@antoineroth.bsky.social
Reposted
Ishiba's address on the eightieth anniversary of the end of the war is really worth reading:
japan.kantei.go.jp/content/0001...
japan.kantei.go.jp/content/0001...
japan.kantei.go.jp
October 10, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Ishiba's address on the eightieth anniversary of the end of the war is really worth reading:
japan.kantei.go.jp/content/0001...
japan.kantei.go.jp/content/0001...
Reposted
Japan, ostensibly one of the least religious countries in the world, had its political order upended by the lay Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai. That is THE story about Friday's epochal shift in Japanese politics (thread follows):
October 10, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Japan, ostensibly one of the least religious countries in the world, had its political order upended by the lay Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai. That is THE story about Friday's epochal shift in Japanese politics (thread follows):
Reposted
The profile I wrote of Takaichi last year: open.substack.com/pub/observin...
The true believer
Takaichi Sanae makes her pitch
open.substack.com
October 4, 2025 at 6:09 AM
The profile I wrote of Takaichi last year: open.substack.com/pub/observin...
Reposted
My latest, republished in AsiaTimes.
asiatimes.com/2025/09/japa...
asiatimes.com/2025/09/japa...
Japan's leadership race pitting moderates vs hard right - Asia Times
As he heads out the revolving door of Japanese politics, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has two important stops on his agenda. The first will be in Busan,
asiatimes.com
September 27, 2025 at 8:52 PM
My latest, republished in AsiaTimes.
asiatimes.com/2025/09/japa...
asiatimes.com/2025/09/japa...
Reposted
Even if Hegseth intended this gathering to be a lecture on warfighting and standards, the presence of Trump makes it far likelier that it will deteriorate into a highly political event that further drags the armed forces into the partisan political maelstrom. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Trump to attend gathering of top generals, upending last-minute plans
President Trump will attend the unusual gathering of hundreds of generals summoned to Virginia on short notice by Pete Hegseth, adding new security concerns.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 28, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Even if Hegseth intended this gathering to be a lecture on warfighting and standards, the presence of Trump makes it far likelier that it will deteriorate into a highly political event that further drags the armed forces into the partisan political maelstrom. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Reposted
Im begging the NYT to spend time talking to people who actually teach and work at universities. Especially ones that don't have billion dollar endowments.
My issues are AI use, crumbling infrastructure, vanishing staff, unfunded state mandates, a customer service model of education...
My issues are AI use, crumbling infrastructure, vanishing staff, unfunded state mandates, a customer service model of education...
September 25, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Im begging the NYT to spend time talking to people who actually teach and work at universities. Especially ones that don't have billion dollar endowments.
My issues are AI use, crumbling infrastructure, vanishing staff, unfunded state mandates, a customer service model of education...
My issues are AI use, crumbling infrastructure, vanishing staff, unfunded state mandates, a customer service model of education...
Reposted
It's been an extraordinary long day, but I wanted to try to pull together the most important developments in an extremely significant Japanese election. Take a look here: open.substack.com/pub/observin...
System in crisis
Combing through the results of a historic upper house election
open.substack.com
July 21, 2025 at 3:57 AM
It's been an extraordinary long day, but I wanted to try to pull together the most important developments in an extremely significant Japanese election. Take a look here: open.substack.com/pub/observin...
Reposted
A classic form of corruption: using gov’t contexts to coerce political rivals. “Just days after Trump in early June raised the prospect of cutting ties with Musk’s businesses, the Trump admin initiated a review of SpaceX’s contracts with the federal gov’t” www.wsj.com/business/tru...
Exclusive | Trump Aides Discussed Ending Some SpaceX Contracts, but Found Most Were Vital
Fallout between the president and the rocket maker’s billionaire founder threatened the company’s multibillion-dollar agreements with the government
www.wsj.com
July 20, 2025 at 6:08 PM
A classic form of corruption: using gov’t contexts to coerce political rivals. “Just days after Trump in early June raised the prospect of cutting ties with Musk’s businesses, the Trump admin initiated a review of SpaceX’s contracts with the federal gov’t” www.wsj.com/business/tru...
Reposted
Ruling People Power Party makes immediate statement saying although disappointing they will accept the ruling.
www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR2025...
www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR2025...
www.yna.co.kr
April 4, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Ruling People Power Party makes immediate statement saying although disappointing they will accept the ruling.
www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR2025...
www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR2025...
Reposted
Trump: We don't want other countries and other leaders to laugh at us anymore.
Other countries: You put tariffs on uninhabited islands where only penguins live
Other countries: You put tariffs on uninhabited islands where only penguins live
April 3, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Trump: We don't want other countries and other leaders to laugh at us anymore.
Other countries: You put tariffs on uninhabited islands where only penguins live
Other countries: You put tariffs on uninhabited islands where only penguins live
Reposted
Opposition lawmakers are raking Ishiba over the coals for his party favors but thus far the only LDP lawmaker I've seen attack him are right wingers who don't like him anyway. That said, no one seems to be rushing to his aid either.
www.asahi.com/articles/AST...
www.asahi.com/articles/AST...
【速報中】石破首相商品券問題「一種の買収ではないか」与野党反応：朝日新聞
石破茂首相（自民党総裁）の事務所が、昨秋の衆院選で初当選した複数の自民党議員に対し、商品券を渡していたことがわかりました。首相は事実関係を認めました。首相は14日午後には参院予算委員会の集中審議に出…
www.asahi.com
March 14, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Opposition lawmakers are raking Ishiba over the coals for his party favors but thus far the only LDP lawmaker I've seen attack him are right wingers who don't like him anyway. That said, no one seems to be rushing to his aid either.
www.asahi.com/articles/AST...
www.asahi.com/articles/AST...
Reposted
Muto's not very good trip to Washington.
www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
Trade minister fails to win U.S. assurance of tariff exemption | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
WASHINGTON—Trade minister Yoji Muto failed to secure assurances from senior U.S. administration officials that Japan would be spared potentially crippling tariffs planned by President Donald Trump.
www.asahi.com
March 12, 2025 at 5:54 AM
Muto's not very good trip to Washington.
www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
Reposted
This is the real news, buried in the warning of an Israeli strike. “The US assessment found that an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would at best set back its activities by months, and potentially only by weeks, said current & former officials” www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Israel likely to strike Iran in coming months, warns U.S. intelligence
A strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities would present an early test for President Trump, who campaigned on restoring peace while touting his support for Israel.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 13, 2025 at 1:29 PM
This is the real news, buried in the warning of an Israeli strike. “The US assessment found that an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would at best set back its activities by months, and potentially only by weeks, said current & former officials” www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Reposted
A sobering piece from Max Seddon of the FT on what Putin really wants -- and Trump seems eager to give -- namely control of Europe.
on.ft.com/4aXjHS4
on.ft.com/4aXjHS4
Donald Trump opens the door to Vladimir Putin’s grandest ambitions
Russian leader wants a new security architecture to give his country a sphere of influence in Europe
on.ft.com
February 14, 2025 at 1:35 AM
A sobering piece from Max Seddon of the FT on what Putin really wants -- and Trump seems eager to give -- namely control of Europe.
on.ft.com/4aXjHS4
on.ft.com/4aXjHS4
Reposted
Found this recap of gender politics in Korea helpful for thinking back to how we got where we are with young men in Korea supporting Yoon and storming courthouses.
thediplomat.com/2025/02/angr...
thediplomat.com/2025/02/angr...
Angry Young Men Amid South Korea’s Impeachment Turmoil
Gender, again, is determining the flow of South Korea’s political upheaval.
thediplomat.com
February 11, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Found this recap of gender politics in Korea helpful for thinking back to how we got where we are with young men in Korea supporting Yoon and storming courthouses.
thediplomat.com/2025/02/angr...
thediplomat.com/2025/02/angr...
Yeah, despite everything else going on, that Adams case may be the clearest proof so far that the rule of law is well and truly suspended in Trump's America, at least at the highest level of power... The consequences will be grim, and long-lasting since trust once shattered is hard to rebuild.
Lord knows I’m not a constitutional scholar not even a lawyer (and I’ve yet to check in with @kateshaw.bsky.social) but a legal regime in which “you can do crimes if you’re buddies with the president or praise him publicly” is *on its face* a violation the equal protection of the laws.
February 11, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Yeah, despite everything else going on, that Adams case may be the clearest proof so far that the rule of law is well and truly suspended in Trump's America, at least at the highest level of power... The consequences will be grim, and long-lasting since trust once shattered is hard to rebuild.
Reposted
If you thought that the demolition of USAID was a Beltway story or a concern only for developing countries, diplomats from ROK & Japan are trying to pick up the pieces of the trilateral development projects they were planning in SE Asia and discussing whether they can to go ahead without the U.S.
February 7, 2025 at 7:21 AM
If you thought that the demolition of USAID was a Beltway story or a concern only for developing countries, diplomats from ROK & Japan are trying to pick up the pieces of the trilateral development projects they were planning in SE Asia and discussing whether they can to go ahead without the U.S.
Reposted
Jesus.
Warner Bros. had some of the most talented studios in the business and completely squandered them and drove away pretty much all of their leadership.
What an unsurprising mess and once again caused by corporate execs who don’t know shit about games or the people making them.
Warner Bros. had some of the most talented studios in the business and completely squandered them and drove away pretty much all of their leadership.
What an unsurprising mess and once again caused by corporate execs who don’t know shit about games or the people making them.
NEW: The Wonder Woman game is in trouble. Rocksteady is working on a new Batman that is ages away. And the next two years look grim.
Inside the turmoil at Warner Bros. Games, which is ditching its president after a tenure of indecisiveness and unclear vision www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Inside the turmoil at Warner Bros. Games, which is ditching its president after a tenure of indecisiveness and unclear vision www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Warner Bros. Video-Game Division Faces Thin Slate, Leadership Uncertainty and Wonder Woman Issues
Last year, Warner Bros. Discovery took $300 million in losses on gaming. The near future is rife with additional challenges.
www.bloomberg.com
February 7, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Jesus.
Warner Bros. had some of the most talented studios in the business and completely squandered them and drove away pretty much all of their leadership.
What an unsurprising mess and once again caused by corporate execs who don’t know shit about games or the people making them.
Warner Bros. had some of the most talented studios in the business and completely squandered them and drove away pretty much all of their leadership.
What an unsurprising mess and once again caused by corporate execs who don’t know shit about games or the people making them.
Thinking of this episode of Metalocalypse these days for no particular reason:
youtu.be/QXFFf7Gwzr4?...
youtu.be/QXFFf7Gwzr4?...
Metalocalypse | Nathan Explosion: Governer of Florida | Adult Swim UK 🇬🇧
YouTube video by Adult Swim Europe
youtu.be
February 7, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Thinking of this episode of Metalocalypse these days for no particular reason:
youtu.be/QXFFf7Gwzr4?...
youtu.be/QXFFf7Gwzr4?...
Reposted
The ongoing race between the US and the UK over which country can inflict more economic and social harm upon itself.
February 6, 2025 at 2:29 PM
The ongoing race between the US and the UK over which country can inflict more economic and social harm upon itself.
Reposted
EA's CEO still out of touch with what gamers want then.
Look at the sales of Baldur's Gate 3, or Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
People just want smarter, more interesting games that aren't just collecting different colored loot.
Look at the sales of Baldur's Gate 3, or Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
People just want smarter, more interesting games that aren't just collecting different colored loot.
EA CEO Says Dragon Age: The Veilguard Failed to 'Resonate With a Broad Audience,' Gamers Increasingly Want 'Shared-World Features' - IGN
EA CEO Andrew Wilson has commented on the financial failure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, saying gamers "increasingly seek shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives...
www.ign.com
February 5, 2025 at 3:45 PM
EA's CEO still out of touch with what gamers want then.
Look at the sales of Baldur's Gate 3, or Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
People just want smarter, more interesting games that aren't just collecting different colored loot.
Look at the sales of Baldur's Gate 3, or Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
People just want smarter, more interesting games that aren't just collecting different colored loot.
Reposted
Spot on from Ezra Klein: “Trump’s first two weeks in the WH have followed Bannon’s strategy like a script. The flood is the point. The overwhelm is the point. The message wasn’t in any one executive order or announcement. It was in the cumulative effect” www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/o...
Opinion | Don’t Believe Him
Look closely at the first two weeks of Donald Trump’s second term and you’ll see something very different than what he wants you to see.
www.nytimes.com
February 3, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Spot on from Ezra Klein: “Trump’s first two weeks in the WH have followed Bannon’s strategy like a script. The flood is the point. The overwhelm is the point. The message wasn’t in any one executive order or announcement. It was in the cumulative effect” www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/o...
Seconded
Here's a reminder that Aeternam is an awesome band that you should love and whose music you should support. I'm linking my favorite, but I celebrate their entire discography.
aeternam.bandcamp.com/album/al-qas...
aeternam.bandcamp.com/album/al-qas...
Al Qassam, by Aeternam
9 track album
aeternam.bandcamp.com
February 4, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Seconded
Reposted
The 'reduce-the-term' deal, currently floated around by the ruling PPP, was initially proposed by the Dems *months ago* as an alternative to impeachment. And then the coup attempt. You cannot say yes after burning the whole house. www.khan.co.kr/article/2024...
김용민 “임기 단축 개헌하면 내년 5월 끝···탄핵보다 더 빨라”
김용민 더불어민주당 의원은 “(대통령의) 임기 2년 단축하는 개헌을 한다면 빠르면 내년 5월에 대통령 임기가 끝나는 상황이 된다”며 “탄핵보다도 사실은 더 빠를 수도 있다”고 밝혔다. 김 의원은 지난달 31일 오후 CBS라디오 <박재홍의 한판승부>에 출연해 “(야권 원로들이) 새로운 해법, 새로운 대안으로 임기를 2년 단축시키는 개헌을 하자고 제안을 ...
www.khan.co.kr
December 7, 2024 at 12:53 PM
The 'reduce-the-term' deal, currently floated around by the ruling PPP, was initially proposed by the Dems *months ago* as an alternative to impeachment. And then the coup attempt. You cannot say yes after burning the whole house. www.khan.co.kr/article/2024...
Reposted
Great article (and very timely now) about the likely changes to South Korean foreign policy following Yoon’s impeachment with a particular focus on Japan and the US
My look at Korea-Japan relations after the Yoon coup, for Toyo Keizai Online (English version).
toyokeizai.net/articles/-/8...
toyokeizai.net/articles/-/8...
Will Japan's Relations With Korea Survive Yoon's Failed Coup? | World | The ORIENTAL ECONOMIST
The shocking attempted coup by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol caught Koreans and the world by surprise. Even though the country was embroiled in a bitter political divide between progressives a…
toyokeizai.net
December 6, 2024 at 1:16 AM
Great article (and very timely now) about the likely changes to South Korean foreign policy following Yoon’s impeachment with a particular focus on Japan and the US