KUDOS TO PRIME MINISTER SUGA FOR WISE DECISION REGARDING ACADEMIC FREEDOM
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has refused to appoint six academics recommended by the Science Council of Japan (SCJ) as its new members. I highly value his wise decision. Before explaining why, l…
USE—NOT JUST POSSESSION—OF NUKES MANDATORY FOR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY TODAY
The US has traditionally honored martial spirit and accountability. At a glance, President Trump’s tweets and his words and deeds may make one suspect that the US has lost its sense of d…
CHINA CONDUCTS DRILLS TARGETING US BASES IN JAPAN
“Debate about the nature of Japan’s national defense should not be the exclusive domain of military geeks and nerds. These are issues that concern all Japanese.” So declares Katsutoshi K…
JAPAN’S NEW PRIME MINISTER EXPECTED TO FOLLOW ABE’S HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
While discussing departing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his successor, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, on my weekly “Genron” Internet TV news show last Friday (September 11), my two gues…
WHAT JAPAN SHOULD LEARN FROM AMERICA’S HARDLINE POSTURE TOWARD CHINA
One of the most crucial challenges facing Japan’s new prime minister, who will succeed Shinzo Abe on September 16, is to make no mistake in implementing a solid China policy. Simultaneously, he …
NEW MISSION FOR SHINZO ABE AS STATESMAN AFTER RESIGNATION
August 28 turned out to be a hectic Friday for me. After attending an early morning study group session of the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals (JINF), a privately financed think tank I …
WHY JAPANESE FALL FOR TV DRAMA HERO HANZAWA NAOKI
My “Genron” Internet TV program, which I have often referred to in this column, was inaugurated out of a close collaboration with a team of professionals I got acquainted with while serving as a …
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE CHINA’S EFFORTS TO EXTEND ITS INFLUENCE IN JAPAN
With the world undergoing a sea change 75 years after the end of World War II, we Japanese are at a crucial crossroads as we ask ourselves what type of a nation Japan should be in the next 10 to …
NEEDED:JAPAN’S RESOLVE TO BACK AMERICA IN CLASH OF VALUES AGAINST CHINA
On August 3, the conservative daily Sankei Shimbun front-paged an alleged Chinese government warning that a large fleet of Chinese fishing vessels will head for waters around the Japanese-adminis…
JAPANESE MUST HAVE MORE URGENT SENSE OF CRISIS AMID DEEPENING US-CHINA CONFRONTATION
Three days after the US closed the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas on July 24, China retaliated by closing the US consulate in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province. In Houston, firefi…
