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EDITORIALS

Aug 7, 2005

A way to preempt labor disputes

I n recent years, labor disputes involving individual workers, particularly with regard to layoffs and wages, have increased rapidly in Japan. In the background are sweeping changes in the employment situation, as illustrated by sharp rises in the number of temporary and part-time workers. Current labor-related...

EDITORIALS

Aug 6, 2005

An excuse for nuclear weapons

Sixty years ago, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, followed by one on Nagasaki three days later. The killing and injuring of hundreds of thousands of people ushered in an age that threatened nuclear annihilation. Since the East-West confrontation ended 15 years ago, the world has tended...

EDITORIALS

Aug 5, 2005

Safeguards for a DNA database

The National Police Agency has been implementing a phased plan to construct a database of DNA patterns of suspects and convicted criminals to facilitate criminal investigations. DNA patterns, also called DNA fingerprints, can identify individuals almost as accurately as real fingerprints. A 2002 Interpol...

EDITORIALS

Aug 4, 2005

Death sparks crisis in Sudan

The death of Mr. John Garang, who led Sudan's southern rebels for two decades, risks destabilizing that country. Mr. Garang's decision to make peace with the Khartoum government ended a bloody civil war that had claimed more than 2 million lives. The peace that he negotiated must outlive him.

EDITORIALS

Aug 4, 2005

Saudi Arabia's challenge

The death of Saudi Arabia's King Fahd marks the end of an era for the desert kingdom. The king's life encompassed his country's transition from a collection of nomadic tribes who lived atop the world's greatest petroleum reserves to a modern society whose alliance with the West created intense internal...

EDITORIALS

Aug 3, 2005

Flawed crime bill threatens rights

The government has reportedly given up a plan to have the Diet enact within the current session a bill to enable Japan to join a multilateral treaty to combat international organized crime, but it intends to introduce it again in the next Diet session. The bill carries a danger of undermining a national...

EDITORIALS

Aug 2, 2005

Iraqis draft a constitution

Iraq has a "road map" to normalcy. The first step was the withdrawal of the occupation government, which occurred a little over a year ago. The second major step was the national elections that were held in January. Despite protests by some Sunnis, the vote was largely a success. The third big step is...

EDITORIALS

Aug 1, 2005

Historic step for Northern Ireland

The Irish Republican Army has finally done what its critics have long demanded. Last week it formally announced that it was ending its armed campaign to free Northern Ireland from British rule. If carried out, this would, says British Prime Minister Tony Blair, constitute "a step of unparalleled magnitude"...

EDITORIALS

Jul 31, 2005

Rescue from property sharks

Fraudulent and malicious sales methods victimizing innocent people have become a social issue. In a typical case, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested four former salesmen last month on suspicion of having cajoled or pressured some 5,400 people in 34 prefectures into signing contracts for...

EDITORIALS

Jul 30, 2005

Hopes for peace in Aceh

The government of Indonesia and Acehnese rebels have agreed on a peace plan that could end three decades of fighting that has devastated that province. Signing the accord is only a step forward, however: Previous agreements have come apart under the pressure of mutual suspicion and competition for control...

EDITORIALS

Jul 29, 2005

ASEAN is let off the hook

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has dodged a bullet. Myanmar's decision to give up its turn as chairman of the group in 2006 saves ASEAN from international embarrassment. Myanmar's status as a pariah state threatened to seriously hurt ASEAN as its dialogue partners vowed to avoid the group...

EDITORIALS

Jul 28, 2005

End run around civilian control

The Diet last week passed a revision of the Self- Defense Forces Law to identify actions Japan would take if faced with an imminent ballistic missile attack. This simplification of the command procedure for firing interceptor missiles, however, poses several questions, especially regarding the issue...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.

A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan

By Hanako Lowry

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