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EDITORIALS

Jun 30, 2007

A new era for Britain

In physical terms, Mr. Gordon Brown has not gone far this week: He moved his office one door down, from No. 11 to No. 10 on Downing Street in London. He did not even have to move his family, which already lives at the private quarters at No. 10. But the change in jobs from chancellor of the Exchequer...

EDITORIALS

Jun 29, 2007

Jockeying for a favorable impression

The successful push by the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito to extend the Diet session by 12 days to July 5 appears to represent a partisan move to change the political situation in the coalition's favor. This is the ninth extension of a regular Diet session held before a scheduled...

EDITORIALS

Jun 29, 2007

Insult to meat consumers

The product mislabeling scandal at Meat Hope Co. in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, will deepen consumer distrust of food manufacturers. Police must carry out a thorough investigation. The company not only misled consumers about product content but also carried out practices that compromised product safety. Both...

EDITORIALS

Jun 28, 2007

A bid to shake up U.S. politics

There is still a year and a half before the next U.S. presidential election, but campaigning is already intense. Even though there is no shortage of candidates from the two main parties, attention is now focusing on an as-yet undeclared candidate who may run as an independent. His denials notwithstanding,...

EDITORIALS

Jun 27, 2007

Reality check for Mr. Sarkozy

Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy's coattails are shorter than anticipated. As expected, his Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) won a parliamentary majority in national elections this month, but not the landslide that the new French president had hoped for to push through his aggressive program for change. Mr. Sarkozy...

EDITORIALS

Jun 27, 2007

Spas need safety regulations

The explosion at an annex of a women-only spa located 500 meters from Tokyo's Shibuya Station, which killed three women and injured eight people, has taught many Tokyoites something: Drill deep enough underground in Tokyo and you'll likely strike hot water containing methane gas. That's because the city...

EDITORIALS

Jun 26, 2007

Low number of organ transplants

Ten years have passed since the Organ Transplantation Law was enacted, allowing organ transplants from brain-dead people. So far there have been only 56 of these organ transplants. The latest was carried out on June 14 and 15, using the heart, pancreas and kidneys from a woman in her 50s. The small number...

EDITORIALS

Jun 26, 2007

Living as if there were no risks

The government's fiscal 2007 white paper on disaster prevention notes recent changes in patterns of natural disasters. It cites the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's prediction that global warming will lead to more episodes of heavy rain and more intense tropical cyclones. In 1997-2006, Japan...

EDITORIALS

Jun 25, 2007

Hazy fiscal reform plan

The government has approved an economic and fiscal reform plan for 2007 that will serve as the basis for compiling the fiscal 2008 budget. It encompasses a variety of policy measures that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration thinks are necessary to ensure both economic growth and financial reconstruction....

EDITORIALS

Jun 25, 2007

A people divided

The takeover of Gaza by Hamas following five days of intense fighting with its rival faction Fatah has deepened a division among Palestinians and moved them farther from peace. The realization of a two-state solution — an independent Palestinian state comprising the West Bank and Gaza, alongside Israel...

EDITORIALS

Jun 24, 2007

The new Silk Road

Over the past several years, institutes, programs and projects have been steadily rebuilding one of humankind's most amazing wonders — the Silk Road. As the disparate pieces of the Trans-Asian Railway and Asian Highway gradually start to link up, Japan should ensure that it is not left out of the developments....

EDITORIALS

Jun 23, 2007

Education reform for what?

The ruling coalition has passed through the Diet three education-related bills regarded by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as most important. But the bills will result only in more state control of education, imposition of the government's own interpretation of the nation's history and culture on students,...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.

What comes after 100?

By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

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