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August 28, 2025

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EDITORIALS

Jul 29, 2002

Putting new wine in a new bottle

Bureaucratic reform, not just political reform, is urgently needed in Japan. In a nutshell, that is the message of the latest annual government report on the civil service. The report, for the first time, includes government employees' thoughts about themselves, their colleagues and their bosses.

EDITORIALS

Jul 28, 2002

End to Europe's 'last red terrorists'?

A botched bomb attack appears to have unraveled one of the most mysterious terrorist organizations in Europe. The Nov. 17 group had operated with impunity in Greece for 27 years; it seemed impenetrable and untraceable. But the premature detonation of a bomb last month gave police the leads they needed...

EDITORIALS

Jul 27, 2002

Some key questions skirted

Seventeen years ago, following the Lockheed payoff scandal that culminated in the arrest and indictment of former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, the Diet set up an ethics council in both chambers. In an eerie flashback to that episode, the Lower House ethics panel on Wednesday grilled former Foreign Minister...

EDITORIALS

Jul 26, 2002

Steeling for a fight with Iraq

By every indication, the United States is eager to take the fight to Iraq and expel Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from office. President George W. Bush has said he is studying every option, and the U.S. appears to be proceeding with the diplomacy needed to prepare for conflict. Mr. Hussein's departure...

EDITORIALS

Jul 25, 2002

JFA scores with new lineup

While the echoes of the 2002 World Cup are still ringing in our ears, Japanese soccer is making the first moves toward reform. At a meeting of its council and a new board of directors last Saturday, the Japan Football Association officially approved the appointment of a new executive lineup led by Mr....

EDITORIALS

Jul 24, 2002

It's now or never

The Foreign Ministry, its public image badly tarnished by a string of corruption scandals and policy blunders, is set to work out an action plan to clean up its act. The plan will be based more or less on the recommendations submitted on Monday to Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi by her advisory panel....

EDITORIALS

Jul 23, 2002

Invisible hand vs. sleight of hand

During the past few weeks, the world has rendered a verdict on U.S.-style capitalism and the results are not pretty. Markets are plunging, the dollar is shedding value against major currencies and executives have been thrown to the lions. There is a crisis of confidence in U.S. business, and rightfully...

EDITORIALS

Jul 22, 2002

A nuclear conundrum

The world is increasing its reliance on nuclear energy. For many people, that is a dangerous development. For many others, it is the only responsible choice. The truth is energy-policy decisions are becoming increasingly difficult. A national debate -- in Japan and elsewhere -- is a necessity. Ultimately,...

EDITORIALS

Jul 21, 2002

New Cabinet, old problems

South Korean President Kim Dae Jung continues to make history. This month he selected the first female prime minister, a ground-breaking move in male-dominated South Korean society. Predictably, the decision has been derided as a political gesture to shore up the government's faltering support; opposition...

EDITORIALS

Jul 20, 2002

Crucial issue in Nagano poll

Nagano Prefecture, whose assembly early this month passed a no-confidence motion against Gov. Yasuo Tanaka, is bracing for the election of a new governor. The key candidate will be Mr. Tanaka himself, who on Monday automatically lost his job but vowed to seek a fresh mandate. The key question for voters...

EDITORIALS

Jul 19, 2002

A milestone in privatization

It appears that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has come a step closer to his cherished goal of privatizing postal services -- a showcase for his structural reform plans. However, last week's Lower House vote on a postal reform package -- which effectively ensures its Diet passage by the end of this...

EDITORIALS

Jul 18, 2002

Icons with feet of clay

Icons have been having a hard time of it in America lately. There hasn't been so much toppling since the Berlin Wall came down. Just think of the scope: Catholic priests accused of pedophilic abuses and coverups; public accountants charged with complicity in all manner of corporate funny business; doctors...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.

From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

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