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July 24, 2026
 

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Noah Feldman
The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that asylum seekers stopped at the border cannot seek protection abandons the humanitarian purpose of American asylum law.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2026
The U.S. Supreme Court just betrayed asylum seekers
The majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, is a case study in the absurdities of legalism and shows why it has been condemned since the days of Jesus of Nazareth.
Partisan gerrymandering, now supercharged by technology and protected by court decisions, has escalated into a major democratic problem that is hard to reverse under current political incentives.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2026
Redistricting is making a mockery of American democracy
This history demonstrates something profound about the nature of democracy: The design of an electoral system makes a huge difference in the results it delivers.
U.S. President Donald Trump, along with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden on April 2. The U.S. Supreme Court¡¯s latest tariff decision challenges Trump¡¯s executive authority.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2026
U.S. top justices¡¯ ruling on tariffs marks a turning point
The tariffs case presented an especially good opportunity for the court to take on Trump because it could be confident that its decision would actually be implemented.
U.S. President Donald Trump¡¯s attempt to punish Harvard by targeting its international students is an unconstitutional power grab aimed at intimidating free institutions and advancing his authoritarian agenda.
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2025
Harvard is fighting for much more than foreign students
Trump is trying to break the world¡¯s leading university because he knows that higher education ¡ª everywhere ¡ª is one of the bulwarks of a free society.
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.
Elon Musk¡¯s recent decision to demonetize far-right critics on X has sparked confusion about free speech on social media, with both sides misinterpreting the platform¡¯s role in content distribution and monetization.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2025
Musk and his critics are both wrong about free speech on X
Neither side is using the concept in a constitutionally accurate way.
U.S. President Joe Biden hugs his wife Jill Biden as his children Hunter and Ashely Biden look on during his presidential inauguration in Washington on Jan. 20, 2021. ?
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2024
Hunter Biden¡¯s pardon is understandable ¡ª?but?wrong
Who wouldn¡¯t try sparing a child from prison? It¡¯s still a tragedy for the republic.
An image of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange released on social media on Tuesday. Assange pleaded guilty to a single charge of disseminating classified documents in a plea bargain that leaves him a free man.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2024
Julian Assange¡¯s saga will forever exist in a legal gray area
WikiLeaks founder Assange¡¯s case lies on the boundary between espionage and protected speech. Its outcome has done nothing to shed light on this gray zone.
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.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Colorado's attempt to keep Donald Trump off the ballot with an obscure and almost discarded provision that could have determined the outcome of the presidential election.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 5, 2024
Supreme Court buries the fantasy of keeping Trump off the ballot
An obscure, almost discarded provision of the U.S. Constitution shouldn¡¯t have the potential to determine the outcome of a presidential election.
The Supreme Court decision on whether Donald Trump should be immune from prosecution for crimes committed while in office will likely come in late June, and his trial will start even later.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2024
The Supreme Court isn¡¯t slow-walking Trump¡¯s immunity case
The delay in the trial of former president Trump on his role in the Jan. 6 attack isn¡¯t the Supreme Court¡¯s fault, but rather the prosecution¡¯s.
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.
Harvard University President Claudine Gay testifies before a United States House of Representatives hearing on antisemitism in American campuses on Dec. 5.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2023
U.S. campus antisemitism debate muddles nuances of free speech
The debate on antisemitism in U.S. campuses doesn¡¯t lend itself to easy answers. What is free speech and what harmful conduct is down to context.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy delivers remarks Tuesday during a press briefing outside his office on Capitol Hill in which he announces an impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Joe Biden with regard to his role in the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden.
COMMENTARY
Sep 15, 2023
Republican impeachment inquiry marks low point in U.S. history
If any president can be impeached without reason, it is likely that every president will be impeached so long as the opposing party controls the House.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2023
Affirmative action is radical U.S. Supreme Court¡¯s latest casualty
With U.S. Supreme Court¡¯s affirmative action ruling, another long-held legal precedent has been overturned and another long-standing conservative goal achieved.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 13, 2023
With Trump¡¯s federal prosecution, timing is everything
Much hinges on whether former U.S. President Trump, and the current Republican front-runner, is tried and convicted before or after his election.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 20, 2022
Jan. 6 committee is right to defend the rule of law
It would have been a dereliction of the U.S. Congress¡¯s duty to ignore an attempted insurrection.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 10, 2022
Three major takeaways from the FBI raid on Trump¡¯s home
Don¡¯t assume that executing a search warrant means the federal government will prosecute Donald Trump. Getting a conviction would seem to be very tricky.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2022
U.S. Supreme Court has taken control of climate policy
The top court¡¯s EPA decision upends precedent and, in effect, embraces a new doctrine of law.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2022
Ending Roe is institutional suicide for U.S. Supreme Court
Dobbs will go down as one of the worst decisions in the court¡¯s history after reversing rights on which the whole country has relied for half a century.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

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

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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