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EDITORIALS

Dec 9, 2006

A change of direction in Iraq?

The long-awaited report of the Iraq Study Group was released Wednesday and it paints a grim picture of that war-torn country. The candor is refreshing; no policy can succeed if it is not based on reality. Not surprisingly, the conclusions constitute a fundamental revision of U.S. policy. But signals...

EDITORIALS

Dec 8, 2006

Mr. Chen faces more difficulties

Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has dodged yet another bullet. Unlike the failed assassination attempt during his last election campaign, this attack was metaphorical. His party defeated an impeachment vote in Taiwan's legislature, virtually ensuring that Mr. Chen will serve out his second four-year...

EDITORIALS

Dec 7, 2006

Syria in the middle

It has become increasingly clear that Syria plays a pivotal role in Middle East politics. It has influence over -- some say control of -- Lebanese politics, and its support for insurgents -- "freedom fighters" is Damascus' preferred term -- elsewhere in the region makes it a key interlocutor when trying...

EDITORIALS

Dec 6, 2006

More help for crime suspects

As Nihon Shiho Shien Senta (Japan Legal Support Center) started its service in October (dial 0570-078374 in Japanese or English), so did a new system of court-appointed lawyers for criminal defendants who cannot afford to hire lawyers. Now not only defendants indicted in serious crimes such as murder...

EDITORIALS

Dec 6, 2006

Pre-empting official corruption

It seems the longer that one stays in power, the more likely he is to become corrupted. Former Gov. Eisaku Sato of Fukushima Prefecture was arrested in October -- shortly after his resignation on suspicion of receiving a bribe from a contractor in a prefectural dam project -- 18 years after he was first...

EDITORIALS

Dec 5, 2006

Upgrading SDF's overseas activities

Bills to upgrade the Defense Agency to a ministry and revise the Self-Defense Forces Law are likely to be enacted in the current Diet session. The revisions could change the character of the SDF, which has operated under a strict "defense only" policy. Inasmuch as they are closely related to the workings...

EDITORIALS

Dec 4, 2006

Death of a dissident

The mysterious death of Alexander Litvinenko throws a harsh spotlight on the Russian secret services. The controversy has engulfed Russian President Vladimir Putin, forcing him to publicly deny any involvement in the killing. That's probably true: Mr. Putin loses far more than he gains from this incident....

EDITORIALS

Dec 3, 2006

Japan takes a stand on its cuisine

If the government did one thing right recently, it was to send a stern message to the world that whatever a California roll is, it isn't Japanese food. Neither is the "Texas roll," with its strips of beef and spinach leaves, or that leaden travesty, the "Philadelphia roll," stuffed with smoked salmon,...

EDITORIALS

Dec 2, 2006

Bringing an end to bullying

The Education Resuscitation Council's call for efforts to stamp out bullying at school and measures to cope with bullying-related problems shows that the government is serious about the problem. But both the government and the public must realize that bullying is so difficult a problem that it will not...

EDITORIALS

Dec 2, 2006

The call of Antarctica

On Nov. 8, 1956, the icebreaker Soya, a ship of 1937 vintage originally built in Nagasaki Prefecture as the Soviet cargo ship Volochaevets, left Tokyo Port carrying Japan's first scientific expedition to Antarctica. Last week, the 48th Antarctic expedition left Narita airport to catch up with the icebreaker...

EDITORIALS

Dec 1, 2006

Peace at the top of the world

Citizens of Nepal have been rejoicing since their political leaders agreed to a peace deal that ended 10 years of bitter and bloody civil war. The accord lays the foundation for a durable peace in Nepal, but much depends -- as always -- on its implementation. Two other factors will also have a profound...

EDITORIALS

Nov 30, 2006

Flush times for banks

The aggregated net profits of the nation's six major banking groups have reached a record 1.73 trillion yen for the April-September half-year period, with four of the groups realizing record profits. A special factor contributed to the soaring profits. Brighter business performances among their borrowers...

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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