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May 05, 2026
 

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Clive Crook
The world has made astonishing progress, yet far too often governments and their expert advisers bestow aid in a paternalistic spirit of ¡°we know best,¡± that, while preferable to violent subjugation, still denies beneficiaries independence and equal standing.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2025
A brief history of enlightened oppression
Enlightened oppression, even stripped of violence and cruelty, is still oppression.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the economy in the Oval Office on Aug. 7. From immigration to the Fed, Trump is making risky moves that could undo his wins while Democrats double down on policies that so far are not working.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 20, 2025
On economic policy, the White House is its own worst enemy
The White House needs to calm down and choose consolidation over controversy and chaos while the Democratic Party must dump, not just downplay, its plainly unpopular positions.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (center) attends a news conference at the Capitol on May 22 after the House narrowly passed a sweeping budget bill that some worry could add trillions to the country's deficit over the next decade.
COMMENTARY
May 28, 2025
The U.S. is about to discover if deficits actually matter
It turns out that this pattern ¡ª the bigger the debt, the less likely politicians are to address it ¡ª is lurking in the data, and not just in the U.S.
While tariffs and value-added taxes seem similar, a VAT would be a more effective, long-term solution for boosting the U.S. economy.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2025
Europe¡¯s VAT hurts the U.S.? Retaliate with a VAT.
Maybe misconceptions about tariffs and trade can be turned to America¡¯s advantage.
U.S. President Donald Trump and outgoing President Joe Biden, along with their respective first ladies, Melania Trump and Dr. Jill Biden, share words during the Bidens' departure ceremony on the East Front of the Capitol on Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2025
Joe Biden¡¯s abiding legacy will be Donald Trump
The question is how Democrats got to the point where more voters trust Trump ¡ª not just any Republican but Trump ¡ª to do a better job of running the country than Harris.
The massive Gemini fiasco unveils critical questions about artificial intelligence's role and accountability in decision-making.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2024
Google¡¯s bad Gemini rollout did the world a favor
Part of the difficulty in grappling with AI¡¯s full implications is the huge effort that has gone into devising models that express themselves like humans.
U.S. President Joe Biden announces new provisions in March 2022 requiring the government to buy more made-in-America goods.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 26, 2024
Biden doesn¡¯t get why we need the WTO
What do Biden and Trump have in common? Protectionism. As a result, the 13th WTO ministerial conference underway in Abu Dhabi is doomed to fail.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2022
Want a better IRS? Simplify the tax code
The biggest problem facing the IRS isn't bad management or a lack of resources, but the metastasizing complexity of the tax rules it must administer.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2019
Britain's next great Brexit mistake
A short delay before the U.K. leaves the EU won't work — Brexit should be canceled.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2019
Where is the European Union's Brexit policy?
The U.K. has set a new standard for political paralysis — but the EU has little to boast about.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2017
Leaving the EU doesn't have to be a disaster
A friendly parting between the U.K. and EU is still possible, and in both sides' best interests.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2016
Why Trump might be good president
Expectations of Trump are so low in the minds of many Americans that small acts of civility and moderation will seem like remarkable achievements.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 24, 2016
The Brexit question that nobody has asked
Is Britain's less-than-full-hearted commitment to the European adventure best pursued as an increasingly anomalous member of a broken EU or as a concerned and friendly neighbor?
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2016
U.S. stance on Britain and the EU is hypocritical
U.S. President Barack Obama might at least pay the British the courtesy of understanding their distinctively American ideas about sovereignty.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 27, 2015
Europe's messiah complex
Britain's debate over its membership of the European Union is bound to end badly because whatever U.K. voters decide, they'll come to regret it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 28, 2015
Climate and the Volkswagen scandal
But there are several scandals swirling around Volkswagen's emissions malfeasance, and the most important may be European governments' passion for diesel over gasoline.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 31, 2015
What if the 2008 crisis comes around again?
The obstacles to effective remedies for a major economic crisis would be formidable, but more political than economic.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2015
Stand back: China's bubble will burst
The bursting of China's stock-market bubble could conceivably deflate the myth that what Beijing commands of the economy shall be so. And who knows where that might lead.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2015
Britain's strange silence on Europe
Britain's election was supposed to be about the nation's future in the European Union, but the issue is being given short shrift by both Labour and the Conservatives.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 20, 2015
The poverty of American presidential politics
The time, effort and money that will be poured into the battle for the U.S. presidency are enormous, but the difference the outcome will make is limited.
Water shortages hit tourist spots in Japan during Golden Week
A hot spring facility in the city of Tomioka, Gunma Prefecture, has suspended the operation of its open-air baths since March.
Strong winds disrupt transport during Golden Week
A map on the website of the Japan Meteorological Agency shows advisories and warnings for strong winds across wide areas of Japan through Monday night.
What is the hantavirus that killed three cruise ship passengers?
The cruise ship MV Hondius floats off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Sunday.
China's rare defiance of U.S. sanctions sparks showdown over banks
A Chinese flag flutters in front of the Shanghai Gaoqiao Company Refinery in Shanghai.
Article 9 in focus as Takaichi pushes for revision of Constitution
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gives a speech in Hanoi on Saturday.
Fujisawa flashpoint: A mosque project stokes nativist fears
Muslims pray at Tokyo Camii in the Yoyogi-Uehara neighborhood. Though Muslims account for only 0.3% of Japan¡¯s population, rhetoric in online spaces and by conservative politicians has fomented social tensions.
No longer shushed: Japan¡¯s cultural venues make room for children
In 2019, Saitama Arts Theater started permitting children under 3 to some of its shows. Previously, children under 4 were not permitted.
New head chef at Maz explores Peruvian food through a Japanese lens
Since taking over Maz last month, chef Yuya Nakamura has been gradually introducing more Japanese influences to the restaurant's innovative Peruvian cuisine.
For tourists in Japan¡¯s outdoor sports scene, safety is not guaranteed
Each winter, countless tourists flock to Japan's famous snow-covered mountains, but a lack of top-down regulation on the country's outdoor sports industry can make certain activities unnecessarily risky.
¡®Sashiko¡¯ needlework artisan says craft is about 'the stories behind the stitching'
Traditional Japanese needlework has exploded in popularity, but a book from a third-generation artisan aims to bring more context to the craft's newfound popularity.

Podcast

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

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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