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July 24, 2026
 

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ARTICLE 9

Protesters opposed to revising Japan¡¯s ¡°peace¡± Constitution take part in a rally in Tokyo on May 3.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 29, 2026
Goyo gakusha: Welcome to Japan¡¯s new cancel culture
Guilt by affiliation is not scholarship. It is the abandonment of scholarship.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a debate at the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Wednesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
May 21, 2026
Takaichi Cabinet¡¯s approval rate almost flat at 59.4%
By political party, Takaichi¡¯s ruling Liberal Democratic Party remained the most popular party, backed by 27.8% of all respondents, up 2.1 points.
A ceremony is held at Misawa Air Base to mark the arrival of the first operational F-35A Lightning II to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force¡¯s 3rd Air Wing in February 2018. The SDF is already one of the world's best equipped militaries.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 28, 2026
Japan¡¯s constitutional theater: Revising Article 9 would be a mistake.
The distance between constitutional language and security practice is not a mistake that needs correcting.
A Type-88 missile is test-fired near Shinhidaka, Hokkaido, in June. Japan¡¯s easing of arms export restrictions is intended to strengthen security cooperation and defense capabilities while adapting to a more unstable global environment.
EDITORIALS
Apr 24, 2026
Japan¡¯s new arms export stance and changing security realities
This new policy responds to the new security reality, recognizing that dangers are mounting and every nation must do more.
Japan Innovation Party head Hirofumi Yoshimura meets with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at parliament on March 17.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Apr 18, 2026
LDP and JIP remain divided over revision of Constitution¡¯s Article 9
The Liberal Democratic Party is worried the Japan Innovation Party¡¯s hawkish approach to revising the pacifist clause won¡¯t sit well with the public.
Chairperson Hiroyuki Nagahama (center rear) and others attend a House of Councilors constitutional review committee hearing at the Diet building on Wednesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 17, 2026
Four things to understand in Japan¡¯s constitutional debate
Japan¡¯s legislature started debate on constitutional amendment as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged to have a proposal ready in a year.
Japan¡¯s pacifist identity, rooted in Article 9 of the Constitution, has hardened into a reflex that avoids confronting modern security realities facing the world.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 22, 2026
Repeating Article 9 like a mantra isn¡¯t a foreign policy
Any serious defense debate becomes, by rhetorical sleight of hand, a warning of imperial revival.
Claims by China that Japan is returning to militarism are misleading because legal and institutional constraints make such a shift unlikely and current defense reforms reflect practical responses to changing regional threats.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 20, 2026
Debunking the myth of Japanese militarism
It is necessary to be clear on this point: Japan in 2026 is not the Japan of 1936.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump address sailors and others aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington during a visit to the U.S. Navy¡¯s Yokosuka base on Oct. 28.
EDITORIALS
Dec 31, 2025
As the U.S. steps back, Japan must step up
In the wake of Trump¡¯s reassessment of the U.S. place in the world, Japan should be ready to step up.
Sanae Takaichi addresses reporters at a news conference in Tokyo soon after she was elected the new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party in October. Recent incidents raise questions about how public discourse and democratic debate are affected when off-the-record rules are unclear or breached.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 30, 2025
What exactly does ¡®off the record¡¯ mean in Japan?
¡°Off the record¡± should be a tool for protecting sources, not a tool for maintaining cozy relations with those in power.
Japan has moved in a decade from pacifist protest to broad acceptance of stronger defense, driven by regional threats and doubts about U.S. protection.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 16, 2025
What¡¯s left of Japan¡¯s pacifism meets reality
Despite the ruling LDP¡¯s struggles in recent years, it¡¯s striking how little support has shifted to traditional left-leaning parties that oppose revising the pacifist Constitution.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks in a video message on Saturday to a gathering of people in Tokyo who support revising the Constitution.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
May 4, 2025
Rallies held on Japan¡¯s Constitution Day
Citizens opposed to revising Japan¡¯s Constitution rallied in Koto Ward, while advocates of a constitutional amendment held an event in Chiyoda Ward.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has been a staunch advocate for constitutional reform.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
May 3, 2025
Despite shifts in Japan¡¯s political landscape, constitutional revision still far off
Weak political leadership, traditional sensitivity around the issue, and new policy priorities have forestalled a larger debate over the Constitution.
A peace rally on Constitution Memorial Day in Tokyo on May 3. Japan¡¯s identity as a pacifist nation is shifting as the government strengthens its military, but many don¡¯t agree with the policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 27, 2024
Government and society are at odds on national security
Tokyo posits itself as a mutual defense ally of the U.S., but polls show that while the public wants a stronger military, changes should align with the peace Constitution.
A boy watches Self-Defense Forces live-fire drills in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in 2017. Japan¡¯s defense posture is shifting, as the government¡¯s recent approval of new arms export regulations signals. ?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 1, 2024
Is Japan leaving pacifism behind?
How a previous generation of Japanese leaders, those who made defense budget and arms export limits a national credo, would view the current shift.
Japan¡¯s Cabinet agreed to ease defense export rules for the nation¡¯s next-generation fighter jet, a concept model of which is seen on display here at a defense show in Chiba in March 2023.
EDITORIALS
Mar 29, 2024
Japan greenlights its defense industry
The government¡¯s steps on easing defense export rules will allow Japanese companies to participate more fully in the global market for defense equipment.
Sept. 7, 1998
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / History / Japan Times Gone By
Sep 4, 2023
Japan Times 1923: Foreigners leave; destroyers are here
When a 7.9-magnitude earthquake hit Kanto on Sept. 1 a century ago, The Japan Times resorted to daily bulletins before returning to normal on the 17th.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 3, 2023
A plea and a promise for 2023: No more ¡®pacifism¡¯
The characterization of Japan as a ¡°pacifist¡± country is widespread ¡ª and very misleading.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 11, 2022
Constitutional revision inches closer in Japan, but actual change still far off
Divisions over what aspects to revise and more pressing political issues for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida could delay change to the top law.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 16, 2021
Tokyo and Canberra quietly reach a major security milestone
Japan and Australia reached a major milestone in their security relationship when, for the first time ever, the SDF executed an ¡®asset protection¡¯ mission with a non-U.S. military unit.
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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