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July 03, 2026
 

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Kaushik Basu
Activists place life-size cardboard cutouts of Hitler, Mussolini and other authoritarian leaders in front of the Kaiser Wilhelm monument in Koblenz, Germany, to protest a meeting of European far-right leaders in January 2017.?
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 2, 2026
How democracies learn to goose-step
We often assume that the gravest threats to democracy are wars, coups or other dramatic crises. But democratic breakdown does not require a sudden shock.
U.S. President Donald Trump¡¯s aggressive economic policies during his second term ¡ª including sweeping tariffs ¡ª risk triggering long-term damage to U.S. competitiveness and trust in the dollar.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 6, 2025
The true costs of Trump¡¯s economic agenda
President Donald Trump¡¯s efforts to bring back manufacturing jobs have yielded little progress so far and are jeopardizing U.S. competitiveness.
With Trump's tariffs, countries with lower labor costs like China will continue to outcompete the United States and gain stronger footholds in global markets.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2025
Trump¡¯s tariffs will accelerate America¡¯s economic decline
Trump¡¯s critics rightly point out that the tariff will raise U.S. car prices, but that is just one of its many drawbacks.
Voters believe they are active participants in democracies, but the real power is concentrated in the hands of the few.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 12, 2025
Social media and playing at democracy
Voters believe they are active participants in democracies, but the real power is concentrated in the hands of the few.
While U.S. Presidential-elect Donald Trump's policies have appealed to voters and boosted financial markets due to expectations of tax cuts and deregulation, experts warn they could backfire.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2024
What if Trump keeps his promises?
While Trump¡¯s policies have appealed to voters and boosted financial markets due to expectations of tax cuts and deregulation, experts warn they could backfire.
By enabling a few wealthy individuals to wield disproportionate influence, today¡¯s global economy increasingly marginalizes and disenfranchises much of the world¡¯s population.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 4, 2024
To preserve democracy, tax the rich
What the world needs are progressive tax systems that redistribute income from the rich to the poor without weakening socially beneficial incentives.
One problem with globalization is American leaders have the power to disrupt numerous economies by severing supply chains or manipulating financial flows, but citizens of those countries have no influence over U.S. elections.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 29, 2024
Democracy and authoritarianism in a modern, globalized world
The bedrock principle of democracy is that people affected by the decisions of political leaders should have a say in selecting those leaders.
Japan's law-abiding pedestrian culture and norms may help explain its economic performance.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2024
The economic consequences of legal behavior
There is a complex relationship between cultural norms, legal systems and economic development.
Anti-capitalist protesters with Occupy San Francisco take part in a demonstration on the streets of the Californian city in October 2011.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2024
The economic future of our overworked grandchildren
While John Maynard Keynes predicted a future of leisure and abundance, the world has seen an increase in wealth disparity and a culture of overwork.
Many obstacles stand in the way of effectively combating corruption globally. Reaching an agreement on international regulations would be a good starting point.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2023
A world engulfed in corruption and cronyism
In today¡¯s interconnected world, the consequences of cronyism and corruption often extend beyond national borders.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 19, 2023
NATO¡¯s Ukraine tightrope
NATO¡¯s cautious approach to Ukraine membership could reassure ordinary Russians that President Vladimir Putin¡¯s downfall would not mean their own.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2023
Governing the unknown
Major advances in AI are raising a raft of concerns about education, work, warfare and other risks that could destabilize human civilization long before climate change does.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 28, 2023
Can the global economy avoid a lost decade?
The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are now predicting a prolonged period of sluggish growth and declining investment.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2023
International law and halting the authoritarian drift
In a globalized world, the task of containing rising authoritarianism cannot be left to individual countries, because one rogue leader¡¯s malfeasance can affect everyone.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2023
How Singapore continues to impress year after year
There are many reasons for Singapore¡¯s rapid growth over the past six decades, but its authoritarian regime is not necessarily one of them.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 17, 2023
The Group of 20 could use a ¡®G Minor¡¯ grouping to represent emerging economies
While the G20 represents the world¡¯s largest economies, it¡¯s time to think of a group that could represent the needs of emerging and developing countries.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2022
When elections become more like sporting events
Elections are like sporting events: Many voters, like fans, seem to view victory over the other side as an end in itself
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 14, 2022
Putin and all the king¡¯s games
In an era of democratic erosion, we must study the tactics that enable authoritarians like Vladimir Putin to stay in power.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 27, 2022
Why Sri Lanka imploded
Sri Lanka¡¯s ruling Rajapaksa family¡¯s ill-advised economic handouts and unsustainable policies eventually ran into a wall.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2022
Global shortages demand global solutions
Policymakers must try to establish minimal global conventions and agreements to deal with shortages of food and other essential commodities.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ?3,000 from ?1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
¡®My dream is broken¡¯: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men¡¯s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan¡¯s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Why is the yen so weak and what can Japan do about it?
Japan spent ?11.7 trillion ($73 billion) between late April and late May to prop up the weak yen.
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.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
Japan¡¯s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan¡¯s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan¡¯s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.

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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