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July 24, 2026
 

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Noah Smith
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 22, 2021
Imagine the COVID-19 economy before Amazon and Zoom
Online services such as Zoom and Amazon have proven their worth during the pandemic. And COVID-19 may ultimately push our society to learn new ways of using digital technologies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 4, 2021
Heat domes are a red-hot warning on climate costs
The true cost of global warming should include weather problems that we haven¡¯t even thought about yet ¡ª ¡®unknown unknowns,¡± in the parlance of the late Donald Rumsfeld.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2021
FDR had the Great Depression, but Biden has big data
But the similarities end there. The economic challenges Biden is facing are very different from the ones FDR grappled with, and his approach is necessarily unique.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 23, 2021
COVID-19 gives America a chance to fix welfare
The COVID-19 relief effort has finally helped Americans to realize that the government can just send them cash, and that this makes their life better.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2020
America can¡¯t compete with Chinese tech by walling itself off
As China approaches technological parity with the U.S. in a variety of high-value industries, the U.S. has acted to maintain supremacy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 4, 2020
What Africa needs now is its own Japan or Singapore
What Africa might need is its own Japan ¡ª a pioneering country that can industrialize first, and then invest in the rest of the continent.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2020
In the U.S., socialism isn¡¯t the way to win the working class
Unions and infrastructure don¡¯t fulfill the Republican¡¯s small-government dreams of previous decades, but they could represent a centrist alternative to the growing popularity of socialism.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 24, 2020
Aging is the next global economic threat
Falling in living standards in some countries, such as Japan, can be blamed in part on a smaller workforce having to prop up a growing pool of retirees.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 17, 2020
Working from home is here to stay, so let¡¯s get it right
The new normal has its benefits, but some of these won¡¯t be felt until after the COVID-19 pandemic has passed.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 1, 2020
Trump¡¯s trade war failed. Can Biden do better?
Despite a massive slate of tariffs that mostly began in the second half of 2018, the U.S.-China bilateral trade deficit barely budged, if at all.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 31, 2020
How to end America¡¯s loneliness epidemic
Making people more economically secure is the first step to ending the ¡®intimacy apocalypse.¡¯
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 23, 2020
U.S. college admissions are about to get even more unfair
The pandemic will make institutions even more eager to admit wealthy legacy students.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 7, 2020
Balkanization is bad for Facebook¡¯s business
Social networks suffer when there are fewer people to network with.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 22, 2020
Japan¡¯s work?culture gets a?needed COVID-19 shock
Remote work may have finally persuaded the nation¡¯s corporate leaders that endless hours at the office are a waste.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2020
America¡¯s great(er) recession will last for years
The upbeat employment numbers for May probably don¡¯t point to a quick recovery.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2020
Personal stress, not laziness, perpetuates the poverty rut
Many believe lifestyles are due to low effort, but economists are starting to accumulate evidence that the stress of living in poverty drives people to subpar decisions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2020
¡®Parasite¡¯ Oscars say a lot about South Korea
The nation¡¯s carefully planned economic rise has been matched by its cultural reach.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 10, 2020
Japan goes into reverse on going green
The country abandoned nuclear energy and is building coal plants that will spew as much CO2 as all the cars in the U.S.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 28, 2019
Worst case for climate change isn¡¯t realistic
In recent years, much of the commentary about climate change has gone from sternly serious to wildly despairing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2019
Millennials missed their own boom times
Too many economic forces were against them when they came of age.
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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