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June 25, 2026
 

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Matthew Fulco
Kuomintang Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun's poorly received U.S. trip underscored Washington's deep concerns about her China-friendly positions, use of CCP talking points and associations with individuals linked to Beijing's influence networks.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 23, 2026
Taiwan KMT opposition leader falls short on U.S. trip
Cheng¡¯s adoption of Chinese Communist Party talking points ¡ª which goes further than any of her predecessors ¡ª has stoked deep concern in Washington.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump arrive at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. Pool / via REUTERS
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 21, 2026
Why the Trump-Xi summit ended in an impasse
Given Xi¡¯s reluctance to address Trump¡¯s Iran concerns, he should be unsurprised that the U.S. has not fully endorsed his new framework for U.S.-China relations.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping during bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Busan, South Korea, in October.
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2026
Why the Trump-Xi summit will be underwhelming
The best-case scenario for the Trump-Xi summit might be that the two leaders agree to disagree on the many fundamental challenges in the U.S.-China relationship.
Taiwan's Kuomintang Chairperson Cheng Li-wun leaves after a news conference in Beijing on Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2026
Taiwan opposition leader looks backward in Beijing trip
Yet with no Taiwanese government position, Cheng had no authority to negotiate on Taipei¡¯s behalf with Xi.
The most significant outcome of Taiwan¡¯s elections is not President-elect Lai Ching-te and the DPP¡¯s victory, but rather the party's loss of the legislature and the return of divided government after a 16-year hiatus.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 27, 2024
A divided government awaits Taiwan¡¯s new president
The most significant outcome of Taiwan¡¯s elections is not the DPP¡¯s victory, but rather its loss of the legislature and the return of divided government.
A supporter of KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih in Taipei on Tuesday
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2024
Cross-strait relations hang in the balance with Taiwan election
Despite voter fatigue with the DPP and Lai Ching-te¡¯s own lackluster campaign, his opponents have failed to articulate a compelling alternative.
Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-wen, leads a political rally in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Nov. 4.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2023
How Tsai Ing-wen aligned Taiwan with the free world
The question now is to what extent Tsai¡¯s foreign policy legacy will endure after Taiwan¡¯s 2024 presidential election on Jan. 13.
Then-U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (center) meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Chiao Kuan-Hua (left) and Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping in New York in 1974. Kissinger died last Wednesday at age 100.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 4, 2023
Kissinger had a profound impact on Taiwan
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger shifted Washington away from Taiwan in favor of Beijing, catalyzing the island¡¯s diplomatic isolation.
A protest against the visit by then-U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in August 2022
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 4, 2023
The truth about ¡®America skepticism¡¯ in Taiwan
Distrust of the U.S. among Taiwanese people stems more from Washington¡¯s policies than propaganda or misinformation.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2023
Taiwan¡¯s ¡®silicon shield¡¯ against China is an illusion
China may be reliant on Taiwanese semiconductors, but that doesn¡¯t stop Beijing from harboring a military takeover.
Children play on a beach near a Taiwan Navy supply ship on Nangan Island, which is part of the Matsu Archipelago that is controlled by Taipei and located close to the coast of mainland China.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 4, 2023
A year after Nancy Pelosi¡¯s historic visit, is Taiwan more secure?
Though both U.S. and broader international support for Taipei has accelerated, the Chinese military is regularly operating closer to the island than ever.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2023
Why Macron¡¯s state visit to China was a dud
French President Emmanuel Macron is building castles in the air with his quest for ¡®strategic autonomy¡¯ and undermining the trans-Atlantic alliance by wooing Beijing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 12, 2023
Dueling trips lay bare Taiwan of tomorrow and yesterday
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen¡¯s U.S. ¡®stopover¡¯ was forward-looking, while her predecessor Ma Ying-jeou focused on the past in his trip to China.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2023
Why South Korea still handles China with kid gloves
South Korea is wary of angering China, its top trading partner and the one country it sees as having influence over North Korea
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2023
Why there is no going back for Australia-China relations
An ostensible thaw in diplomatic ties between Australia and China cannot mask deep-seated differences on national security.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 19, 2023
China succeeding in diplomatic push to win over Europe
A cold war between Beijing and Brussels will remain unlikely as the two do not compete ideologically or militarily like the U.S. and China.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 5, 2023
What are the prospects for a cross-strait detente?
Taiwan and China both seem keen to dial down tensions while the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang could well win the island¡¯s 2024 presidential election.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2022
Can China win its ¡®people¡¯s war¡¯ against the pandemic without ¡®zero-COVID¡¯?
Easing COVID-19 restrictions and shifting messaging are the easy part for China. Preventing a public health disaster will be harder.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 30, 2022
Are China¡¯s ¡®COVID-zero¡¯ protests a game changer?
Xi Jinping¡¯s unwillingness thus far to adjust coronavirus containment measures could have grave consequences for the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2022
Why China won¡¯t cooperate on finding the origins of COVID-19
For Beijing, winning its u2018people¡¯s war¡¯ against the coronavirus by controlling the propaganda narrative is more important than learning the truth about the pandemic.
Double barrage of storms to hit Japan this week
A map depicting the paths of Typhoon Mekkhala and Tropical Storm Higos
Japanese companies get serious about workplace DEI
People working in human resources departments participate in a workshop in Tokyo in January. The participants played a card game in which they took on roles of people with various disabilities.
Two Japanese held in China for allegedly smuggling export-restricted goods
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks during a news conference on Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Consumer affairs watchdog raises alarm over air conditioner repair scams
The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan has issued a warning over a rise in air conditioner repair scams.
China accuses Japan of ¡®harassment¡¯ during far-seas aircraft carrier training
China's Liaoning aircraft carrier takes part in a military drill in the western Pacific in April 2018.
Remembering the wrestlers who rarely make the headlines
Tsurugisho throws salt at a one-day sumo event at the Kokugikan in Tokyo in February 2020.
China¡¯s mineral squeeze testing Japan¡¯s military buildup
Samples of rare earth luminescent materials displayed at an exhibition on China¡¯s manufacturing achievements at the National Museum in Beijing in March
Stepping up, not aside: Japan¡¯s retirement-age tour guides
Yoichi Miura (third from left) now divides his time between his import business and guiding international visitors across Japan.
Japan-South Korea detente persists ¡ª but breakthrough remains elusive
While Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung have kept relations from sliding backward, experts say they have struggled to turn stability into concrete steps forward.
Japan¡¯s AI goldrush faces backlash as data centers sprout up in urban areas
Erin and Munekazu Tanikawa look out from their balcony at the construction site of a planned 52-meter-tall data center that would dominate their surroundings, in the city of Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, last month.

Podcast

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

Longform

Social camouflaging can help neurodivergent people navigate social situations, but researchers say the effort often comes with significant emotional and mental strain.
The challenge of being neurodivergent in Japan¡¯s culture of conformity
By Tomoko Otake

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