Jan 7, 2012

Bumpy road ahead for Mr. Noda

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, at a new year news conference Jan. 4, expressed his determination to push a two-stage raise of the consumption tax as well as to reform the social welfare system, and called for the opposition forces to join consultations with his ...

Jan 3, 2012

Unnerving year for Northeast Asia

While 2011 was “the great unraveling,” 2012 holds out the prospect of equally consequential changes for Asia, but the inflection points are visible well ahead of time. The most notable feature of the calendar will be elections that are scheduled to be held throughout ...

Dec 30, 2010

Mr. Ozawa's new move

Mr. Ichiro Ozawa, former chief of the Democratic Party of Japan, on Tuesday agreed to appear before the Lower House’s Council on Political Ethics and give unsworn testimony over political funds scandals. His decision, ostensibly for the sake of “party unity,” came too late. ...

Dec 19, 2010

Prioritize finding MIA remains

Regarding the Dec. 12 article “Kan takes in Iwojima graves hunt”: As the nephew of an American World War II service member missing in action, I commend Japan’s prime minister for journeying to Iwojima and showing the world how high a priority his government ...

Dec 2, 2010

Kan sets example during crisis

I was somewhat disturbed by the Nov. 24 front-page headline “Pyongyang shells South Korean island.” I am as cautious about North Korea as anyone, but in times of crisis, we need to remain calm. It was not known that “Pyongyang” rather than some North ...