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August 13, 2026
 

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Yoichi Funabashi

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Yoichi Funabashi
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is running for re-election, visits the southern border in Edinburg, Texas, on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 22, 2023
Can Japan risk a Trump reelection?
A fundamental risk accompanying Donald Trump¡¯s reelection is the doubts it would raise about American leadership in the world.
The ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference with Japan at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers' meeting in Jakarta on July 13
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 26, 2023
Is ASEAN part of the ¡®Global South¡¯?
Despite the effort put into its formation, the Group of 20¡¯s failure to function as hoped may well have brought about the Global South narrative.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 5, 2023
A step toward normalizing Japan-South Korea relations
Ties between Japan and South Korea deteriorated under President Yoon Suk-yeol¡¯s predecessor, a trend the South Korean leader hopes to reverse.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 1, 2023
A Japan-Europe alliance against Eurasian despotism
If Japan and European nations allow Russia to use force to unilaterally change the status quo in Europe, China would be encouraged to forceful expand its sphere of influence in Asian waters.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2023
For China, it¡¯s the ordinary people who pose the greatest risk
In times of crisis, such as the COVID pandemic, Chinese leaders are so terrified of public panic that they view the people as the actual source of the crisis at hand.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2022
Competition or containment in the brewing chip war?
China¡¯s fear of having its access to semiconductors cut off might prompt it to invade Taiwan ¡ª so the U.S. needs to be careful on how its implements export controls.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2022
National power underpins defensive capabilities, but defensive force makes a nation
Maintaining or expanding deterrent power is essential to keeping the peace. This means that one must continually prepare for war in order to avoid one.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2022
History repeats itself with Russia-Ukraine war
The echoes of history are clear at every juncture of the unfolding conflict of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2022
To counter China¡¯s ¡®reactive assertiveness,¡¯ ¡®quiet deterrence¡¯ is called for
Beijing is using calculated aggression to enforce its will in the Taiwan Strait.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 24, 2022
The death of Shinzo Abe must not be in vain
At the onset of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe¡¯s second administration, the expectations were low. However, the perception of him changed over time as a result of his accomplishments.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 20, 2022
Putin¡¯s war: The ¡®essence of miscalculation¡¯
Russian President Vladimir Putin¡¯s disastrous Ukraine invasion is likely the result of the wrong lessons learned from his earlier and easier successful military ventures.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 5, 2022
The never-ending process of normalizing China-Japan ties
Shocking global geopolitical events in the past 50 years have changed the context of relations, bringing new challenges to both countries.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 21, 2022
Ukraine war shows us the enemies of our friends are not always our enemies
It is impossible to cast the war in Ukraine as a black-and-white struggle between democracy and despotism.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2022
Economic sanctions are a powerful tool. But will they end the war in Ukraine?
Sanctions may strangle the Russian economy and intensify domestic criticism of Putin, but the Russian military is largely shielded from their impact.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 17, 2022
Sino-Russian alliance thrives only in the company of a shared enemy
The world must acknowledge that the relationship between Xi¡¯s China and Putin¡¯s Russia has transformed into one of ¡°strategic entente.¡±
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 21, 2022
Re-examining the basis of Kissinger¡¯s strategic approach to China
Henry Kissinger laid the diplomatic groundwork for U.S. President Richard Nixon¡¯s historic visit to China 50 years ago, but the jury¡¯s still out on whether his appeasement policy has worked.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 21, 2022
Explaining Â鶹´«Ã½ ¡®astute diplomacy¡¯
Â鶹´«Ã½ leaders must listen carefully to the voices of the people while skillfully containing the more violent passions (nationalism) of the nation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2022
Japan needs ¡®smart¡¯ economic security
The Japanese government and firms are very aware of the risks they face by being too reliant on overseas markets.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 23, 2021
Japan needs to tackle economic security head-on
Japan must devise strategies for competitiveness globally and against China at three levels: intelligence, security and innovation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2021
A better CPTPP would include both the U.S. and China
Tokyo must exert its influence over Beijing¡¯s involvement in building regional rules and order and convince Washington to return to a multilateral trade framework in Asia.
Gut bacteria may be behind many of Â鶹´«Ã½ colorectal cancer cases
A Japanese research team found that a toxin produced by certain E. coli strains, colibactin, caused genetic mutations in nearly half of colorectal cancer cases studied
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
She is Russia¡¯s richest woman. Her business empire is going up in flames.
Tatyana Kim, the head and co-founder of Wildberries, speaks about Ukrainian drone attacks on the company's warehouses in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, at an unidentified location, in this still image from a handout video released on July 31.
Severe tropical storm Chan-hom makes landfall near Tokyo
Severe Tropical Storm Chan-hom made landfall around Ibaraki Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Tuesday night.
What Â鶹´«Ã½ language rules for permanent residency should look like
Potential health care workers hoping to find work in Japan take Japanese language instruction in Jakarta. Not all applicants for permanent residency should be expected to reach this level of proficiency.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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