhubaneswar, India, on May 25.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 16, 2024
Surviving a climate disaster isn’t likely to change how you vote
If people are in fact casting ballots based on their experiences of disasters, it appears to be a small number of them.
Bangladeshi military personnel stand guard at an empty police station in Dhaka on Aug. 9. The U.S. and Western nations have sacrificed democracy for geopolitics, evident in Bangladesh’s chaos and violence after the prime minister was recently forced from power.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 6, 2024
The Western world's stealthy assault on democracy
Elections alone — even if competitive — do not guarantee popular empowerment or adherence to constitutional rules, especially when the military holds decisive power.
Demonstrators hold a rally in Tbilisi, Georgia, in May against a bill labeling organizations that receive foreign funding as spies. The passing of the so-called Russia law has been a setback for Georgia's democracy.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 29, 2024
Democracy is on tenuous ground this ‘election year’
From former Soviet countries to India and even the U.S., democracies are backsliding and authoritarianism is gaining ground, with far-reaching global implications.
A new report by international campaign group Global Witness alleges that TikTok approved adverts containing political disinformation ahead of European polls.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2024
TikTok fails 'disinformation test' before EU vote, study shows
The Chinese ByteDance-owned app said its systems correctly identified the breach, but the ads were approved due to "human error" by a moderator.
A Correctional Services vehicle arrives at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts ahead of the verdict hearing in Hong Kong on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 30, 2024
Fourteen Hong Kong democrats found guilty in landmark subversion trial
Critics say the trial could deal another blow to the city's rule of law and its reputation as a global financial hub.
To counter the rise of authoritarianism, liberals must acknowledge the importance of transcendent loyalties like faith and family, while defending liberal institutions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2024
The authoritarians have the momentum
To counter the rise of authoritarianism, liberals must acknowledge the importance of transcendent loyalties like faith and family, while defending liberal institutions.
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines (right) and Director of Defense Intelligence Agency Lt. General Jeffrey A. Kruse testify before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on worldwide threats, at Capitol Hill in Washington on May 2.
WORLD / Politics
May 16, 2024
Foreign attempts to sway U.S. elections increasing, officials warn
As the election approaches, U.S. officials are increasingly worried about the risks that AI poses to elections, including convincing "deepfakes" that trick voters.
Fuji TV president resigns over handling of Masahiro Nakai scandal
Fuji TV President Koichi Minato (left) and Chairman Shuji Kanoh, also chairman of the broadcaster's parent company Fuji Media Holdings, bow during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday. The two have announced their resignations.
KyoAni arson suspect's death penalty finalized after appeal dropped
Shinji Aoba is taken to Kyoto Prefectural Police in May 2020. His death penalty has been finalized after he dropped an appeal.
Rwandan-backed M23 militia enters eastern Congo's largest city
Residents run away after seeing members of the M23 armed group walking through a street of the besieged Congolese city of Goma on Monday.
Trump says Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok
U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that he was in talks with multiple people over buying TikTok and would likely have a decision on the popular app's future in 30 days.
Neymar and Al Hilal agree to terminate contract, club says
Al Hilal's Neymar during an Asian Champions League fixture against Al Ain, in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, on Oct. 21
What we learned at Fuji TV's marathon Nakai scandal news conference
Members of the media raise their hands for questions as outgoing Fuji TV President Koichi Minato attends a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
Kanoa Igarashi dreams big as surfing championship tour gets underway
Kanoa Igarashi surfs in the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach competition in Oahu, Hawaii, on Feb. 18.
How Japan is looking deep underground to solve its carbon problem
A pipe for transporting carbon dioxide to removal equipment at a carbon capture and storage (CCS) test site in Tomakomai, Hokkaido.
Hoshoryu overcomes rank-and-file wrestlers to put yokozuna promotion in sight
Hoshoryu dispatches Oho in a playoff to clinch the Emperor's Cup on the final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday in Tokyo.
Of sake and spirits: Indulging in Yamanashi’s best
With abundant rains and formidable humidity in summer, Japan does not seem to be an ideal land for wine, but winegrowers in Yamanashi Prefecture have gradually been able to adapt.

Podcast

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

Longform

Ayumi Matsuki, a priestess at Yoshiwara Shrine, shows off some "o-mamori" charms. She says visitors to the shrine have increased since the NHK drama “Unbound” began airing this month.
Tracing Tsutaya Juzaburo, Edo’s media maverick
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Challenging spirit and teamwork keep ANA flying high
Challenging spirit and teamwork keep ANA flying high

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