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EDITORIALS

Sep 13, 2006

Rebels return to haunt LDP

An aftereffect of the legislative battle over postal service privatization a year ago now vexes the Liberal Democratic Party leadership. It is how to treat Diet members who rebelled against the party by voting against the privatization bills.

EDITORIALS

Sep 13, 2006

MSDF must run a tighter ship

On the evening of Sept. 5, the Vulcan 20 mm machine gun on a Maritime Self-Defense Force high-speed missile boat was accidentally fired at the Ominato base in Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture. At least one of the 10 rounds hit a tree a mere 12 meters from a house. Only through sheer good luck were injuries or...

EDITORIALS

Sep 12, 2006

War on terror side effects

Five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the global war on terror initiated by the world's only superpower is still in a dark tunnel, and no ray of hope has yet appeared. In October that year, the U.S. started war in Afghanistan to put down Taliban Islamic fundamentalists....

EDITORIALS

Sep 10, 2006

Tears for the Crocodile Hunter

The curious phrase "crocodile tears" might need redefining in the wake of the death of Australia's famed "Crocodile Hunter," Steve Irwin. Shakespeare coined the term, an allusion to the Romans' belief that crocodiles weep as they eat their prey, to describe an insincere display of grief, false tears....

EDITORIALS

Sep 9, 2006

Mr. Horie gets his day in court

Mr. Takafumi Horie, once the high-flying president of the Internet service firm Livedoor Co., who was known for his T-shirt-and-slacks attire, appeared in public this week in a suit and tie. This time he was in Tokyo District Court charged with violating the securities law. Reflecting not only public...

EDITORIALS

Sep 9, 2006

Maintain fiscal discipline

With the passing of the deadline for budgetary requests from government ministries and agencies, work to compile the fiscal 2007 budget is now in full swing. The new budget is important because it will be the first under the government's program calling for spending cuts of 11.4 trillion yen to 14.3...

EDITORIALS

Sep 8, 2006

Japan joins the Great Game

Acentury ago, Russia and Britain contested for influence in Central Asia in a competition known as the Great Game. One hundred years later, Central Asia remains a vitally important region, and the governments fighting for influence have increased, and now include Japan.

EDITORIALS

Sep 7, 2006

Congratulations to the Imperial Family

Princess Kiko, the wife of Prince Akishino, the second son of the Emperor and Empress, has given birth to a baby boy. We congratulate the couple, the Emperor and Empress and the entire Imperial family on the birth of the boy, who is third in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne after the Crown Prince and...

EDITORIALS

Sep 7, 2006

Companies and parents, be vigilant

Injuries and deaths caused by appliances for daily home use have made headlines in recent weeks. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry may have had lapses in its efforts to prevent such accidents. Successive disclosures of such incidents must have made both the ministry and manufacturers conscious...

EDITORIALS

Sep 6, 2006

Kurds put the fear in Turkey

Kurdish militants have launched a campaign to "turn Turkey into hell." A series of bombings by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (KFF) is part of a larger campaign to secure more autonomy from the Turkish government and the eventual creation of an independent Kurdish state. That ambition is not only opposed...

EDITORIALS

Sep 5, 2006

What is expected of Mr. Abe

With Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe's formal announcement of candidacy in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election, the tripartite race between Mr. Abe, Foreign Minister Taro Aso and Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki has heated up. Given Mr. Abe's great popularity, it is likely...

EDITORIALS

Sep 4, 2006

Divisive changes in U.S.-ROK accord

Big changes are afoot in the military alliance between the United States and South Korea. The two governments have agreed to transfer operational control of the South Korean military in the event of a war to a South Korean general. South Koreans are deeply divided about the wisdom of this move.

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

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

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