Tokyo Review

More than eight decades after philosopher Tosaka Jun died in prison, his writings remain helpful as they can help us understand the discourse of Japan's "foreigner problem." tokyoreview.net/2026/03/the-da…

In Japan's ongoing far-right turn, it's ideas and not Diet seats that pose the greatest threat to the nation's democracy. tokyoreview.net/2026/03/japans…

Japan’s defense strategy assumes stable energy access—but what if that assumption fails? Helen Cecile argues that upcoming NSS revisions under PM Takaichi must integrate energy security to ensure Japan’s defense plans are operational, not aspirational. tokyoreview.net/2026/02/the-en…

Omission of special-needs graduates from official Japanese government data about the country's "18-year-old population" does not appear to reflect deliberate exclusion, but it nevertheless carries negative symbolic and practical consequences. tokyoreview.net/2026/02/the-in…

The idea of a unified opposition may have run its course. If so, what remains to be seen is whether or not the predicted defeat of the CRA will be a moment of creative destruction. tokyoreview.net/2026/02/is-thi…

Peter Chai and Charles Crabtree write about how Japan can face the unfolding child safety crisis as the sources of harm diversify and spill out of the classrooms tokyoreview.net/2026/02/japan-…

We have started our Election 2026 coverage, beginning with a piece by editor Nishimura Rintaro about the challenges PM Takaichi faces this year tokyoreview.net/2026/01/takaic…

Japan does not have a "foreigner problem" in any sense of the word, but the topic has dominated recent political discussions. Stefan Aichholzer carefully deconstructs the myth to reveal that there is not much of substance behind the rhetoric. tokyoreview.net/2026/01/rhetor…

What happens when a bold U.S.-Japan policy proposal meets 30 years of history? In a new essay, Amb. Kurt Tong, Managing Partner at @TheAsiaGroup, revisits his 1995 call to “revolutionize” America’s Japan policy—and how the relationship evolved since. 🔗 tokyoreview.net/2026/01/the-di…

In Japan, entering a PhD program can be a big gamble. Ryo Konishi and Stefan Aichholzer explain how the current state of graduate education and research funding is leading to steady declines in Japan's research workforce. tokyoreview.net/2025/12/the-pr…

Kentucky’s first female governor helped secure one of the most enduring pillars of the U.S.–Japan relationship—far from Washington. In a moving new essay, @DuncanBarron reflects on Martha Layne Collins and the quiet power of subnational diplomacy. tokyoreview.net/2025/12/rememb…

"Japan’s low levels of street protest have not produced disengagement; participation has migrated online", Rina Komiya writes, as she explains how digital outrage manages to derail local inclusion policies in Japan. tokyoreview.net/2025/12/how-on…

Heidi Lee returns with a review of Left-Handed Girl, a Sean Baker-produced Taiwanese film directed by Shih-Ching Tsou that offers "a penetrative character study of girlhood in Chinese cultures." tokyoreview.net/2025/12/left-h…

"For many farmers, long hours and tough work have been a steady reality. Now, what lies ahead remains uncertain, even with growing help from migrant laborers." Matthew Myles writes about his experience working on a dairy farm in Hokkaido. tokyoreview.net/2025/12/migran…

Japan’s labor market and social welfare challenges demand foreign labor, yet the current political framing from Takaichi's new government treats foreigners as a social problem, writes Stefan Aichholzer in his analysis: tokyoreview.net/2025/11/foreig…

This new film review by Heidi Lee of the upcoming film "Bring Him Down to a Portable Size" asks timely questions about the moral failings of masculinity tokyoreview.net/2025/11/bring-…

Taiwan is back at the center of Sino-Japanese tensions. PM Takaichi’s remarks on a “survival-threatening” Taiwan scenario sparked fury in Beijing—but the audience that matters most is in Taipei. Read more from @danspinelli902 here: 🔗 tokyoreview.net/2025/11/the-mo…

Tamaki Yūichirō is dealing with forces that cannot be controlled. Can he—and those learning from his recent success—avoid being changed by the worst impulses of contemporary politics? tokyoreview.net/2025/11/how-th…

Writing about Japan's declining suicides, Peter Chai from Waseda University argues that the numbers obscure the unequal distribution of risk tokyoreview.net/2025/11/japans…

In this film review, Heidi Ka-Sin Lee discusses Itō Shiori’s "Black Box Diaries" (2024), a documentary detailing the director's own civil case against the man who assaulted her. tokyoreview.net/2025/11/movie-…