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COMMENTARY / World

Jun 29, 2006

WTO: a call for 'enlightened negotiators'

By Seiichi Kondo

The current multilateral trade negotiations under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are approaching the moment of truth. The major gridlock among key players, such as Japan, the United States, the European Union and Brazil seems, however, difficult to be unlocked at the series of ministerial...

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 29, 2006

Judgment in Phnom Penh

By James A. Goldston and Dina Nay

PRAGUE -- Three decades after the Khmer Rouge killed a quarter of Cambodia's 7 million people, a court to try the most responsible surviving leaders is set to open its doors.

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 29, 2006

Uribe raises hope for Colombia's future

By Charles Tannock and Nicolas Echavarria

PRAGUE -- A leftwing tide has supposedly been sweeping Latin America. But President Alvaro Uribe's re-election in Colombia may not only have begun the process of reversing that tide; it has perhaps also shown conservative and liberal parties across the continent a way forward -- one that may soon be...

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 28, 2006

Japan needs better PR, less whale meat

By David Wall

LONDON -- Every year on my annual visit to Tokyo I spend at least one evening drinking sake in a small bar in Shibuya. And every year after I have finished eating one of the dishes the mama-san has put in front of me, while I am talking, there will be a big cheer and a lot of laughter. Yet again I have...

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 28, 2006

Women in China falling victim to gender violence

By Cesar Chelala

NEW YORK -- Although it is under-recognized and underreported, it is one of the most significant epidemics in China today. It is gender violence, manifested essentially as violence against women. This kind of violence occurs in all regions in China. It affects families of all ethnic backgrounds and social...

COMMENTARY

Jun 27, 2006

Iraq pullout is not the end

By Keizo Nabeshima

The Japanese government has formally decided to withdraw Ground Self-Defense Force troops from Iraq. The decision reflects Tokyo's judgment that recent developments in the country -- the beginning of a formal government, appointment of three security ministers and the transfer of security powers to Iraq...

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 27, 2006

China showing less angst over Taiwan

By Richard Halloran

HONOLULU -- In the seas around the U.S. island territory of Guam in the Central Pacific, a delegation of 10 Chinese army, navy and air force officers watched three American aircraft carriers and other armed forces go through strenuous training paces last week.

COMMENTARY

Jun 26, 2006

South Korea and China also stir the pot

By Hiroaki Sato

NEW YORK -- A friend of mine in Tokyo has sent me two recent proposals to improve Japan's relations with its neighbors. One, by the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, deals with China and is addressed to both the Japanese and Chinese governments; the other, by the Kansai Association of Corporate...

COMMENTARY

Jun 26, 2006

End of the oil age in sight?

By David Howell

LONDON -- First there was wood. Then it was replaced by coal. Then coal was replaced by oil. Is it now the turn of oil -- which currently accounts for some two-thirds of the world's primary energy -- to be pushed aside by other energy sources and devices?

COMMENTARY

Jun 26, 2006

U.S.-dependent to what end?

By Kiroku Hanai

At a Cabinet meeting May 30, the government finalized its basic policy on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan. The action followed a final Japan-U.S. agreement May 1 on realignment aimed at strengthening deterrents and reducing Japan's burden of hosting U.S. military installations.

COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT

Jun 25, 2006

What's in it for them to return us to 'prewar values'?

By Roger Pulvers

The leaders of many countries evoke their nation's history as if it were an idyll of virtue and civility. They gaze into the mirror of the past and see no dark blemish, only purity, goodness and light.

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 24, 2006

Japan heats up whaling wars

By Jeff Kingston

The battle over whaling has grown more acrimonious in recent years principally because Japan has become a more vociferous and belligerent advocate for a resumption of commercial whaling. In the recently concluded meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), Japan's representative browbeat and...

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.

What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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