Kenzo Uchida - The Japan Times

Today's print edition

Subscribe for more access

Meta

Kenzo Uchida

For Kenzo Uchida's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

COMMENTARY

Dec 1, 2003

Iraq and economy top political agenda

The special session of the Diet that was convened on Nov. 19 following the Nov. 9 general election came to an early close Nov. 27. On the question of the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq, which is the most important issue at the moment, fierce debate unfolded between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Democratic Party of Japan leader Naoto Kan, although Koizumi just kept repeating that his policy of dispatching the SDF to Iraq remains unchanged.

COMMENTARY

Nov 15, 2003

Election heralds dawn of new political era

The Nov. 9 election of the House of Representatives ushered Japanese politics into a new era in which two parties will dominate: the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Japan.

COMMENTARY

Oct 24, 2003

Criticism prods Bush to tune diplomacy

So far, the war in Iraq and the issues surrounding North Korea have topped news of international events in 2003.

COMMENTARY

Oct 4, 2003

Angst builds over next round with North

Japanese diplomacy appears to be in a lull with the situation in Asia centered on the problem with North Korea. Immediately after the six-nation talks were held in the first half of September, reports from Moscow suggested that the next round of six-nation talks would take place in Beijing in early November. We are now in October, however, and there still has been no word about the schedule for the next round.

COMMENTARY

Sep 20, 2003

Japan's work cut out in six-party talks

The two main flash points in the world in the past year have been the Middle East, especially Iraq, and North Korea in East Asia.

COMMENTARY

Aug 24, 2003

China, U.S. now share a sense of crisis

For the past few years, I have been going to Hawaii every summer to stand atop Diamond Head and speculate on the historic destinies of the United States and China, the two superpowers facing each other across the Pacific, and Japan, which is sandwiched between them.

COMMENTARY

Aug 9, 2003

Political world prepares for fall showdown

The first half of 2003 was volatile both internationally and domestically. Severe acute respiratory syndrome hit China, other Asian countries and Canada at the beginning of the year and spread around the world. Then, in the Middle East, war broke out when the United States and Britain invaded Iraq, overthrew the regime of Saddam Hussein and occupied the country. The situation in Iran and relations between Israel and Palestine are fluid as well.

COMMENTARY

Jul 26, 2003

Timing on dispatch of SDF turns up Koizumi weak spot

A couple of weeks ago I wrote that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was brimming with confidence after a bill proposing special measures to support the reconstruction of Iraq passed the House of Representatives in the National Diet. A likely political scenario for the fall -- one that anticipated a long-term stable Koizumi administration -- was offered up, and went something like this:

COMMENTARY

Jul 16, 2003

Parties gear up for elections

The political situation in Japan is already heating up in anticipation of a period of turbulence in the fall. The current ordinary session of the Diet has been extended until July 26, and it seems certain that the bill concerning Japan's support for the reconstruction of Iraq, the focal point of the second half of the session, will be passed before that date. With this contentious issue apparently behind him, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has suddenly begun to rush ahead with plans for September and beyond.

COMMENTARY

Jul 1, 2003

A ridiculous SDF restriction

The first half of 2003 was marked by the war in Iraq, led by the United States and Britain, and the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, which hit China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Canada.

COMMENTARY

Jun 8, 2003

Diplomacy buoys Koizumi

The administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi became 2 years old at the end of April. At its inception, his Cabinet enjoyed a public approval rating of more than 80 percent, the highest ever for a postwar administration. Around the beginning of last month, it still maintained a high level of about 50 percent.

COMMENTARY

May 24, 2003

A boost for Japan-China ties?

China has been attracting much attention in the international community of late for both positive and negative reasons. On the positive side, as the confrontation between the United States and North Korea intensifies, and the positions of Japan and South Korea remain delicate, China is playing the role of mediator in the conflict.

COMMENTARY

May 8, 2003

Positioning for the next crisis

In my last column in late April, I treated critically the transformation of America's foreign policy between the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the war against Iraq, focusing on the unilateralist policy of the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush. At the end of that column, I gave a bit of a preview of my next article, saying I wanted to discuss the change that has occurred in China since the 9/11 attacks.

COMMENTARY

Apr 26, 2003

A Pyrrhic victory in Iraq

When the war in Iraq began March 19, speculation was rife about its likely duration. Predictions ranged from very short (less than 10 days) to fairly long (over a month) to very long (a protracted Vietnam-type war). As it turned out, the fighting effectively ended in a little over three weeks. But it's a Pyrrhic victory, politically and diplomatically.

COMMENTARY

Apr 12, 2003

Unilateralism is no solution

The war in Iraq is coming to an end with a decisive victory in sight for the U.S. and British coalition forces. However, I still have doubts about this military adventure. When it began, I described the invasion as President George W. Bush's "personal war without justification" against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Also, quoting from a vernacular magazine, I questioned whether the U.S.-led war would "bring justice or create a cycle of evil."

COMMENTARY

Apr 2, 2003

Caught between Iraq and a North Korean hard place

When the war between the U.S.-British coalition and Iraq finally began on March 20, a Japanese magazine put out a special issue headlined "The Realization of Justice or Arousal of the Devil?" to stress the importance of looking through to the essence of the war.

COMMENTARY

Mar 17, 2003

Politicians fail to fill predecessors' shoes

With tension building over Iraq as the United States steps up military preparations, North Korea's nuclear saber-rattling threatens stability in Northeast Asia. War fears are clouding economic prospects worldwide.

COMMENTARY

Mar 4, 2003

Don't give up on alternatives

Nearly three years have passed since Junichiro Koizumi made his dashing debut as prime minister with an unprecedentedly high public approval rate of 80 percent, after declaring somewhat self-contradictorily that he would not hesitate to destroy his own Liberal Democratic Party to attain his reform goals.

COMMENTARY

Feb 18, 2003

Japan must shift to regional autonomy

Elections are in Japan's forecast for this year -- nationwide local elections in April, the contest for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency in October and perhaps a general election for the House of Representative sometime in between -- with a strong possibility of political turbulence along the way.

COMMENTARY

Feb 4, 2003

Girding for a snap election

Events of the past month suggest that 2003 will be a turbulent year at home and abroad. In Japan, rumors of a snap general election are already making the rounds, while the ailing economy appears to be slipping back into recession.

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

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.

The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima

Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

international-reports