More Reform Kabuki Over Ruling Party Factions
Reform kabuki can never become actual reform until the Liberal Democratic Party is dislodged as Japan’s semi-permanent ruling party.
Visible Minorities: Positive Steps for Non-Japanese
This month’s column will offer my impressions about how much Japan has changed regarding the issues that have always been on my radar screen—society’s openness to newcomers. On that score, I have some positive developments to report.
The Emergence of the Anti-Imperial Non-West
The notion that non-Western powers might band together to resist the depredations of Europe and the United States has been around since the late 19th century, but only now has the power balance shifted to a sufficient degree that the era of Western global dominance is actually coming to an end.
Yemen Strikes Revive US War Powers Debate
The US Biden administration couldn’t resist the temptation to launch major military strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen. In doing so, it brought renewed attention to the fact that the presidential exercise of war powers has become routinely unconstitutional.
Japan Heads to the Boiling Point
While Japanese leaders continue to focus on possible future threats from external nations like China and Russia, the very immediate threat of climate change is taking hundreds of Japanese lives each year, with an allegedly inadequate response from the authorities.
Destroying Democracy in Order to Save It
The mainstream US liberal-left has gone so far down its own ideological rabbit hole in its desperate effort to prevent a second presidential administration of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump that they are openly undermining the democratic system they profess to defend.
Behind Houthi Military Actions in the Red Sea
Yemen’s Houthi movement has been in the spotlight recently for its military actions in the Red Sea; multiple commercial ships have been targeted in an attempt to warn Western powers, in particular, the United States and the United Kingdom, to end their support for the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.
Sanctions on Russia Prove Another Failure of the West
The limited impact of economic sanctions on Russia represents an additional data point proving that the West, even when relatively united, no longer rules the world. Indeed, its losing streak in major 21st century military conflicts continues unbroken, and it serially overestimates its ability to shape global affairs.
The Flameout of Fireball Fumio
As he desperately tries to survive the ruling party’s political funds scandal, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida declared that he “will act as a fireball at the forefront of the Liberal Democratic Party and work to restore the trust of the people.” Most analysts, however, see this administration in the midst of a spectacular flameout.
Meta Suppressing Pro-Palestinian Messages
Social media giant Meta has been called out by US Senator Elizabeth Warren for censoring pro-Palestinian messages on Instagram, treating one side in the ongoing conflict entirely differently from the other in terms of its moderation policies.