More Commentary Articles - The Japan Times

Today's print edition

Subscribe for more access

COMMENTARY

Nov 1, 2003

U.S., Europe make amends

By Andre Fontaine

PARIS -- It was widely assumed, a few months ago, that three of the world's top international organizations -- the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union -- would suffer heavily from the quarrel over the Iraqi war between the U.S.-led coalition and those nations...

COMMENTARY

Nov 1, 2003

Break the chain of violence

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON -- There are new incidents almost every day in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Both sides retaliate and innocent bystanders, including children, are killed. No remorse is shown. Mercy and forgiveness seem never to be considered.

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 31, 2003

APEC's inevitable discussion of security

By George Sioris

BANGKOK -- The recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bang kok could, in an oversimplified manner, be summarized as an event in which economic issues were overshadowed by a strong security agenda. Moreover, the whole exercise was partly sidelined by the spectacular arrangements on the Thai...

COMMENTARY

Oct 31, 2003

Economic freedom pays off

By Ronald Meinardus

MANILA -- More than a decade ago, the global confrontation between the West and the East ended with a convincing victory for the liberal paradigm. The ideological triumph of the Western political and economic concept was so pervasive that some argued that mankind had reached the "end of history."

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 31, 2003

Australia basks in afterglow of two high-powered visits

By Alan Goodall

SYDNEY -- The world's two most powerful leaders stopped by in Canberra the other day. It was a neighborly visit, all smiles and trade deals. They're home in Washington and Beijing now, leaving behind the biggest bonanza for Australia since Japan came calling a generation or so ago.

COMMENTARY

Oct 30, 2003

Europe rues decline amid shift to Asia

By Brad Glosserman

PARIS -- Officially, we were discussing Russia's place in Asia. It was hard to tell whether the French senator/historian on the panel was warning of Moscow's return to great-power status or urging it on. He was no crypto-communist, however: For him, Russia's resurgence would signal the return of multipolarity...

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 30, 2003

Style trumps substance in Bangkok

By Kevin Rafferty

BANGKOK -- The appearance of the 21 leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in their handmade shiny silk shirts said a lot about this year's summit in Bangkok -- style over substance.

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 30, 2003

Malaysian mood resurgent as Mahathir bids farewell

By Eric Teo Chu Cheow

SINGAPORE -- After more than 20 years at the helm of Malaysia, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will step down Friday to make way for his chosen successor, Abdulla Badawi, who will become the country's fifth prime minister. All indicators point to a smooth and successful political transition, only the...

COMMENTARY

Oct 29, 2003

Democracy for whom?

By Doug Bandow

WASHINGTON -- Although the Bush administration won formal U.N. recognition for its rule in Iraq, that diplomatic victory is likely to yield few allied troops for occupation duty. In fact, even Turkey, which agreed to dispatch 10,000 soldiers after Washington's approval of $8.5 billion in loans, is now...

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 28, 2003

Coaxing Iran, North Korea

By W. Andy Knight

EDMONTON, Canada -- Since no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq, some critics of the Bush administration are suggesting that the use of the military option was premature or even unwarranted unless, of course, the goal all along was to overthrow a dangerous despot -- Saddam Hussein. Certainly,...

COMMENTARY

Oct 27, 2003

Ignorance is no longer bliss for China

By Frank Ching

HONG KONG -- U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was understandably angry that her memoir, "Living History," was censored by the Beijing publisher who put out the Chinese edition. Her comments on the military crackdown in Tiananmen Square in 1989, on her experience at the 1995 United Nations conference...

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Oct 27, 2003

War perspective of poets oceans apart

By Hiroaki Sato

NEW YORK -- A gentleman named Paul Preusser, describing himself as "a composer and fresh graduate from the New England Conservatory," has recently written to ask if I could help him with poems of Kotaro Takamura (1883-1956). He has been commissioned to compose "a song cycle using poetry which is influenced...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.

Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.

By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

international-reports