David Howell - The Japan Times

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David Howell

For David Howell's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

COMMENTARY

May 30, 2004

Taming the culture of blame

LONDON -- An independent judiciary has long been taken for granted in Britain. It has been regarded down the ages as one of the majestic bastions of British liberties and a necessary pillar of the free democratic state.

COMMENTARY

May 14, 2004

Can U.N. take the handoff?

LONDON -- Everyone is now looking to the United Nations to step into Iraq and somehow stabilize the situation as the country enters its most critical postwar stage. But is the U.N. capable of performing this role and willing to do so?

COMMENTARY

Apr 29, 2004

British fault line with Bush

LONDON -- Commentators on both sides of the Atlantic have been raising the possibility of a split between Britain and America on the handling of Middle Eastern affairs.

COMMENTARY

Apr 20, 2004

Clash of ideas behind violence

LONDON -- Behind all the horrors and bloodshed of Iraq lies a clash of ideas. In the words of one mujahedin leader when asked to explain his hatred of America: "We do not want their capitalism. We do not want communism. We have our own ideas about how we want our country to be run in a Muslim way."

COMMENTARY

Mar 31, 2004

Madrid attack redefines EU

LONDON -- The bomb outrage and mass slaughter of train commuters in Madrid on March 11 has changed the face of European politics in more ways than one.

COMMENTARY

Mar 19, 2004

Phantom fears of inflation

LONDON -- Could inflation return as the curse of global economic progress? After years of relative price stability -- and in some countries, such as Japan, price decline and deflation -- could the old threat rise, like Dracula, from the grave where most people assumed it was safely interred, and drain...

COMMENTARY

Mar 7, 2004

EU's false trilateral dreams

LONDON -- The idea that the European Union should be run and managed by a hard core of countries, meaning France, Germany and -- if it can be coaxed along as well -- Britain, is once again doing the rounds.

COMMENTARY

Feb 21, 2004

Once again, the East is rising

LONDON -- The other day a British businessmen, recently having visited Japan, recounted the words of a leading Japanese ship-owner. "Our ships" said this individual with a sigh, "are going fully loaded to Europe and America but these days coming back empty."

COMMENTARY

Feb 4, 2004

The not-so cordial entente

LONDON -- 2004 marks the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale -- the accord between Britain and France of 1904 that marked a new era of friendship, the ending of numerous disputes and, as it turned out, intimate military alliance in two world wars.

COMMENTARY

Dec 26, 2003

Blair's overcast breaking up

LONDON -- As the old year turns, life is looking a little brighter for the besieged British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his team, thanks to a few lucky breaks.

COMMENTARY

Dec 18, 2003

Conservatives smell an upset

LONDON -- A transformation has taken place on the British political scene, and it is one that could have profound effects on the wider European landscape as well as on trans-Atlantic relations. The nature of this change can be summed up in two words -- Michael Howard. This is the man who has now emerged...

COMMENTARY

Dec 9, 2003

Euro in big political trouble

LONDON -- When the euro was being planned some years ago, the austere German central bankers, led by the formidable Hans Tietmeyer, then the Bundesbank chairman, were adamant about one thing: The currency would work only if every member state adhered rigidly to the Stability Pact -- the set of rules...

COMMENTARY

Nov 22, 2003

Balancing act gets tougher

LONDON -- It is getting ever more difficult to assess what is actually happening in Iraq.

COMMENTARY

Oct 27, 2003

EU may bite off more than it can chew in euro-dollar rivalry

LONDON -- How fares Europe's single currency, the euro? Much too well.

COMMENTARY

Oct 9, 2003

Small states seek bigger say

LONDON -- The meeting of European Union member states in Rome to begin discussing a possible new constitution has opened on a discordant note. The smaller countries of Europe do not like the way things are going. The worries are not just those of "the usual suspects" -- the British, Danes and Swedes....

COMMENTARY

Sep 27, 2003

The Saudi Arabia dilemma

LONDON -- Times are very difficult for the government of Saudi Arabia. Assailed on one side by hardline Islamists for being too pro-American, Saudi leaders have also had to endure a hail of brickbats from Washington for not being sufficiently pro-American and supportive of U.S. policy.

COMMENTARY

Sep 13, 2003

Can the U.N. handle Iraq?

LONDON -- Everyone wants the United Nations to play a greater role in Iraq -- the Americans included.

COMMENTARY

Aug 30, 2003

Governments must plan today for tomorrow's energy needs

LONDON -- Electric power -- or lack of it -- is once again in the news. It is not just the millions of East Coast Americans and Canadians who have suffered with monster blackouts. Power cuts have become drearily regular in France, Japan, China, Spain, Italy, not to mention in struggling Iraq. And shortages...

COMMENTARY

Aug 19, 2003

The borrowing can't go on

LONDON -- These are difficult and dangerous days for economic forecasters and financial experts. As usual they are deeply divided on the fate of the world economy. On the one hand, the giant American economy is showing faint signs of recovering its nerve as the last wreckage of the dotcom bubble is cleared...

COMMENTARY

Aug 2, 2003

Exaggeration leads to tragedy

LONDON -- Politicians always exaggerate, or at least embroider the facts. Like lawyers they have a case to make and an audience to persuade. So they emphasize the strongest points in their argument and slide over the weaker ones.

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

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.

How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan

By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Spotlighting a Niigata castle town through sushi

Spotlighting a Niigata castle town through sushi

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