Opinion

Urmas Teder, JournalistFor any democracy to function, citizens must be able to trust that words retain their meaning over time. Politicians are free to defend controversial ideas, challenge historical interpretations and advocate policies that provoke fierce disagreement. What they cannot expect is to escape scrutiny when they attempt to redefine their own past statements once those statements become politically inconvenient. This is why the recent controversy surrounding Sohei Kamiya's comments on Okinawa deserves attention beyond the immediate debate. The issue is not merely what was said about the role of the Imperial Japanese Army. Nor is it a question of…

For more than two centuries, Switzerland symbolised the possibility that neutrality could serve both as a moral principle and as an effective foreign policy. Today, that certainty has faded. The geopolitical consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the intensifying strategic rivalry between the United States and China, and the gradual fragmentation of the international order have made neutrality increasingly difficult to sustain. In a world that rewards alignment, remaining equidistant has become an exception rather than the rule. Against this backdrop, ASEAN's diplomatic doctrine appears remarkably resilient. While major powers encourage countries to choose sides, Southeast Asia continues to defend…

Urmas Teder, journalist Japan's immigration debate has entered a curious new phase. According to recent proposals put forward by Sanseitō leader Sōhei Kamiya, foreign residents should face stricter access to welfare benefits, public funds and social assistance. They should be expected to embrace Japan's cultural homogeneity, while those reaching old age would, in principle, return to their countries of origin rather than remain in Japan. Japanese nationals, naturally, would receive priority. Every sovereign state has the right to determine its immigration policy. Governments may decide who enters, who stays and under which conditions. Yet immigration policy also rests on an…

When Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to international audiences, the message is clear. Japan is presented as an open, reliable and technologically advanced partner, committed to economic security, resilient supply chains and deeper cooperation with like-minded democracies. In her recent article in the Financial Times, Takaichi portrayed a country ready to play a leading role in strategic initiatives such as the Global Combat Air Programme, alongside the United Kingdom and Italy, while positioning Japan as a key node in the emerging architecture of economic and technological security in the Indo-Pacific. Yet the Japan promoted abroad does not always correspond…

Urmas Teder, journalist. Few institutions embody continuity in Japan more profoundly than the Imperial Household. For centuries, the Chrysanthemum Throne has served as a symbol of historical continuity, cultural identity and national cohesion through periods of profound political and social transformation. Yet the debate surrounding the future role of Princess Aiko has revealed that continuity itself may require adaptation if the institution is to preserve its legitimacy in the decades ahead. The question of whether Japan should allow a woman to ascend the throne is often framed as a clash between tradition and modernity. In reality, the issue is more…

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is facing growing political pressure following allegations that members of her campaign team were involved in the dissemination of anonymous online videos targeting political rivals during recent party primaries and national elections. While she has firmly denied any involvement, leaked audio recordings from internal online meetings appear to show discussions consistent with the coordination of such activity, intensifying scrutiny from opposition parties. The controversy has now moved beyond questions of campaign ethics and into a more sensitive institutional terrain: the credibility of official denial in the face of accumulating evidence. At the centre of the…

Urmas Teder, journalist. Japan’s demographic decline is no longer a warning sign or a statistical curiosity. It has become a sustained contraction of the population base itself, with implications that extend far beyond social policy. Last year, the country recorded 671,236 births, the tenth consecutive annual decline, confirming a trajectory that has proven remarkably resistant to policy intervention. The imbalance with mortality figures is now the defining feature of Japan’s demographic profile. In 2025, deaths reached 1,589,489, resulting in a natural population loss of just over 900,000 people. This is not an isolated peak but part of a pattern that…

For years, Japan has been trying to solve a complex equation: it needs more workers, more engineers, more researchers, and more international talent than at any other point in its recent history. The demographic decline is no longer a long-term projection but a daily reality already affecting entire sectors of the economy. The government’s technological and industrial ambitions increasingly depend on its ability to attract foreign professionals capable of sustaining competitiveness in fields such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and digital infrastructure. Yet the package of reforms approved in the Diet last week points in a direction that does not always…

Urmas Teder, journalist. Japan’s nationalist right has spent years demanding discipline from everyone else. Foreign residents are told to integrate flawlessly, migrant workers are expected to obey every administrative detail, and asylum seekers are increasingly treated as potential security risks rather than vulnerable individuals. The message has been relentless: rules matter, order matters, and those who fail to comply do not belong. That rhetoric becomes harder to defend when some of the same political movements preaching “Japanese discipline” begin facing accusations of unpaid obligations, financial irregularities or opaque internal practices themselves. The contradiction is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. A…

Japan has spent recent years redefining its role in the global economy through the lens of economic security. From semiconductor supply chains to critical infrastructure, data governance and advanced technologies, Tokyo has moved decisively to reduce vulnerabilities in an increasingly fragmented geopolitical environment. The objective is clear: to protect national capabilities in an era of strategic competition. Yet beneath this coherent strategic narrative lies a growing tension. The very framework designed to safeguard economic sovereignty risks, if not carefully calibrated, undermining the competitiveness it seeks to preserve. The expansion of Japan’s Economic Security Promotion Act and the rollout of stricter…