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August 25, 2025
 

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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,...
EDITORIALS
Jun 23, 2007
Iraq mission needs clarification
The Diet has passed a bill to extend by two years the July 2003 ad hoc law to deploy Self-Defense Forces in Iraq for noncombat activities. The Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito supported it, while the Democratic Party of Japan and three other opposition parties opposed it. The...
EDITORIALS
Jun 22, 2007
Water fit for drinking
Some 3.4 million people abroad die annually of diseases caused by drinking polluted water. Fortunately, drinking water in Japan is virtually free of pollution and pathogens thanks to the efforts of the 60,000 local government people employed in city water supply services.
EDITORIALS
Jun 22, 2007
Avoiding a collision
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately extended a helping hand to U.S. President George W. Bush. He let the U.S. use military bases in Central Asia when the U.S. attacked the Taliban forces in Afghanistan. But the once-friendly relations have...
EDITORIALS
Jun 21, 2007
Mysterious deal with Chongryun
Mystery still surrounds the unsuccessful attempt to buy the 10-story headquarters of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents of Japan (Chongryun) and its land. Mr. Shigetake Ogata, former head of the Public Security Intelligence Agency, which monitors Chongryun, headed an investment...
EDITORIALS
Jun 21, 2007
Relief for pollution victims
Court-mediated talks to settle damage suits filed by some 630 Tokyoites suffering from air pollution-induced asthma are nearing a final stage. In the damage suits they sought a total of 14.8 billion yen from the central government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Metropolitan Expressway Co. and...
EDITORIALS
Jun 20, 2007
Assuaging fears of being a judge
Within two years, the lay judge system will be introduced in Japan. Citizens will be able to have their opinions directly reflected in initial, lower-court trials for heinous crimes. But the system will impose new civic duties and burdens on citizens. It is imperative that the courts, the bar and the...
EDITORIALS
Jun 20, 2007
Services before profits
Japan Post Corp. has submitted a business plan to the government for a 10-year privatization process that begins Oct. 1. The company will serve as a holding company for four units: Yucho Bank, Kampo Insurance, a mail delivery firm and an over-the-counter services firm. The group will have some 241,400...
EDITORIALS
Jun 19, 2007
A lesson for Nova Corp.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has decided that Nova Corp., the nation's largest English-language school chain, violated the Specified Commercial Transaction Law and ordered it to partially suspend business. Saying that Nova committed 18 types of violations, the ministry imposed a six-month...
EDITORIALS
Jun 19, 2007
It's North Korea's move
The financial dispute that North Korea used as an excuse for not fulfilling its obligations under a six-party talks accord has reportedly been resolved. Although the North extended an invitation to a delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it must now speedily carry out the steps of the...
Japan to revise romanization rules for first time in 70 years
The Agency for Cultural Affairs is recommending replacing the government’s long-standing Kunrei system with more widely used Hepburn-style spellings.
Character-crazed Japan has little appetite for Labubu
A pop-up advertisement for the newly opened Chiikawa Park in Tokyo's Ikebukuro neighborhood demonstrates how the country is chockful of cute characters — to the detriment of trends like Labubu.
At meeting rich in symbolism, Ishiba and South Korea's Lee agree to steadily build ties
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shake hands at joint press announcement after summit talks in Tokyo on Saturday.
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?
Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.
Japan to boost support for joint ride-hailing services
Tatsuaki Igarashi, mayor of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, exits a ride-sharing vehicle at Tsukuba Station in January.
Germany's first sakemaker offers a bold brew of ideas
Reigen, Germany's first sake brewery, makes a diverse, nontraditional range of sake that includes fruit-flavored sips and wine barrel-aged renditions.
Alicia Keys closed Summer Sonic, but J-pop owned it
Summer Sonic’s 2025 lineup demonstrated its strength, showcasing the latest in J-pop, including “new kawaii” act Fruits Zipper.
Is the LDP’s catch-all approach to politics still effective?
Former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi visits Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Aug. 15. Political commentator Toru Hashimoto has suggested that Takaichi ought to lead a group of like-minded hawkish politicians out of the Liberal Democratic Party and form their own party.
Fingers sore from too much phone time? You might have ‘sumaho yubi.’
A catch-all term for tendonitis and arthritis caused by excessive smartphone use, 'sumaho yubi' may be difficult to treat for gadget-crazy Japan.
As farm minister, Koizumi is held ‘hostage’ by Ishiba
Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi (center) attends a Lower House session on Aug. 1. Locking Koizumi into the Cabinet is Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s way of turning a potential rival into a team player, according to one expert.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

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

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