Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo bump fists before their meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 6. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
The Nikkei View

Suga should build on Abe's laudable efforts to expand free trade

Japan can play a key role in fighting the rising wave of protectionism

7 October 2020
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, left, on Sept. 25 held his first telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping since taking office earlier that month.
The Nikkei View

Suga needs public's understanding to improve ties with China

Beijing fuels distrust with heavy hand at home and abroad

30 September 2020
Yoshihide Suga, then serving as Japan's cabinet secretary, meets with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in Washington in May 2019.
The Nikkei View

Suga diplomacy needs a vision, with Japan-US alliance at core

Promoting Indo-Pacific strategy and TPP will best advance national interest

23 September 2020
Liberal Democratic Party chief Yoshihide Suga, center, poses with senior party officials at a meeting of the LDP's General Council in Tokyo on Sept. 15. (Photo by Arisa Moriyama)
The Nikkei View

Japan's Suga must unite the nation to beat COVID-19 crisis

Fading influence of factions may signal change in ruling LDP

16 September 2020
From left, U.S. President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi show their unity at the G-20 summit in Osaka in June 2019. Japan and the U.S. share the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. 
The Nikkei View

US alliance grew under Abe, but Asian agenda left unfulfilled

North Korean abductions remain an open issue as Japan's PM departs

9 September 2020
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen is willing to negotiate an FTA with the U.S.
The Nikkei View

Taiwan is caught between two powers -- and Japan can help

Bringing the self-ruling island into TPP is one option

2 September 2020
Then-Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Yasumasa Nagamine, left, and then-South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo sign the General Security of Military Information Agreement, an intelligence-sharing agreement between the two countries, in Seoul in November 2016. 
The Nikkei View

Extended intelligence pact serves interests of Japan and South Korea

Despite tensions, pooling data on threats is vital to regional security

26 August 2020
Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako bow at a memorial service marking the 75th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, at the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo on Aug. 15. The emperor pledged to reflect on the war's events and expressed hope that the tragedy would never be repeated.
The Nikkei View

Lessons of war Japan should pass on to next generation

Abe's 70th-anniversary statement lays clear the issues

19 August 2020
South Korea’s Supreme Court in 2018 ordered Nippon Steel to compensate four plaintiffs, including Lee Chun-sik, seated at center, for being forced to work for the company when Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula.    
The Nikkei View

Tokyo and Seoul must avoid tit for tat over wartime labor

Regional security depends on neighborly relations

5 August 2020
A FedEx employee removes a box from the Chinese Consulate in Houston on July 23.
The Nikkei View

US, China need wisdom to avert worst-case scenario

As cycle of retaliation continues, communication is vital to prevent disaster

29 July 2020
The World Bank has broached the issue of China, the world's largest creditor to developing countries, not fully upholding the agreement on suspending debt payments by low-income countries. 
The Nikkei View

China must fulfill its duties under debt forbearance plan

G-20 falls short in helping virus-stricken emerging nations

22 July 2020
Prime Minister and People's Action Party leader Lee Hsien Loong, right, leaves a polling center after casting his vote in Singapore's general election on July 10.
The Nikkei View

Singapore's bittersweet election result calls for more say

Time for ruling PAP to debate with opposition on the road ahead

15 July 2020
Toyota Motor, which just began producing pickup trucks at its new plant in Mexico in February, faces a dilemma.
The Nikkei View

New North American trade pact puts toll on Asian companies

Exporters seen passing cost to American consumers

8 July 2020
the tradition of an independent judiciary has attracted people and capital from all over the world to Hong Kong. 
The Nikkei View

Still not too late for China to rethink Hong Kong law

Tampering with judicial autonomy risks exodus of people and money

1 July 2020
Anti-government protesters run away from tear gas during a march against Beijing’s plans to impose national security legislation in Hong Kong on May 24.
The Nikkei View

China must rethink Hong Kong security law

Loss of judicial independence puts territory's prosperity at risk

24 June 2020
A personnel shortage is among the factors making it difficult to operate Aegis vessels around-the-clock. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
The Nikkei View

If not Aegis Ashore, Japan needs an alternative shield

East Asian security rests on a knife-edge as US-North Korea talks stall

17 June 2020
Shigeru Yokota, foreground, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korean agents in 1977, has died at the age of 87.
The Nikkei View

Father's death highlights need for results in abduction issue

Just two parents of North Korean kidnapping victims are still alive

10 June 2020
The U.S. and China should not risk paralyzing the global governance over bilateral grievances.
The Nikkei View

US-China feud during pandemic puts world at risk

International order must not fall prey to bilateral spat, especially in a crisis

3 June 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Premier Li Keqiang applaud during the second plenary session of China's National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on May 25
The Nikkei View

China faces challenging times as it forgoes GDP target

Beijing should heed market's warning on Hong Kong security law

27 May 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping gives an address after a naval fleet review in the South China Sea in 2018.
The Nikkei View

China must not flex muscle as neighbors grapple with pandemic

Beijing steps into vacuum left by virus-hit US and ASEAN

20 May 2020
disquieting moves in North Korea have fueled much speculation in recent weeks.
The Nikkei View

Beware North Korea taking advantage of coronavirus chaos

Pandemic must not be catalyst for regional disorder

13 May 2020
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte reportedly gave the military and the police the green light to shoot civilians who violate lockdown orders.
The Nikkei View

Don't make democracy a casualty of virus war

Checks and balances more essential than ever in age of nationalism and populism

6 May 2020
Overview of the 2nd Preparatory session of the 2020 NPT Review Conference at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on April 23, 2018.
The Nikkei View

A golden opportunity to turn the tide on nuclear arms

Delay of UN nonproliferation conference grants time to work out differences

29 April 2020
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a news conference in Geneva on Feb. 28.
The Nikkei View

Now is not the time to undercut WHO efforts

Health agency's role crucial to ending virus pandemic

22 April 2020
Travelers in protective suits are seen on April 10 at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport after the lockdown was lifted in Wuhan.
The Nikkei View

China's coronavirus fight is far from over

Lack of transparency raises questions over early outbreak response

15 April 2020