https://www.scmp.com/rss/510331/feed Will Fee is a British journalist and researcher based in central Tokyo. He holds an MPhil in Japanese Studies from Oxford University with a specialism in postwar history and culture. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Tactical voting, unity and impassioned pleas from some of the nation’s biggest celebrities helped a left-wing coalition score a surprise win over the far-right in France’s legislative election on July 7. The result is widely being hailed as a victory for French democracy, and a display of unity in the face of creeping extremism. Nearly 10,000km away in Tokyo, there is no such enthusiasm. The same day, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike secured a third term at the helm of the world’s largest metropolis... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3270492/what-frances-election-had-tokyos-didnt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3270492/what-frances-election-had-tokyos-didnt?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jul 2024 08:30:09 +0000 After less than a year in office, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced last Friday that he would not seek re-election as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. When his term as party leader ends on September 30, his short yet turbulent stint as prime minister will also come to a close. In his first months in office, he had enjoyed approval ratings as high as 65 per cent. However, his popularity began to decline late last year, before reaching a nadir of 29 per cent during... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3147638/what-now-japan-suga-steps-down-prime-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3147638/what-now-japan-suga-steps-down-prime-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Sep 2021 00:45:12 +0000 Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka described the moment as “undoubtedly the greatest athletic achievement and honour” of her life. Flaming torch in hand, she climbed the steps of a miniature Mount Fuji, lit the Olympic cauldron and, with that, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games began. There were widespread fears in the build-up that the Games, which finish on Sunday after two weeks of intense sporting action, could become a superspreader event for host nation Japan. Set against the backdrop of the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3143963/tokyo-olympics-all-too-fleeting-glimpse-youthful-and-diverse-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3143963/tokyo-olympics-all-too-fleeting-glimpse-youthful-and-diverse-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Aug 2021 02:45:09 +0000 When Tokyo’s successful Olympic bid was announced in 2013, there was widespread domestic fanfare. A viewing party in one Tokyo city park attracted 2,000 excited revellers who celebrated the victory with live music and a fun run. The Games were billed as the “recovery Olympics”, a tonic in the aftermath of the triple disasters of 2011. At that time, domestic commentators questioned whether the Games should go ahead in a country still affected by nuclear anxiety. Large swathes of Fukushima... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3141561/tokyo-2020-japans-recovery-games-little-benefit-local-residents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3141561/tokyo-2020-japans-recovery-games-little-benefit-local-residents?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jul 2021 01:15:16 +0000