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May 17, 2025
 

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EDITORIALS
May 5, 2008
Raise journalistic ethics
In November 2007, a Kyoto psychiatrist was prosecuted for leaking investigative materials to a journalist concerning a 17-year-old boy who was tried in family court in connection with a fire that killed his stepmother and two siblings. But the freelance journalist, who published a book using the leaked...
EDITORIALS
May 4, 2008
Thou shalt not steal . . . books
On the surface, Japan appears to be a relatively crime-free and comparatively safe society. One crime, though, is on the rise — shoplifting. A recent survey by the Japan Book Publishers Association for Information Infrastructure Development found that nearly ¥4 billion in books are stolen every year,...
EDITORIALS
May 3, 2008
Not the time for higher rates
The Bank of Japan made public its "Outlook for Economic Activity and Prices" this week. It shows that current Japanese and global economic conditions do not allow BOJ Gov. Mr. Masaaki Shirakawa, who became the central banker April 9, to follow a course of pressing for higher interest rates — as his...
EDITORIALS
May 3, 2008
Judicial independence infringed
Documents unearthed at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration show that the United States exerted pressure on Japan after a district court made a historically famous 1959 ruling that the U.S. military presence in Japan violated principles of the war-renouncing Constitution. The pressure...
EDITORIALS
May 2, 2008
Going back to school online
As the new school year started this April, one change in education stood out. Some universities in Japan have started to offer lectures over the Internet, on their Web sites, for free!
EDITORIALS
May 2, 2008
Constructive solution needed
The ruling bloc has re-enacted a tax code bill to restore gasoline and other road-related tax surcharges by voting it in a second time with a two-thirds majority in the Lower House — a procedure provided by the Constitution. This is the first time in 56 years that such a revote was taken. The timing,...
EDITORIALS
May 1, 2008
Mr. Berlusconi's return
Italian voters are hoping that it will be third time lucky for Mr. Silvio Berlusconi. In fact, the Italian media magnate, one of the world's richest men, is almost always lucky. The real question is whether Mr. Berlusconi's third term as prime minister of Italy will be good for his country. Sadly, there...
EDITORIALS
Apr 30, 2008
DPJ victory in Yamaguchi
The victory of a candidate of the Democratic Party of Japan over a candidate of the Liberal Democratic Party in Sunday's Lower House by-election in the Yamaguchi No. 2 constituency has raised a question mark over Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's political leadership. The DPJ candidate trounced the LDP candidate...
EDITORIALS
Apr 30, 2008
Meeting in Moscow
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and President-elect Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow over the weekend. Mr. Fukuda tried to establish a good rapport both with Mr. Putin, who will step down soon but is expected to wield power as the next prime minister, and Mr. Medvedev,...
EDITORIALS
Apr 28, 2008
Poor prospects for education
The Central Council for Education has made public a basic plan for the promotion of education. It comprises 20 goals for the coming 10 years and 75 policy measures for the next five years. The goals include enhancing the quality of public education, establishing education and research centers of the...
EDITORIALS
Apr 28, 2008
U.S. must solve beef problem
On April 23, a spinal column, a part of the cow that is banned from import because it is considered at risk of spreading mad cow disease, was found in a shipment of beef from the United States. Though this violated a beef trade accord between Japan and the U.S., Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura...
EDITORIALS
Apr 27, 2008
Ruling restricts free speech
The Supreme Court's Second Petit Bench on April 11 found three antiwar activists guilty of trespassing when they entered a housing compound of the Self-Defense Forces in Tachikawa, Tokyo, in January and February 2004 to distribute leaflets urging SDF personnel and their family members to oppose the deployment...
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.
Rich Japanese still fear yen crash, wealth manager says
The yen slumped more than 2% on Monday alone, nearing ¥150 to the dollar, after the U.S. and China temporarily lowered tariffs, triggering a reversal of bearish dollar bets.
Japan to recognize Taiwan as place of origin in family registration system
Masataka Yuhara, secretary-general of the Friends of Lee Teng Hui Association in Japan, which has been calling for "Taiwan" to be permitted as a place of origin in family registers.
Irresponsible climbing prompts debate over who should pay for Mount Fuji rescues
Mount Fuji fills the skyline above a bridge connecting stores at a popular outlet shopping center in the city of Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in November 2024.
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.
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.
Japanese retailers turn to California rice for cheaper alternative
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass eats California rice at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday along with Mitsuko Tsuchiya, vice president of retailer Aeon.

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