More Editorials Articles - The Japan Times

Today's print edition

Subscribe for more access

EDITORIALS

Mar 13, 2002

An inconclusive testimony

Diet testimony given Monday by Liberal Democratic Party legislator Muneo Suzuki proved to be inconclusive. It failed to lift the heavy cloud of doubt hanging over his alleged abuse of power. The central question -- how he used his political clout to favor his friends in government and business -- was...

EDITORIALS

Mar 12, 2002

Japan, Russia set to resume talks

Japan and Russia are set to resume the territorial talks under a precedent-breaking formula that may lead to the phased return of the Northern Territories, the group of islands off Hokkaido that the Russians have occupied since the end of World War II. A new round is expected to begin at a vice ministerial...

EDITORIALS

Mar 11, 2002

Time to fasten the seat belt

The Lower House passage of the fiscal 2002 government budget on Wednesday represents a sort of victory for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration. The vote ensures, by virtue of a constitutional provision giving priority to Lower House budget decisions, that the 81-trillion yen package clears...

EDITORIALS

Mar 10, 2002

Filling the void in Manhattan

While he was in Washington last weekend to pick up this year's gold medal from the American Institute of Architects, Mr. Tadao Ando jumped into the debate about what should replace New York's World Trade Center towers. According to the celebrated Japanese architect, this is not a moment for celebrity...

EDITORIALS

Mar 9, 2002

The outsider joins the club

Switzerland turned its back on centuries of "splendid isolation" this week and voted to join the United Nations. The decision acknowledges the evolution within the international community since the end of the Cold War and within Switzerland itself. With its historic vote, the country can now play a more...

EDITORIALS

Mar 8, 2002

India in flames

India's postcolonial history has been built upon two sturdy pillars: tolerance and nonviolence. After the outbreak of communal violence last week, it appears that both are dangerously eroded. Clashes between Hindus and Muslims have claimed more than 500 lives and there is little prospect of a return...

EDITORIALS

Mar 7, 2002

Put paid to graft

The arrest Monday of Tokushima Prefecture Gov. Toshio Endo on bribery charges is a reminder that an old habit -- using political influence for monetary gain -- dies hard. Tokyo prosecutors say he received 8 million yen from a Tokyo-based consultancy for the role he had played in securing a public works...

EDITORIALS

Mar 6, 2002

Shady politico-bureaucratic ties

A Foreign Ministry investigation of influence-peddling by Liberal Democratic Party legislator Muneo Suzuki has revealed an appalling pattern of politico-bureaucratic collusion. A report released Monday indicates that Mr. Suzuki, a self-styled foreign policy guru, behaved like a "shadow foreign minister"...

EDITORIALS

Mar 5, 2002

The ever-widening Atlantic gap

There has long been a divergence of views between the United States and its European allies, but the distance between the two appears to be expanding. The most recent contretemps concerns expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but the roots of the dispute are more fundamental. The real...

EDITORIALS

Mar 4, 2002

Creating new demand is the key

An antideflation package put together last Thursday by the government and the Bank of Japan has disappointed everyone. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi himself has acknowledged that it includes "no quick remedies." A key policymaker in the ruling coalition has described it as a "patchwork of stopgap...

EDITORIALS

Mar 3, 2002

Cutting workers some slack

You have to give Britain credit. It may be a tired shadow of its former muscular imperial self, but it still has the energy to invent a way to put that very tiredness on the map. Last week, Britons observed their second annual National Slacker Day. (That is, they were urged to observe it; figures on...

EDITORIALS

Mar 2, 2002

Launching a human rights board

The Justice Ministry is preparing legislation to create a powerful human rights commission that would recommend corrective measures, assist in lawsuits and take other steps to help victims of discrimination, abuse and other human rights violations. The government, which plans to send a related bill to...

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

international-reports