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September 11, 2025

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COMMENTARY / World

Dec 24, 2002

A healthy contrast to politics in Beijing

By Harvey Stockwin

HONG KONG -- The openness, mutual personal criticism and freedom displayed during the latest Taiwanese election were a refreshing contrast to the secrecy, sycophancy and control displayed before, during and after the Chinese Communist Party's 16th Congress.

COMMENTARY

Dec 24, 2002

The Iranian nuclear threat

By Farhan Bokhari

ISLAMABAD -- New claims by the Bush administration that draw attention to Iran's covert nuclear program are certain to intensify security concerns surrounding the oil-rich Middle East.

COMMENTARY

Dec 23, 2002

Contrived crisis in education

By Kiroku Hanai

Educational reform is becoming a political issue in Japan. At the center of the controversy is the Education Basic Law, which took effect in 1947 when the Constitution was established. Earlier this year the Central Council for Education, an advisory panel to the education minister, published an interim...

COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA

Dec 23, 2002

Bleaker times may await the grandkids

By Jean-pierre Lehmann

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- In four weeks this series will have run for a year, and it will be time to bring it to an end. These last four articles, therefore, will constitute a combination of conclusions and parting thoughts.

COMMENTARY

Dec 23, 2002

Fundamentalism twists ethics of religions

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON -- Because of the events of 9/11 and al-Qaeda terrorism, we have all become deeply concerned about the malevolent aspects of Islamic fundamentalism. It is not always easy to remember that most followers of Islam are moderate and tolerant.

COMMENTARY

Dec 23, 2002

Fix the U.S.-ROK alliance

By Ralph Cossa

HONOLULU -- Now that the South Korean presidential elections are over, it's time for outgoing President Kim Dae Jung to take the necessary steps to ensure a proper legacy. No, I am not talking about his "sunshine policy" of engagement with North Korea. His bold, if only partially successful, efforts...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 22, 2002

From bluster to the risk of catastrophe

By Richard Halloran

HONOLULU -- The United States and North Korea have once again reached an impasse in their long distance negotiations through the press. The North Koreans have demanded that the U.S. sign a nonaggression pact as part of a settlement of disputes on the Peninsula.

COMMENTARY

Dec 22, 2002

Abductee hysteria in Japan

By Gregory Clark

That old saying about democracies being their own worst enemies is getting a good workout in Japan's abductee dispute with North Korea. By any standards, North Korea's willingness to release five Japanese abducted in the 1970s following Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Sept. 17 breakthrough visit to...

COMMENTARY

Dec 21, 2002

Asia can learn from Europe

By Brad Glosserman

SINGAPORE -- Ever since Asian policymakers and analysts began thinking about their part of the world as a collective of nations -- as a "region" -- they have made one thing clear: Asia is a unique place and Europe's experience on this matter just does not apply. That thinking has dominated discussions...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 19, 2002

Lifetime of serving humanity helps nurse survive stint in Indonesian jail

By William Nessen

BANDA ACEH, Aceh -- On a lonely stretch of road in the midst of a distant war, Joy Lee Sadler, a 57-year-old nurse from Iowa, did what she has done all her life.

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 19, 2002

United in trauma of terror

By Ramesh Thakur

While India is the world's most populous democracy, Israel is the Middle East's most notable. Relations between democratic countries can be strained on particular issues, but the underlying strength remains resilient. Judaism and Hinduism are among the world's ancient civilizations and "root faiths"...

COMMENTARY

Dec 18, 2002

Pyongyang's dangerous game

By Ralph Cossa

HONOLULU -- In the past week, North Korea has attempted to create a crisis on the Korean Peninsula by threatening to restart its frozen nuclear reactor while demanding that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) remove monitoring devices aimed at ensuring that the reactor operates in accordance...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.

The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight

By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo

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