Japan isn’t known for being an aggressive country in the world of foreign affairs. Successive Japanese governments have taken pains to emphasize their peacelike nature, a direct consequence of Tokyo finding itself on the losing side of the most horrific war of the 20th century. Japan’s constitution renounces the use of force as a “means of settling international disputes,” and at $54 billion as of last year, its defense budget is extremely modest compared with its $4.9 tr

ViewpointsDec. 19, 2022

Do Americans understand what is happening with inflation in this country? This is an important question, because the public’s perception can influence national policy and political choices. Before the midterm elections one month ago, 87 percent of likely voters told pollsters that inflation was extremely or very important in deciding their vote. Let’s take a simple example of what most Americans see most in the news, and compare this with the data that economists, and journalists who

ViewpointsDec. 19, 2022

The biggest news story of 2022 was, without question, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. The war is the most severe conflict in Europe since 1945 and has raised tensions between nuclear-armed NATO and Russia to the highest level since the Cold War. The next biggest news story was the return of inflation in much of the world. Rising prices have pinched family budgets and caused labor and social unrest. To tame inflation, central banks have raised interest rates rapidly, which has added

ViewpointsDec. 16, 2022

He was as bold as he is young. Pianist Lim Yun-chan, shorn of his heavy, wavy mane, walked onto the stage at Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall Saturday, his stride confident, his first step a loud thump. He sat himself in front of the piano and, without a second’s hesitation, hit the first note of Orlando Gibbons' “Lord Salisbury,” Pavan and Galliard. Lim, who, at 18, became the youngest ever winner at the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in June began

ViewpointsDec. 15, 2022

One of the reasons the public is obsessed with Harry and Meghan is that they represent an important economic trend that resonates well beyond the British royal family: the rising tension between individual branding and the power and prestige of being part of an institution. And it’s not just the royals; it’s an issue for all industries. In the past, if money and security and status were what you craved, your path was clear: You got a job at the most prestigious institution you could

ViewpointsDec. 15, 2022

Most Americans are unaware that the United States is already fighting a war with China that involves Taiwan. This war isn't yet being fought with weapons. Instead, it is a battle to control the world's most critical technology: the design and production of microchips -- on which virtually everything in our modern world depends. From microwaves to smartphones to cars, from the stock market to missiles -- our economy and military run on the tiny silicon chips that power computer systems.

ViewpointsDec. 15, 2022

Last week, Ukraine pulled off an audacious military feat: three drone strikes deep inside Russia, one against a target less than 240 kilometers from Moscow. The drones attacked bases from which Russia has launched airstrikes against Ukraine’s cities, electricity grid and other infrastructure. It’s not clear that they caused major damage; at least two airplanes were struck, and a fuel storage tank was set ablaze. But they revealed a surprising weakness in Russia’s air defenses

ViewpointsDec. 14, 2022

Soccer is undoubtedly the most popular sport among Koreans. Whenever World Cup season comes, many Koreans burn the midnight oil to watch the games with the Taeguk Warriors. Whenever a Korean player succeeds in a “goal-in,” shouts of joy burst out here and there from across apartment complexes in the middle of the night. At the ongoing World Cup in Qatar this year, the South Korean national soccer team did not fail the Korean people once again and performed quite well, reaching the ro

ViewpointsDec. 14, 2022

Vast stretches of permafrost are melting as the Earth’s polar regions warm, thawing ancient viruses and bacteria that had remained frozen for tens of thousands of years. Behind the lurid headlines about “zombie viruses,” there’s some fascinating science -- and a warning. Last month, scientists announced they’d taken a sample of tundra from Siberia, extracted a virus that had been frozen for 50,000 years, and showed it was still capable of infecting its normal host

ViewpointsDec. 13, 2022

We can all rejoice at the news that Russia has freed basketball star Brittney Griner. Griner was detained at a Moscow airport in February, after officials found in her luggage 19 grams of hashish oil, for which she had a doctor’s note. She was later convicted of possession and smuggling, and sentenced to nine years in prison and sent to a penal colony. That she’s on the way home is wonderful, even if the price was the release of the egregious arms dealer Viktor Bout. Here are four

ViewpointsDec. 13, 2022

Central banks’ unwavering determination to increase interest rates is truly remarkable. In the name of taming inflation, they have deliberately set themselves on a path to cause a recession -- or to worsen it if it comes anyway. Moreover, they openly acknowledge the pain their policies will cause, even if they don’t emphasize that it is the poor and marginalized, not their friends on Wall Street, who will bear the brunt of it. And in the United States, this pain will disproportiona

ViewpointsDec. 12, 2022

The world seems like a calmer place after the G-20 meeting in Bali in mid-November. The question is why. We know that US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a three-hour in-person meeting that went well, despite their many policy differences and their countries’ growing antagonism. It was also helpful that Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t show up, and that Russia’s war in Ukraine didn’t overshadow the Sino-American discussions. In fact, the

ViewpointsDec. 12, 2022

The United States and its allies in Europe have spent the last 10 months turning the screws on the Russian economy in retaliation for Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine. The Western coalition blocked Russia from accessing around half of its more than $600 billion in foreign reserves, disconnected multiple Russian banks from the global financial system, diversified away from Russian natural gas and banned the import of Russian coal. Now, Russian crude oil is being targeted. For the foreseeable

ViewpointsDec. 9, 2022