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July 04, 2026
 

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Daron Acemoglu
Federal agents confront protesters in Minneapolis on Jan. 24. The killing of two civilians by ICE has intensified fears of an accelerating slide toward authoritarian rule by the government.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2026
Bloody Minnesota and the normalization of state violence
A key distinguishing feature of authoritarian governments is their ability to use excessive force against opponents.
While AI advisers could improve decision-making by providing useful information, autonomous AI "agents" may erode human agency and exacerbate inequality, potentially leading to more conflict and job displacement.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2025
From advisers to autonomous ‘agents,’ how AI could reshape society
While AI could serve as a good adviser to humans — providing useful and reliable information — autonomous AI “agents” could become a problem.
A pedestrian shares the sidewalk with a food delivery robot in Los Angeles.
COMMENTARY / World / The Year Ahead
Dec 31, 2024
The world needs a pro-human AI agenda
It is both technically feasible and socially desirable to have AI that complements workers, improves our information ecosystem, and strengthens democracy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2021
Biden’s great tax rebalancing act
With U.S. government spending likely to remain high after the COVID-19 pandemic, tax revenues must increase, because additional borrowing can finance only so much.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 11, 2020
Minding the perils of progress
The COVID-19 crisis is brutal reminder that we are still vulnerable to catastrophic risks
COMMENTARY / World
May 9, 2012
Let foreign aid leverage development in Egypt
The question that still underlies much thinking about economic development is this: What can we do to kick-start economic growth and reduce poverty around the world?
‘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 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.
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. 
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
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.
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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Digital marketer Netyear zeros in on generative AI
Digital marketer Netyear zeros in on generative AI

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