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July 12, 2026
 

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Ramesh Thakur

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Ramesh Thakur
Ramesh Thakur is Professor in the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University; adjunct professor, Institute for Ethics, Governance and Law, Griffith University, and editor-in-chief of Global Governance from Jan. 1, 2013. He began writing for The Japan Times in 1998 as Vice Rector of the United Nations University.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 5, 2020
Nuclear-armed China and India fight with fists, stones and clubs
June 15 could mark the date on which China “lost India” strategically.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 29, 2020
Six deadly lockdown sins
The lockdowns across the world will likely kill more people than they saved.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2020
Scapegoating the WHO as the CHO
Now is not the time to demonize and defund the WHO.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2020
Pandemics and the G20: One last shot at relevance
The Group of 20 has the right mix of member states to handle a global crisis like the coronavirus pandemic. The only question is whether it will take up the task.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 22, 2020
U.S.-India relations shape Japan’s strategic environment
Japan’s strategic environment is shaped by the intersection of three major geopolitical storylines.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2020
Impeachment energizes Trump, drains Democrats
The Democrats’ impeachment effort has successfully energized Trump’s base and fundraising but not their own.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2020
North Korea’s 2020 vision: A nuclear shield, not a sword
The longer Kim keeps nuclear weapons, the more credible the claim will become that his primary interest is in nuclear deterrence.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2020
Why Australia is burning
While climate volatility certainly poses a threat to Australia, the more immediate cause of this year’s massive fires is poor land and forest management.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2020
Modi’s project to make a Hindu India
India represents the most successful example in history of managing the challenge of unity in diversity, but the ruling party’s Hindutva agenda threatens this achievement.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2020
The half-century miracle of Asian resurgence
To turn optimistic long-term forecasts into reality, Asian states will have to overcome the major challenges of mass poverty, jobless growth, rising inequality and the middle-income trap.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2019
Modi lacks the political ticker for tough economic decisions
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lost his nerve again and has locked India into a bleak future.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 5, 2019
The risk of entrapment by self-fulfilling nuclear prophecy
We increase the probability of a self-fulfilling prophecy of growing direct nuclear threats by merely opening the discussion of independent deterrents.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 2, 2019
Japan’s least bad choice on North Korea
The focus should be on deterring Pyongyang from starting a war or committing acts of aggression, containing it, and constructing defensive shields.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 11, 2019
Nuclear arms treaty and umbrella states
Signing the nuclear weapons ban treaty would send a powerful message of the priority Tokyo gives nuclear disarmament.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 25, 2019
Urgent appeal to save nuclear agreements
The rapid deterioration of nuclear arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation pacts adds to the rising risk of the use of nuclear weapons.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2019
India’s bad bet in Kashmir
India’s decision to withdraw Kashmir’s special status threatens to be the spark that starts a war.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 19, 2019
Trump’s incoherent policy on India
The distance from hubris to delusion is short and the Trump administration is bent on covering it in a sprint in its India policy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 11, 2019
Trump’s disquieting disdain for Japan
Rising tensions between China and the U.S. have put Japan in a uniquely privileged position vis-a-vis both countries.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 9, 2019
Moving from #MeToo to #MenToo
False accusations of sexual assault have spawned the #MenToo movement in India, which demands gender-neutral laws and investigative procedures.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2019
Press freedom: ‘No one is above the law’ is a slogan, not a policy
Blowing the whistle on state crimes is not a threat to national security; only to the reputation of ministers and generals.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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