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August 26, 2025

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EDITORIALS

Mar 20, 2001

Explosive pressures in China

China has been hit by a series of explosions in the last week. The facts in the two cases have nothing in common, but the circumstances behind them suggest there is a link. Both blasts are the product of the mounting pressure created by economic modernization. China is under increasing strain; more such...

EDITORIALS

Mar 19, 2001

Mr. Sharon goes to work

After nearly a month of negotiations, Israel's new prime minister, Mr. Ariel Sharon, has cobbled together his "unity Cabinet." It may represent a broad spectrum of political opinion, but it is unlikely to be united for long. Once Mr. Sharon gets down to resuming peace talks with the Palestinians -- his...

EDITORIALS

Mar 18, 2001

A hole in the sky

Sometime this week, space station Mir -- the brightest star in the once mighty Soviet and Russian space program -- will flicker out. After circling the planet for 15 years, at least three times its planned life span, the massive, aging station is scheduled to finally "deorbit" on Tuesday, "give or take...

EDITORIALS

Mar 17, 2001

Go, Mr. Mori, and soon

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has apparently acknowledged what the media have been saying of late: His days are numbered. But he has left everyone guessing exactly when he will step down. One thing is certain, however: The Liberal Democratic Party will select a new leader in a presidential election later...

EDITORIALS

Mar 16, 2001

'The enemy of my enemy . . .'

That seems to be the principle guiding foreign policy in Moscow and Tehran. Those two governments have much to be dissatisfied with in international politics, and have decided that together they have a better chance of getting the rest of the world to pay attention to them. It is an alliance of convenience...

EDITORIALS

Mar 15, 2001

Making sense of the slide

The blood-letting in international stock markets continues. The U.S. Nasdaq index plunged below the 2,000 level for the first time in 27 months. The S&P 500 lopped 20 percent of its peak, officially becoming a "bear market." The U.S. free fall triggered a domino effect, pushing Asian and European markets...

EDITORIALS

Mar 14, 2001

No more secret funds

The criminal complaint filed in January by the Foreign Ministry against the former official in charge of logistics for VIP trips overseas has led to his arrest on a charge of fraud. An internal investigation has revealed that Mr. Katsutoshi Matsuo, who was fired in January for embezzlement, had swindled...

EDITORIALS

Mar 13, 2001

China's misplaced priorities

China's new defense budget, released last week, provides penetrating insight into the mind-set and priorities of the Beijing leadership at the dawn of the 21st century. It is not a particularly encouraging picture. The double-digit increases in defense spending indicate that the Chinese government sees...

EDITORIALS

Mar 11, 2001

When is a gaffe not a gaffe?

If you were to play the old word-association game with the name "Mori" today, chances are most people would instantly think "gaffe" (in Japanese, "shitsugen").

EDITORIALS

Mar 10, 2001

An untimely defense move

The government and the ruling parties are making preliminary moves toward enacting legislation designed to meet future military crises directly involving Japan. The assumption is that in the event of an armed attack from abroad, the Self-Defense Forces will be mobilized to defend the country with the...

EDITORIALS

Mar 9, 2001

Wary in Washington

South Korean President Kim Dae Jung is in Washington this week to coordinate his views with those of U.S. President George W. Bush. There is concern in Seoul that the new administration is not as firmly behind Mr. Kim as was President Bill Clinton. Initial reports from their meetings suggest the fears...

EDITORIALS

Mar 8, 2001

Protection for women in war

In a historic decision, the United Nations war-crimes tribunal in The Hague last month convicted three men in trials that focused exclusively on sexual violence against women during war. By ruling that rape can be used as an instrument of terror against women, the court sets new standards for behavior...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

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