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Ronald Morse
For Ronald Morse's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
COMMENTARY
Aug 31, 2005
The meaning behind Koizumi's moves
On the surface, most elections are about personalities, false promises and special interests. But Japan's general election Sept. 11 is about a deeper historical reconciliation -- the effort to resolve differences between the country's cultural and behavioral preferences, and the organizational practices put in place by the Occupation forces after 1945.
COMMENTARY
Jun 11, 2005
Slots, cops, and deception
LAS VEGAS -- The Japanese have been kicking around the idea of building American-style casinos in Japan for four years now. The Parliament Committee on Casinos with 100 Diet members has been gathering information on casinos, and Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara has been a major proponent of the idea. In fact, 22 prefectures have already signed up to build Las Vegas-style casinos given the chance.
COMMENTARY
May 17, 2003
Long march back to China
LOS ANGELES -- History is full of irony for former empires. Historians of East Asia have maintained for some time that it was the Japanese war of aggression in China in the 1930s and 1940s that eventually drove the Chinese people into the arms of the Chinese Communist Party. After that, the equally forceful CCP leadership brought China into the 21st century as an example of developmental economics equal in performance to that of Japan in the 20th century.
COMMENTARY
Mar 8, 2003
Japan's oil diplomacy is dead
LOS ANGELES -- Since September 2001, Tokyo has come a long way toward redefining its international security interests. One significant result of this is that should any American hostages be taken in the war with Iraq or anywhere else in the Middle East, the Japanese are not likely to be indifferent to the issue as they were in 1979, when Americans were taken hostage during the Iranian revolution.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 14, 2002
No surprise tourism suffers
LOS ANGELES -- The government plan to privatize Narita airport in 2004 is welcome news to international travelers who know what good travel service is. The plan, which also includes a halt to building new airports, upgrading existing airports and improving customer service, could go a long way toward reversing Japan's image as one of the least tourist-friendly countries in the world.
COMMENTARY
Mar 1, 2001
Bush presidency, Ehime Maru tragedy bring national security issues to the fore
The issue for 2001 is whether Japan's leaders will take responsibility for their own national security. The stage is set for them to make this choice and the United States is ready to cooperate no matter what decision they make.
COMMENTARY
Dec 15, 2000
Japan ties under Bush hinge on U.S. economy
Call it U.S. exceptionalism or a deep distrust of government. Whatever it is, Americans have demonstrated a historical preference for divided government as a check against one-party dominance. But nobody had ever expected a U.S. election with a hairline split and as much divisiveness as the one that just ended. With a vote margin of 0.01 percent, Texas Gov. George W. Bush beat Al Gore in Florida, in the House of Representatives the Republicans have a five seat margin, and the Senate is split right down the middle between Republicans and Democrats.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2000
The answer is in the heavens
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori is doing everything he can to discourage Japanese voters from taking tomorrow's election seriously. He is succeeding. On top of his efforts, is getting help from the media, which are already predicting a comfortable margin of victory for the current ruling coalition.
COMMENTARY
May 4, 2000
Will Clinton crumble again?
If Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's overseas foreign-policy tour this week has a theme, it is "coverup" and "damage control." Mori, known as a colorless political fixer, has been tasked with assuring foreign leaders that the July G8 summit will go forward successfully no matter what happens on the Japanese political scene. U.S. President Bill Clinton and other leaders of course would like to hear more from Tokyo, but this is about all they are likely to get.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 28, 1999
Happy in the Gucci nation
What kind of country will Japan be in the 21st century? The millennial forecast is in and it looks like this: Japan's cultural elite is quickly converging around the notion that Japan should be the first boutique state of the 21st century -- distinctive, well designed and expensive.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?