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July 24, 2026
 

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Shaun O'Dwyer

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Shaun O'Dwyer
Sohei Kamiya, leader of the Sanseito party, delivers a speech during a campaign event in Tokyo in late January ahead of the February snap election.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 7, 2026
How students almost got protesting Sohei Kamiya right
I have a more than trivial disagreement with the students¡¯ tactics and with how they comprehend freedom of inquiry.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 28, 2020
Japan¡¯s China engagement conundrum
Should ¡°business as usual¡± continue if liberal, democratic values are threatened?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 10, 2020
A chill descends on Chinese scholars in Japan
Universities have a duty to stand up for them in the name of academic freedom.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Jun 1, 2020
The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance has lost its way
Criticism of an organization that presumed to represent former ¡®comfort women¡¯ is creating a much-needed opening for public scrutiny of its conduct.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 21, 2020
Moral trade-offs in a time of pandemic
Policymakers must tread a fine line between saving lives and saving livelihoods.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 17, 2020
You don¡¯t have to be Asian to wear a face mask in an epidemic
The social ritual of wearing face masks may play a role in sustaining humane sentiments of solidarity, decency and cooperativeness in such crises.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 1, 2020
The persecution and lonely death of a Uyghur scholar
How Japanese supporters worked to secure the freedom of imprisoned Uighur scholar Tohti Tunyaz is a story worth telling.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 26, 2020
What lies behind Shiori Ito¡¯s lonely #MeToo struggle
In Japan, feminist voices have been raised for #MeToo, but they are often barely heard.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 23, 2019
Japan¡¯s unviable whaling nationalism
The cultural nationalist project to re-imagine whaling as a national culinary culture will likely fail since it appears unlikely that whaling can become a viable commercial enterprise.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 25, 2019
China¡¯s growing threat to academic freedom
Professor Nobu Iwatani¡¯s detention in China marked a potential new, dangerous phase in the CCP government¡¯s undermining of academic freedoms for its expansive regime security interests.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 28, 2019
Mamoru Shinozaki: Japan¡¯s forgotten humanitarian
A monument and a suitable memorialization for Mamoru Shinozaki would communicate a humane message about Japanese remembrance of past injustices, and about its close, peaceful engagement with the rest of Asia in the present.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 23, 2019
Korean nationalism and the ¡®comfort women¡¯ issue
South Korean nationalism has co-opted the comfort women issue.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 7, 2019
Taiwan¡¯s democracy is worth defending
Taiwan¡¯s political culture supports rights and freedoms that are under pressure in other liberal democracies and almost extinguished in China.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 2, 2019
Oh no, another kimono scandal
A more secure, internationalized future for kimono may lie with those innovative designers who are taking it down from its high pedestal and unburdening it from its more restrictive cultural symbolisms.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2019
A new Cold War liberalism?
As cold war rhetoric escalates, progressive critics of China must find an independent voice.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 13, 2019
On migrants and belonging
There are some strategies by which Japanese and foreign advocates for migrants can argue for their rights to work and belong in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 11, 2019
Must Japan¡¯s humanities go global?
There¡¯s a need for Japan humanities perspectives to be heard more by foreign audiences abroad, to have greater influence in international scholarship and the global public sphere.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 11, 2019
At the University of Tokyo, there is power in a union
Japan still has the right to organize, and unions are good both for members and management.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 10, 2018
New Zealand grapples with China¡¯s influence and intimidation
In April 2010, there was a scandal over the Confucius Institute at Osaka Sangyo University in Osaka. During meetings discussing a proposed relocation of the institute between campuses, the director of the University Affairs Board denounced it as a ¡°cultural spy agency¡± for China and ¡°a ¡®soft landing¡¯...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Oct 3, 2018
Japan¡¯s diverse bunch of disaster volunteers are primed for a warming world
In these polarized times, crises bring together people from a range of backgrounds to spread the word about perils linked to climate change.
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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