David Howell - The Japan Times

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David Howell

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

COMMENTARY

Apr 1, 2010

The single-currency disease

It seems only yesterday that leading Japanese industrialists who had heavy (and very welcome) investments in the United Kingdom were calling for the pound to merge with the euro in one grand continental currency.

COMMENTARY

Mar 19, 2010

Revising the art of defense

LONDON — How much should a nation spend on defense and its armed forces?

COMMENTARY

Feb 25, 2010

Poland's future looks bright

In the 20th century the very name "Poland" conjured up images of suffering, refugees, slaughter, terrible destruction and division. Here was a country that had been invaded, partitioned, endlessly fought over, defeated and conquered.

COMMENTARY

Feb 10, 2010

In search of a big, new idea

Governments everywhere are nowadays being overpowered by the problems and tasks they face.

COMMENTARY

Jan 27, 2010

Surprise! More gas coming

Sometimes a quite simple new discovery or technological breakthrough changes everything, making nonsense of yesterday's apparently safe assumptions and expert projections.

COMMENTARY

Jan 14, 2010

Good intentions, bad results

A cycle in which intended results become reversed has overtaken Britain's political, government and social scene.

COMMENTARY

Dec 30, 2009

Iran the challenge in 2010

Of all the pressure points on the international scene in 2010 the Iran problem looks the most dangerous. Iran could come to an explosive boiling point in the coming months, sending shock waves through the global system.

COMMENTARY

Dec 16, 2009

Saving the U.K. economy

Frequent comparisons are made these days between the plight of the British economy and the state of the Japanese economy. But in reality the two situations are very different.

COMMENTARY

Dec 2, 2009

Commonwealth reaches out

Every two years the heads of government of the 50-plus states of which the Commonwealth consists, embracing almost a third of the planet's entire population and several of its most dynamic economies, meet to discuss issues of common concern.

COMMENTARY

Nov 19, 2009

Wrong way to halt warming

Here's a surprise. The countries with the best stories to tell at the forthcoming U.N. Copenhagen conference on climate change will probably be the ones that have not signed up to carbon-reducing targets at all, or have only signed up very recently. It could be China, the United States, India and Japan...

COMMENTARY

Nov 4, 2009

Still wrestling with Europe

Some things seem to go on forever. For half a century the British have been wrestling with the question of their relations with the rest of continental Europe and the struggle continues unabated and still unsolved.

COMMENTARY

Oct 21, 2009

Fading trust in the political class

LONDON — The world is clearly passing through a crisis of political legitimacy. People in growing numbers do not trust their governments or their governing classes. In many cases they despise them.

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 7, 2009

The Middle East and Iran issue

The small country of Lebanon lies at the center of the Middle East jigsaw. Its labyrinthine internal politics reflect and connect with all the complexities of the region and the surrounding countries.

COMMENTARY

Sep 25, 2009

China's two-sided 'miracle' should warn the ebullient

CHANGCHUN/LONDON — Is China the economic locomotive that will lift the world back onto the growth path and help eradicate its vast debts?

COMMENTARY

Sep 10, 2009

Politics and people colliding

The Japanese people have just voted decisively for change. For what kind of change should they now be asking?

COMMENTARY

Aug 27, 2009

Are green shoots sprouting?

Is recovery from the global recession already under way? In Germany, France and the United States, authoritative voices are declaring the recession over and telling us that growth has resumed. And now the same view is heard in Japan. Yes, if you take a magnifying glass you can see tiny little specks...

COMMENTARY

Aug 8, 2009

Disaster in Afghanistan

Thousands of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom and several other nations are struggling on in Afghanistan, with the Americans and British in particular suffering heavy casualties. But why are they there, and what are they trying to achieve?

COMMENTARY

Aug 1, 2009

Tough times for politicians

Democratic governments everywhere are in trouble. In Britain, the Labour government is tottering. In Japan, defeat looms for Prime Minister Taro Aso's Liberal Democratic Party. In Italy, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is clinging on amid a sea of scandal. In France, hyperactive President Nicolas Sarkozy...

COMMENTARY

Jul 22, 2009

Protectionist trend on the rise

In the English language the word "Protection" sounds warm and friendly. Everyone needs protection against the storms of life and it is nice to give protection and be protected. But lift this innocent word into the international sphere and it becomes a sinister and ominous concept, a harbinger of narrow...

COMMENTARY

Jun 24, 2009

Iraq war is a tipping point

The British are to hold an inquiry into the origins and conduct of the Iraq war, and how Britain came to be so closely involved with the Americans in the 2003 Iraq invasion.

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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