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July 05, 2026
 

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Hal Brands
An Iranian woman celebrates in Tehran¡¯s Valiasr Square on Monday. The U.S.-Iran agreement may bring a temporary end to hostilities but is unlikely to resolve the underlying tensions.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 17, 2026
Peace with Iran won¡¯t end conflict in the Gulf
Fundamentally, the deal will mark more of an intermission than a conclusion: It would entrench rather than end the struggle between America and Iran.
The war with Iran marks the emergence of a deeply integrated U.S.-Israel warfighting alliance ¡ª forged over decades and now on full display.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 6, 2026
Israel has become America¡¯s not-so-secret weapon
Contrary to the common misconception, the U.S. and Israel haven¡¯t always been so tight.
The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt moors at Changi Naval Base in Singapore in April 2018.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 14, 2025
Singapore thrived in a U.S.-led world. Now what?
Singapore is a mind-blowing success story that reminds us how distinctive America¡¯s post-World War II global project was.
A truck pulls the head of a toppled statue of late Syrian President Hafez Assad, the father of ousted-President Bashar Assad, through the streets of Hama on Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 10, 2024
Assad¡¯s fall shows Russia, Iran and Hamas made a bad bet
That¡¯s not to say the Middle East is entering a bright new era of peace. The collapse of Assad¡¯s regime could cause a revival of the Islamic State.
A newly elected Donald Trump will encounter a changed Middle East where he will be forced to challenge Iran's influence and curb its nuclear ambitions ¡ª a path that is fraught with complications.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 15, 2024
Iran is much weaker than the last time it faced Trump
Today, Israel has crippled Hamas in Gaza, and in Lebanon, Hezbollah can still fire rockets, but Israel has decimated its leadership.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington on Sept. 26. There is increasing pressure in the U.S. for a negotiated settlement, but finding a viable peace solution amid Ukraine's deteriorating conditions is complex.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2024
Trump, Harris, Zelenskyy ¡ª no one¡¯s plan will end the war
There is increasing pressure in the U.S. for a negotiated settlement, but finding a viable peace solution amid Ukraine¡¯s deteriorating conditions is complex.
Vladimir Putin is expected to continue using asymmetric tactics, such as covert operations, sabotage and cyberattacks, to destabilize Europe.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2024
Putin¡¯s ¡®shadow war¡¯ against Europe is intensifying
Vladimir Putin is expected to continue using asymmetric tactics, such as covert operations, sabotage and cyberattacks, to destabilize Europe.
Iran holds its National Army Day parade in Tehran in April 2022.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2023
U.S. must press its advantages over Iran or war will spread
The Hamas attack on Israel was a geopolitical earthquake. The aftershocks will reverberate for years to come.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 4, 2023
What Ukraine needs most ¡ª ammo
Fighter jets and high-tech missiles get the headlines, but the U.S. is on a global scavenger hunt for old-fashioned howitzer shells.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 21, 2023
Ukraine¡¯s future is not in NATO
Ukraine won¡¯t become a party to the NATO treaty, but it can expect a close and continuing partnership with Europe and the U.S.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2023
Big Ukraine war lesson: There¡¯s only one superpower
The effort against Russia has illustrated what a world without American power would look like ¡ª and what it looks like when America uses its unmatched power well.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2022
Zelenskyy seeks victory. Will the U.S. pay the price?
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was greeted in Congress with standing ovations. Yet even as his country¡¯s needs grow, the prospects for U.S. assistance will inevitably become less certain.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 4, 2022
Ukraine¡¯s victories may become a problem for the U.S.
Washington has been a big winner from Moscow¡¯s fiasco in Ukraine ¡ª but a lengthy stalemate could become a huge burden.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2022
Take Putin¡¯s nuclear threat seriously, but not too seriously
Few think the Russian leader would be foolish enough to escalate radically, but there¡¯s also a strong argument to be made that he¡¯s not bluffing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 21, 2022
Russia¡¯s war in Ukraine has echoes of the Soviet Union¡¯s end
Empires like Russia ¡ª especially the biggest ones ¡ª don¡¯t end quickly or peacefully.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 3, 2022
Al-Zawahri killing was a great success of a bygone era
After 9/11, the U.S. built a man-hunting machine without parallel in human history. But today, its priorities lie elsewhere.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2022
The West must move east for NATO to survive
No matter what happens in the Ukraine war, the U.S. must persuade allies to move more troops and equipment permanently into states on Russia¡¯s borders.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 6, 2022
As Putin gets desperate, the world should remember Pearl Harbor
Economic sanctions are working now against Russia as they squeezed Japan before its war with the U.S. But the historical lesson is that they don¡¯t make adversaries less aggressive.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 25, 2022
What happens in Russia if Putin can¡¯t win in Ukraine?
Russia has now been subjected to an isolation more sudden and total than that experienced by any major power in recent history. What that leads to may not be pretty.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2022
A losing and desperate Putin could be terrifying
By taking U.S. intervention off the table, the Biden administration may tempt just the sort of Russian escalation the world fears, especially if Putin becomes desperate.
¡®My dream is broken¡¯: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
Japan¡¯s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to ¡°spend a long time together¡± with her parents.
Japanese police arrest nine over Sierra Leone-based special fraud
Japanese police have arrested nine individuals for their alleged involvement in a special fraud case using Sierra Leone as a base.
Japanese-language education is at a turning point
The country is gradually transforming Japanese-language education from a volunteer-driven system into a professional, government-supported network to better serve its growing foreign population.?
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
X Games returns to Chiba with new team format
Skateboarder Sora Shirai practices at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Friday afternoon. X Games Chiba begins on Saturday.
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex¡¯s culture cred
Veteran improvisers Kazuo Imai and Atsuhiro Ito brought some unruly energy to NU Festival, a three-day multimedia event held at the Takanawa Gateway City complex. ?
Japan¡¯s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to ¡°spend a long time together¡± with her parents.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.

Podcast

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

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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