Opinions

The Diplomat

• Japan’s Political Paradox: Why Young Liberals Backed a Conservative Landslide (with Willy Jou), The Diplomat, March 2026

• The Untold Story of Japan’s Election: The Quiet Breakthrough of Team Mirai (with Charles Crabtree), The Diplomat, February 2026

• The Trial of Abe’s Assassin Is a Test of Takaichi’s Appetite for Political Reform (with Charles Crabtree), The Diplomat, January 2026

• The Paradox of Japan’s Anti-Immigrant Sentiments and Demand for Foreign Labor (with Willy Jou), The Diplomat, January 2026

• Takaichi Sanae’s Rise Highlights the Gender Paradox in Japanese Politics (with Willy Jou), The Diplomat, September 2025

• Ethnic Restaurants and Immigrant Entrepreneurs Facing Crisis Under Japan’s New Visa Rules, The Diplomat, June 2026

• Court Rulings and Public Opinion on Same-Sex Marriage in Japan, The Diplomat, August 2025

Nikkei Asia

• Japan's likely first female prime minister is no feminist triumph, Nikkei Asia, October 2025

• Japan's public is ambivalent about Takaichi's security agenda, Nikkei Asia, June 2025

The Japan Times

• Japan’s inbound tourism booms as outbound travel lags, The Japan Times, February 2026

Tokyo Review

• Women's universities and Japan's gender paradox, Tokyo Review, June 2026.

• Japan’s suicide rates decline, but risks persist for youth and women, Tokyo Review, November 2025

• Japan faces child safety crisis amid rising school bullying and child abuse (with Charles Crabtree), Tokyo Review, February 2026

South China Morning Post

• Japan must reckon with how it views foreign workers, South China Morning Post, September 2026

Taipei Times

• Regulating digital campaigning, Taipei Times, June 2026

Asia Times

• The truth about Japan’s rising anti-foreign sentiment, Asia Times, December 2025

• Takaichi faces scrutiny over media spending and company donations, Asia Times, December 2025

Asia Sentinel

• Japan Likely to Approve ‘Morning After Pill,' Asia Sentinel, September 2025

• K-Visa Pits China’s Innovation Drive Against Job Market Anxiety, Asia Sentinel, October 2025

East Asia Forum

• Troubled future looms for Japan’s Takaichi (with Willy Jou), East Asia Forum, November 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.59425/eabc.1762336800

• Japan’s global exposure has a one-way ticket, East Asia Forum, August 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.59425/eabc.1788213600

The Interpreter 

• Japan is now the most trusted Asian power in Australia and New Zealand (with Charles Crabtree), The Interpreter, March 2026

• The power of surprise: How Takaichi’s snap election delivered a LDP landslide (with Willy Jou), The Interpreter, February 2026

• Don’t believe everything you read in the media about Japan’s strong anti-immigrant sentiment, The Interpreter, November 2025

• Japan's burial problem, The Interpreter, July 2025

The Strategist

• China’s anti-Japan sentiment is rising, but it’s nothing new, The Strategist, December 2025

• Japan’s rare-earths gamble faces major hurdles, The Strategist, March 2026

Geopolitical Monitor 

• Japan’s Recruitment Crisis and the Human Limits of Rearmament, Geopolitical Monitor, June 2026

E-International Relations

• Okinawa’s Struggle with Ongoing US Military Presence, E-International Relations, December 2025

LSE Politics Blog

• The UK's AI governance gap, LSE British Politics Blog, June 2025

SOAS China Institute 

• Why Chinese-Language Cinema Matters: Europe’s Festivals as Stages for Art and Politics, SOAS China Institute, September 2025

9DASHLINE

• Interpreting Crime Data in Japan's Immigration Debate, 9DASHLINE, February 2026

India's World

• From Nishikasai to National Policy: The Challenges of India’s Labour Future in Japan, India's World, July 2026

联合早报 (Lianhe Zaobao)

• • 日本扩招外国劳动力却收紧定居之路的张力

  • 在后安倍经济学时代，早苗经济学行得通吗？

  • 日本皇室改革的未竟辩论

星洲日报 (Sin Chew Daily, Malaysia)

• 中美人工智能竞争:通用智能 产业应用与东南亚现实考验 

• 从市场扩张到文化表达:游戏产业多路径演化及启示

香港01 (Hong Kong 01) 

• 射殺安倍之後：山上徹也被判無期徒刑意味著什麼？

• 是外國人的犯罪行為擾亂了日本嗎？——看清真相與盲點

• 日本人工智能鴻溝——認知度高、採用率低

• 高支持率下的政治打算——高市提前大選是一場豪賭？

• 撐美斯定C朗？你的選擇已「出賣」你的政治立場

• 告別「嫁給公司」——日本勞動力缺口下的變局與啟示（和李冠儒）

• 東亞地鐵百年史——地鐵如何承載歷史、文化與現代性？（和梁明德）

灼見名家 (Master-Insight)

• 日本高等教育的性別困境 兼論女子大學的未來

• 從墓地到清真寺：日本的穆斯林爭議正在升溫

• 當選舉遇上社群媒體  日本政治面臨新挑戰

• 中日關係的結構性冷卻：20年民調揭示的現實

• 日本安全轉向的背後：民意支持比想像中脆弱

堅料網 (Jianliu)

• 外勞愈來愈重要　日本人為何反而更排斥移民？ 

• 日本「單向國際化」：外人蜂湧 國人駐足

• 從南牧村到富山 日本人口減少縮影

風傳媒 (Storm Media)

• 自民黨二月眾議院選舉大勝背後的「雙城記」

• 突襲選舉與高市效應─自民黨三分之二多數的背後

• 從罰娼到罰嫖─日本賣春法的歷史轉折

• 從大學生到「老鼠人」─中國青年就業的結構性困境

關鍵評論 (The News Lens)

• AI工程師殺入國會！日本新政黨「未來團隊」拒絕減稅，為何能席捲東京票倉？

• 2026日本眾院大選自民黨大勝：為何物價狂漲、米價飆升，選民仍力挺高市早苗？

• 自民黨有望橫掃國會大選，在野黨猛攻「日圓貶值論」難敵高市早苗超人氣

• 日本經濟王牌不是科技，而是飲食文化！拆解國家觀光品牌戰的成功與隱憂

自由評論 (Liberty Times)

• 東南亞轉向中國，其實是在回應美國

• 台灣反移民情緒正在形成嗎？

換日線 (Crossing)

• 高市早苗為何力推「牛郎末日」法案？日本風俗產業背後的深層問題

思想坦克 (Voicettank)

• 「尊重傳統」，還是延續歧視？日本相撲土俵上的性別困局

破土(New Bloom)

• 日本簽證新規下異國餐廳危機與移民社群的未來

Newtalk新聞 (Newstalk)

• 日本在反移民情緒與勞動力短缺之間的拉扯

新國際 (New International)

• 異化社會下自民黨與社會黨的「計劃競賽」與反戰主義殘局 (和梁明德、李冠儒)

南方周末 (Southern Weekly)

• 不要急着破解村上春树的隐喻 | 柴思原读《夏帆》

澎湃新闻 (ThePaper)

• 如何评价一位学者：阿西莫格鲁与《经济学人》之争

• 不止一种村上春树：规律与迁徙中的写作人生

• 东野圭吾的那些走入生活的谜案和答案之外的问题

财新网(Caixin)

• 日本的移民难题：经济依赖与社会接纳的落差

• 中道改革联盟分裂：日本在野党的合作困境

• 风靡亚洲的吉伊卡哇：可爱角色背后的成人世界

观察者网(Guancha)

• 冲绳“变天”：美军余毒与民生欠账

界面新闻(Jiemian)

• 宫崎骏为何还在画：飞行的梦想与现实的困境

My opinion articles in Japanese about society and politics can be found in my newsletter at theLetter run by The Asahi Shimbun: 柴思原がデータで読む社会と政治 (press release)

My essays in Japanese about books, movies, and anime can be found on in my blog at RecordChina.

My other opinions and essays in Chinese can be found on my Zhihu and Douban pages.