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May 19, 2025
 

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EDITORIALS
Jun 3, 2009
Now what's good for GM?
General Motors Corp. symbolized U.S. prosperity in the postwar period. Its weight in the U.S. economy was summed up by the phase "What's good for General Motors is good for America" — attributed to a 1953 statement by GM's Chairman and CEO Charles Wilson.
EDITORIALS
Jun 2, 2009
Mr. Aso's faltering credibility
The credibility of Prime Minister Taro Aso as the nation's top leader has slipped another notch after he flip-flopped again — this time about whether to split up the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
EDITORIALS
Jun 2, 2009
More attention to agriculture
In the midst of a severe economic downturn, attention tends to focus on how to strengthen the nation's industrial sector. But attention also should be paid to agricultural policies. Agricultural administration is directly related to food safety and agricultural development can not only increase employment...
EDITORIALS
Jun 1, 2009
The governors' governor
Gov. Wataru Aso of Fukuoka Prefecture has been elected to a third two-year term as head of the National Governors' Association, at a time when the nation is suffering from a deep economic downturn and is in the grip of a new influenza virus. In combating these and other problems, the head of the nation's...
EDITORIALS
Jun 1, 2009
Effective control of child porn
There seems little chance that a law that protects children under 18 years old against sexual exploitation will be revised during the current Diet session. Both the ruling and opposition camps should strive to reach a compromise to improve the control of child pornography, since both camps have agreed...
EDITORIALS
May 31, 2009
Cleaning up Kanji testing
Kyoto public prosecutors have arrested Mr. Noboru Okubo and his eldest son Hiroshi, the respective former chief and deputy chief director of the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, on suspicion of causing a loss of ¥260 million to a public-interest corporation through shady deals with companies...
EDITORIALS
May 31, 2009
Creation of a consumer agency
By a unanimous vote, the Upper House of the Diet has enacted bills to create a government agency to promote consumers' rights. A consumer agency is likely to be established by this fall at the earliest. The agency should strive to realize the ideal of former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who in April...
EDITORIALS
May 30, 2009
End of 'hereditary lawmakers'?
Those who "inherit" campaign machines, political funds and electoral districts from a close relative are dubbed "hereditary lawmakers." While the practice has been going on for years, it now has become a red-hot issue.
EDITORIALS
May 30, 2009
Pyongyang strutting
The provocations and rhetoric from North Korea are escalating. On Monday, the same day it carried out its second nuclear test, it fired two short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan. The next day it launched three more short-range missiles. There is a report that it has restarted reprocessing nuclear...
EDITORIALS
May 29, 2009
Bring on more debates
Prime Minister Taro Aso and the Democratic Party of Japan leader Yukio Hatoyama held their first one-on-one Diet debate Wednesday. Surprisingly this is only the second time that top leaders of the ruling and opposition camps have debated this way since Mr. Aso came to power in September 2008. Mr. Ichiro...
EDITORIALS
May 29, 2009
Past the economic free fall
For the first time since February 2006, the Cabinet Office, in its monthly economic report for May, upgraded its overall assessment of the economy. The Bank of Japan also raised its assessment of the economy for the first time in two years and 10 months. BOJ Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa said the economy has...
EDITORIALS
May 28, 2009
Deciphering Iran
Tragedy often results when individual lives are caught up in great power politics. When state interests are placed on the scale, individuals are invariably overwhelmed — at best they are pawns in bigger games. It is not yet clear how journalist Roxana Saberi fits into the larger mosaic of U.S.-Iran...
Nissan to solicit early retirements while eyeing plant closures in Japan
Nissan's Oppama plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, may be closed as part of the struggling carmaker's streamlining efforts.
Australian firm produces heavy rare earth, in first outside China
The Lynas Rare Earths processing plant in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Police arrest Chinese man in Saitama hit-and-run case
Police questioned a man who turned himself in as he closely resembled the driver recorded on the dashcam of another vehicle that happened to pass by the scene of a hit-and-run incident in Saitama Prefecture.
Wholesalers may be behind elevated retail rice prices
Wholesalers added ¥7,593 on average to their selling prices for stockpiled rice, far more than the ¥2,206 to ¥4,689 added for the 2022 rice.
Success of Chinese-made fighter jets against India raises alarm in Asia
Chinese J-10 fighter jets from the People's Liberation Army Air Force August 1st Aerobatics Team perform during a media demonstration at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, in November 2015.
In Nintendo’s backyard, foreign indie game devs are thriving
Kyoto's gaming landscape is dominated by Nintendo's headquarters, but a contingent of foreign-born indie developers is also working in the gaming giant's shadow.
Akazawa's dilemma: no tariff deal or a half-baked deal
Chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa and his delegation in the Oval Office of the White House in April. Since then, Japan's trade negotiations with the U.S. have produced no tangible results.
Nissan hoping to electrify home crowd as Formula E returns to Tokyo
Nissan's Oliver Rowland drives during qualifying for Miami E-Prix at Homestead Motor Speedway in Homestead, Florida, on April 12.
For his first feature film, director Ryuya Suzuki created a masterpiece
"Jinsei," which follows its protagonist over a century, probes themes of identity and societal issues with a dark comic touch. The director, however, says he created the story without knowing where it would lead.
Historian Rob Fitts discovers earliest ever reference to baseball in Japan
Japan's Shohei Ohtani carries the Japanese flag onto the field before the start of the World Baseball Classic final against the United States in Miami on March 21, 2023.

Podcast

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

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What comes after 100?
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