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COMMENTARY

Oct 31, 2004

In defense of a liberal agenda

By Ronald Meinardus

MANILA -- Today, hardly another political term is as misapprehended and misrepresented as is "liberal." A case in point is the United States in the runup to the presidential elections. For partisan reasons, the Republicans and the so-called neoconservatives have gone on a rampage to discredit liberalism....

COMMENTARY

Oct 30, 2004

Straw poll on Net lands knockout punch

By Harvey Stockwin

HONG KONG -- In Japan, the Democratic challenger for U.S. president, Sen. John F. Kerry, has so far garnered 88 percent of the Japanese popular vote compared to 11 percent for the incumbent George W. Bush.

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 28, 2004

Bleak outlook for Myanmar democracy

By Nyunt Shwe

After days of speculation over the fate of Myanmar Prime Minister Gen. Khin Nyunt, the country's official media announced that he was permitted to retire for health reasons. The reasons given were usual for someone who had been removed from the inner circle.

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 28, 2004

Bush foes keep fingers crossed

By John Barry Kotch

CAMBRIDGE, England -- While the world looks on, tens of millions Americans will go to the polls next Tuesday, along with millions of American expatriates, for what is being billed as the election of the century, or at least the most important election in our lifetime. And while non-Americans cannot directly...

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 27, 2004

U.S. has no reason to fear that ICC will abuse rights

By Alberto Zuppi and Cesar Chelala

NEW YORK -- After the Treaty of Rome was signed in 1998, laying out the foundations for the International Criminal Court, many believed that this organ of justice would never materialize. There were already indications that the United States would not support such a court in all its aspects. Rejection...

COMMENTARY

Oct 26, 2004

British pension crisis looms

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON -- An important report on the pension crisis facing Britain was published Oct. 12. The report by the Pensions Commission, chaired by Adair Turner, a former director of the Confederation of British Industry, warned that, because of increased longevity and a shortfall in pension funds, British pensioners...

COMMENTARY

Oct 25, 2004

China reconstructs past to chart future

By Brahma Chellaney

NEW DELHI -- How folklore guides Chinese foreign-policy interests was brought out by Beijing's recent spat with South Korea over the ancient kingdom of Koguryo, which was founded in the Tongge River basin of northern Korea and, at its height, included much of Manchuria.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Oct 25, 2004

Manchuria as a whipping post

By Hiroaki Sato

NEW YORK -- The New York Times has an intriguing take on Japan. The latest example is an article with the heading "Atrocity Amnesia: Japan Rewrites Its Manchuria Story" (Sept. 19).

COMMENTARY

Oct 25, 2004

ODA looks wasted on China

By Kiroku Hanai

This year Japan marks the 50th anniversary of the official development assistance program it launched after getting out of the postwar economic chaos. The Foreign Ministry's 2004 white paper on ODA boasts that Japan, now one of the world's largest ODA providers, has made major contributions to the economic...

COMMENTARY

Oct 25, 2004

A dialogue that can persuade Muslims

By Tom Plate

LOS ANGELES -- Whoever emerges as the next president of the United States must work hard indeed to set U.S. relations with the global Muslim world aright. Leaving aside America's pressing domestic concerns, that issue might prove Job No. 1 for George W. Bush or John Kerry.

COMMENTARY

Oct 24, 2004

The alliance hasn't expired

By Brad Glosserman

HONOLULU -- Much recent U.S. strategic thinking about Asia has focused on China or the prospect of a nuclear-armed North Korea. These concerns have overshadowed important changes in Japan that have been influenced in part by developments in those two countries.

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 24, 2004

Credit some viewers for trying to think

By George Sioris

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- As one of the millions of television viewers glued to his screen trying to keep pace with the overwhelming flow of international news, I often find myself pondering the pluses and minuses of present-day advances in computers, electronics and information technology. The other day...

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

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Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

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