Michael Richardson - The Japan Times

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Michael Richardson

For Michael Richardson's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 2, 2008

Should Asia brace for more mega storms?

SINGAPORE — We have become acutely aware of the financial storm threatening to sweep the world. But what about nature's most powerful storms? Will global warming cause more frequent and intense tropical cyclones, increasing the already heavy annual toll of death, damage and injury in densely populated coastal Asia?

COMMENTARY / World

Sep 25, 2008

Untapped energy source fuels a paradox

SINGAPORE — Ice that burns? It sounds like a magician's trick. So do some of the exotic names given to gas hydrate — "flammable sorbet," "crystal gas" and "burning ice." But recent scientific surveys and test drilling in Asia and elsewhere have proven that this substance exists in massive, potentially recoverable quantities and that it could be an important commercial energy source for the future.

COMMENTARY / World

Sep 24, 2008

Facing a rise in sea level

SINGAPORE — As policymakers plan ahead in Tokyo, Osaka-Kobe and other major port cities in Japan, one of the most vexing questions they face is how much will the sea level rise in coming decades?

COMMENTARY / World

Sep 12, 2008

Water management for the Mekong basin

SINGAPORE — China says it remains a developing country despite its rapid rise in the league of global power. By some measures, it is now the world's third-biggest economy and second-largest exporter. However gauged, China is clearly a nation with increasing impact and influence, especially if you live in nearby Southeast Asia.

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 13, 2008

Water shortage: China's looming problem

SINGAPORE — The Chinese government has made a huge effort to improve air quality and beautify Beijing for the Olympics. But it cannot apply a short-term "fix" to another problem that visitors to the Games will not see — the steady depletion of underground water supplies in northern China, where the capital is located.

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 25, 2008

Alternatives to Iranian oil

SINGAPORE — Talks to defuse the brewing crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions ended inconclusively last weekend. The discussions in Geneva involving China, Russia, the United States and leading European powers were followed by a warning to Tehran that it had a fortnight to respond positively or face fresh sanctions.

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 7, 2008

Tensions strain 'strategic' Russia-China ties

SINGAPORE — To judge from the recent exchanges between the leaders of China and Russia, all is sweetness and light in the strategic partnership between the two leading Eurasian powers. But beneath the surface, problems over military sales, trade and energy are weakening Sino-Russian relations just when they appear to be at an apex.

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 26, 2008

Energy use stands to soar

WASHINGTON — What will happen to the price of oil and its supply if Asia's emerging economic giants, China and India, continue their quest to raise living standards and catch up with rich nations by emulating the West's energy-intensive growth model? And what will the impact be on the global environment, which is already being battered by climate change?

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 20, 2008

Burden of subsidies grows

SINGAPORE — As the price of oil has surged ever higher in recent weeks, Asian countries that subsidize energy prices have been hit hard. India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Taiwan have been forced to raise fuel prices by cutting their subsidies, despite concerns about stoking inflation, public discontent and political instability.

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 12, 2008

Another looming food crisis

The United Nations held a summit in Rome earlier this month to find solutions to the global food crisis. The focus was on grain shortages and high prices that have recently roiled countries around the world, causing mass protests and political instability in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 3, 2008

Shaking Japan to the very core

Singapore — As aftershocks from China's devastating earthquake continue to cause havoc, atomic safety experts from around the world are preparing to meet in Japan this month to scrutinize seismic standards at nuclear plants. Because they contain lethal sources of radiation, the plants are designed to withstand major earthquakes and shut down safely. But are the standards adequate?

COMMENTARY / World

May 14, 2008

Russia's oil treasure shows signs of decline

SINGAPORE — In the eight years of Vladimir Putin's presidency, Russia's energy riches were used as a lever to rebuild the country's influence and power. As his successor, Dimitry Medvedev, took over last week and Putin became prime minister, both leaders will worry about signs that this energy muscle is starting to shrink.

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 28, 2008

Combating climate change

SINGAPORE — Two recent news reports have underscored China's voracious appetite for oil and the impact of unrestrained burning of coal and other fossil fuels on global climate change. Both point to the need for Japan, the United States, Canada, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand — the six Asia-Pacific members of the International Energy Agency — to use their influence to help bring China and India into the IEA, the leading international organization for energy research and cooperation.

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 12, 2008

Gambari's battle in Burma

SINGAPORE — The United Nations special envoy to Burma is coming under fire for failing to nudge the country's military rulers in the direction of real political reform. But it is wrong to blame the envoy, Ibrahim Gambari. After all, his mandate is from the United Nations and he reports to the U.N. Security Council.

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 31, 2008

Dominating the headwaters

SINGAPORE — The recent anti-Chinese protests in Tibet and several surrounding provinces in China have been watched with concern by governments in nearby South and Southeast Asia, especially India. But unlike faraway Europe and the United States, their priority in Tibet is stability, not human rights.

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 11, 2008

The North's smaller missiles

SINGAPORE — The U.S. military intelligence community is worried that North Korea is developing the skills and techniques needed to fit a nuclear warhead to a ballistic missile.

COMMENTARY / World

Jan 30, 2008

Asia's high stake in Persian Gulf stability

SINGAPORE — Could a radio operator, whose identity is unknown, cause a war between the United States, the world's most powerful nation, and energy-rich but radical Iran? Perhaps not. But it now appears that someone — maybe a prankster — almost triggered a shootout between the two sides earlier this month in the Hormuz Strait at the entrance to the Persian Gulf, the source of around one-fifth of the oil traded each day around the world.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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