In the first week of Black History Month, President Donald Trump posted a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on social media — a video clip showing the Obamas’ faces on apes. The post was later deleted, and the White House blamed a staffer for “erroneously” posting it. On Friday evening, Trump refused to apologize for the post: “I didn’t make a mistake,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. The post was one of dozens Trump shared in the middle of the night…
Posts published in “Politics”
President Donald Trump’s comments on former Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino’s podcast this week that he would like to see Republicans “nationalize” elections has some on Capitol Hill playing a guessing game. What exactly did Trump mean when he suggested that Republicans should “take over the voting … in at least many, 15 places”? “If he was on Dan’s show, and he’s catering to Dan’s audience, I’m sure there’s not going to be many Democrats listening to the show,” Rep. Jimmy Patronis, a Republican from Florida, mused about Trump’s comments…
In Brief. Japan’s alliance with the United States is under strain as Donald Trump’s embrace of a ‘might makes right’ worldview raises doubts about the credibility of the US security guarantees that have underpinned Japan’s postwar strategy. Despite increasing defence spending, Tokyo appears resigned to dependence on Washington, even as this risks leaving Japan caught between a weakened US commitment and a worsening relationship with China. Japan, alongside Australia, should respond by coordinating more active regional diplomacy through ASEAN and trade frameworks like the CPTPP to preserve cooperation and avoid…
In Brief. Japan’s February 2026 snap election reflects a political system increasingly shaped by tactical dissolutions rather than policy performance. While Takaichi’s high approval ratings explain their timing, frequent elections have entrenched perpetual campaigning, weakened democratic accountability and encouraged populist spending. Agendas like Sanaenomics risk failing if institutional instability continues to prevent sustained reform and long-term policy implementation. Japan’s general election has been called for 8 February 2026, just months after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office in October 2025. While Takaichi’s remarkably high cabinet approval ratings provide the tactical…
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – Japan and other “middle powers” must work together for a nuclear-free world based on the rule of law, in order to promote peace and prosperity in East Asia and on the global stage. This is a commitment shared with the Holy See, says Koji Abe, the new Ambassador of Japan to the Holy See, who began his service in December 2025.A career diplomat since 1987, Abe has served in Canada, the United States, France, and in Madagascar and the Comoros (2022–2025). Below is the text…
While the elections mark a policy shift, many see that as just another spectacle. While the rise of social media and the resulting surge of populism are global trends, in Japan, this phenomenon takes on a unique and troubling form, as populist politics is intertwined with a silent democratic crisis of political apathy. Japanese culture has long valued the aesthetic of silence. We are a society that prides itself on 空気を読む, directly translated as “reading the air” or reticence and reserve, which is a form of high-context communication that prioritizes…