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June 05, 2025
 

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COMMENTARY
Jun 9, 2011
China-Pakistan strategic ties deepen
After the daring U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden in his hideout next to Pakistan's premier military academy, Islamabad has openly played its China card to caution Washington against pushing it too hard. And China has been more than eager to show itself as Pakistan's staunchest ally.
Reader Mail
Jun 5, 2011
IMF chief who makes a difference
Regarding Kevin Rafferty's May 26 article, "Japan: the silent IMF partner": It really doesn't matter whether the new managing director of the International Monetary Fund is a French woman or a Bushman, so long as either shares the ideology of the IMF-World Bank — that only unbridled capitalism can...
EDITORIALS
Jun 4, 2011
Mr. Kan's tricky promise
What happened Thursday in the Diet — a vote on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Naoto Kan in the Lower House — will further deepen people's distrust of lawmakers at home and tarnish Japan's image abroad. The motion did lead, however, to Mr. Kan's vague pledge to resign in the near future,...
EDITORIALS
Jun 3, 2011
Back to basics with Russia
Prime Minister Naoto Kan met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on May 27 in the French seaside resort of Deauville shortly after a two-day Group of Eight summit held there. No substantive development came out of the meeting concerning a long-standing bilateral territorial dispute, except that Mr....
Reader Mail
Jun 2, 2011
Focus belongs on Tohoku people
The lives of many people in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, the three prefectures that bore the brunt of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, are still in shambles. Many people in the region had their houses, beloved family members, property and means of living washed away. There is even an...
/ Sarah Furuya Coaching
Jun 2, 2011
A hard road to the leading edge
Paul Frey writes in his May 29 letter, "Japan's return to the leading edge," that Japan can be a leader in the "new" areas of wind, solar, geothermal, conservation and energy efficiency. That goal will certainly not be reached tomorrow, but I agree with Frey that Japan ought to take serious steps in...
EDITORIALS
Jun 1, 2011
Mr. Kan's lofty energy goal
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said last week in France that Japan will generate 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources in the early 2020s. The new goal is 10 years ahead of the government's original 2010 plan.
EDITORIALS
May 30, 2011
Not the time for infighting
Voices critical of Prime Minister Naoto Kan appear to be getting louder within the Democratic Party of Japan. One cannot give high marks to Mr. Kan for his performance as the nation's leader in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
EDITORIALS
May 30, 2011
North Korea appeals to sponsor
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il visited China for about seven days from May 20. It was his third visit to China in a year. He traveled more than 4,000 km on a special train. Both Beijing and Pyongyang are mum about his visit. But it seems that the main purpose of his visit was to appeal for economic...
Reader Mail
May 29, 2011
JTA's questionable use of students
The Japan Tourism Agency's recent announcement that it will dispatch 1,100 international students to tourist destinations throughout Japan beginning in July raises more questions than it answers. JTA's press release and an accompanying PDF can be found at www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/news03_000028.html.
Reader Mail
May 29, 2011
Six decades of 'inconveniences'
The May 8 letter by Yoshio Shimoji, "" only shows there are many Okinawan/Japanese people plagued with heiwaboke (taking peace for granted), who don't appreciate what Americans have done for Japan. Its democracy and economic prosperity were not just the result of hard work. The U.S. government protected...
EDITORIALS
May 26, 2011
Helping hands to Mr. Kan
The perseverance that people in northeastern Japan have shown after the massive earthquake and tsunami devastated their communities March 11 has impressed many people around the world.
EDITORIALS
May 24, 2011
Difficulty awaits in reconstruction
The Reconstruction Design Council, an advisory body for Prime Minister Naoto Kan, is entrusted with the task of drawing a grand vision for the reconstruction of northeastern Japan following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Prime Minister...
EDITORIALS
May 24, 2011
Japan's GDP takes a hit
The Cabinet Office on May 19 said that Japan's gross domestic product in real terms in the January-March period declined 0.9 percent from the October-December period in 2010 or an annualized 3.7 percent, marking negative growth in two consecutive quarters. GDP in nominal terms, which reflects changes...
EDITORIALS
May 19, 2011
Tepco compensation plan
The government on May 13 decided on the overall framework of a scheme to help Tokyo Electric Power Co. compensate people who have suffered losses from the accidents at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
EDITORIALS
May 18, 2011
U.S. envoy gives up
Mr. George Mitchell, the special U.S. envoy for Middle East peace, has thrown in the towel. Of course, neither Mr. Mitchell nor the U.S. government would characterize his resignation last week as giving up, but there is no mistaking his frustration with the peace process.
EDITORIALS
May 17, 2011
Acquittal in Atago collision case
The Yokohama District Court on May 11 acquitted two Maritime Self-Defense Force officers formerly stationed aboard the 7,750-ton Aegis destroyer Atago in connection with the Atago's collision with the 7.3-ton trawler Seitoku Maru off Chiba Prefecure on Feb. 19, 2008. The collision killed the two fishermen...
EDITORIALS
May 16, 2011
Volunteer force declines
During the Golden Week holidays from April 28 to May 8, a total of some 78,000 volunteers worked in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, which were devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, according to "disaster volunteer centers" set up by local governments in the prefectures.
Reader Mail
May 15, 2011
MAD: If not broken, don't fix it
Regarding Project Syndicate writer Sergei Karaganov's April 30 article, "The end of mutually assured destruction": The doctrine of mutually assured destruction (MAD) was the best American policy initiative to come out of the 1960s. It represents realpolitik at its finest with an emphasis on maintaining...
EDITORIALS
May 15, 2011
Japan's rich heritage
At long last, Japan received a bit of bright news May 7, when it was announced that two sites in Japan, the historic Hiraizumi area in Iwate Prefecture and the Ogasawara Islands some 1,000 km south of Tokyo, were almost certain to be designated as World Heritage Sites at meetings next month of the UNESCO...
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic
After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima dies at 89
Shigeo Nagashima (left), then the manager of the Tokyo Giants, waves to fans with players and coaches during a victory parade in central Tokyo in 2000. Nagashima died at the age of 89 on Tuesday.
Toyota Industries receives $33 billion buyout offer from group companies
Toyota group companies could establish a new holding company to privatize Toyota Industries.
South Korea’s Lee pledges to heal deep wounds as ‘president for everyone’
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung waves with his his wife, Kim Hye-gyeong, following his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday.
Lee Jae-myung projected to win South Korean presidential election
Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's candidate in South Korea's presidential election, speaks during his final campaign event in Seoul on Monday night ahead of Tuesday's vote.
Hakuho’s departure highlights worrying sumo trend
Former <i>yokozuna</i> Hakuho performs a ring-entering ceremony at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in February 2020.
Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima dies at 89
Shigeo Nagashima (left), then the manager of the Tokyo Giants, waves to fans with players and coaches during a victory parade in central Tokyo in 2000. Nagashima died at the age of 89 on Tuesday.
‘A garden is a grand teacher’: The Kamakura Gardener nurtures via YouTube
American Robert Jefferson runs a YouTube channel called The Kamakura Gardener that invites viewers to enjoy the pleasures of gardening, cooking and slow living.
Waves of umami: Awaji Island's culinary trove
Silversea Cruises' culinary program takes guests on a rich gourmet experience at wellness retreat Zenbo Seinei, where the local produce is presented in an eight-course meal.
Hegseth to prioritize China and more allied spending in Asia — but questions remain
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives for a trilateral meeting between Japan, the U.S. and Australia at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Saturday.

Podcast

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

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic
By Alex K.T. Martin

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