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EDITORIALS

Mar 1, 2003

Sharon pushes peace process aside

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has announced the formation of a new government. The new 68-member coalition promises to be unwieldy: It is composed of Likud and three smaller parties that have little in common. While the new government can muster a majority in Parliament, it is unlikely to be able...

EDITORIALS

Feb 28, 2003

A new role in nation-building

Restoring internal security is an essential condition for nation-building in Afghanistan, where local warlords continue to defy the authority of the central government. It is welcome news, therefore, that the international community has pledged new aid for an Afghan program to disarm those chieftains...

EDITORIALS

Feb 27, 2003

New BOJ head's main task

On March 20, former Bank of Japan Deputy Gov. Toshihiko Fukui will replace current BOJ Gov. Masaru Hayami as head of Japan's central bank. Mr. Fukui, now director of the Fujitsu Research Institute, will be assisted by two new deputies: Mr. Toshiro Muto, former vice minister of finance, and Mr. Kazumasa...

EDITORIALS

Feb 26, 2003

Challenges for Mr. Roh Moo Hyun

South Korea continues its impressive transition to genuine democracy this week with the inauguration of Mr. Roh Moo Hyun as the country's 16th president. Mr. Roh could be a pivotal figure in South Korean history, perhaps even more significant than the man who preceded him, Mr. Kim Dae Jung. If the new...

EDITORIALS

Feb 25, 2003

Less than reassuring words

Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of Seven industrialized countries held one of their regular meetings last weekend in Paris. Two days of discussions produced a statement promising efforts to stabilize and stimulate their economies and a pledge to convene again in the event of an emergency....

EDITORIALS

Feb 24, 2003

Cozy business-political ties die hard

The question of politics and money remains very much alive in Japan. It was the subject of intensive debate at Thursday's special session of the Lower House Budget Committee. Central to the debate was the legality of corporate donations to political parties, a question that has taken on new meaning in...

EDITORIALS

Feb 23, 2003

Singing the karaoke blues

Japan has given much to world culture. Kimono, anime, sushi and ikebana are just some of the words that have become so well-known abroad they don't even need translating. But one pastime has come in the past few decades to represent Japan perhaps more authentically than any other activity -- and that's...

EDITORIALS

Feb 22, 2003

'Shunto' has lost steam

Wage bargaining is the stuff of the annual springtime labor offensive known as "shunto." This year's wage round, however, is essentially different from previous ones because wage increases are not the main subject of labor-management negotiations. The Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, the...

EDITORIALS

Feb 21, 2003

Clarify refugee policy

The incident in which four North Korean citizens who had fled from their country entered a Japanese school in Beijing and asked for asylum in Japan has posed a sobering question concerning Japan's refugee policy. Acting on lessons from the incident at Japan's consulate general in Shenyang last May, the...

EDITORIALS

Feb 20, 2003

The WTO's 'awesome challenge'

The success of the next round of trade liberalization talks depends on tackling the thorny issue of agricultural tariffs and support. That is no secret; agriculture has preyed on the minds of trade negotiators for decades, but they have successfully delayed consideration of the question for years. The...

EDITORIALS

Feb 19, 2003

No cause to celebrate GDP growth

It may come as a bit of a surprise to learn that Japan's sluggish economy expanded for four straight quarters in calendar 2002. The truth is, though, it expanded only after the effect of deflation, or the continued decline in the prices of goods and services, was applied. The nation's deflation-adjusted...

EDITORIALS

Feb 18, 2003

Heed the voice of the people

Last weekend, more than 6 million people demonstrated worldwide, pleading for peace and protesting U.S. plans to wage war against Iraq. The demonstrations, the largest since the Vietnam War, are proof that U.S. President George W. Bush has not convinced the world that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein poses...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.

A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan

By Hanako Lowry

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