More Editorials Articles - The Japan Times

Today's print edition

Subscribe for more access

EDITORIALS

Feb 9, 2001

A mixed outlook for North Korea

North Korea, hit hard by unprecedented power shortages, is seeking emergency supplies from South Korea. Officials from the two nations are expected to conclude three days of talks in Pyongyang today after agreeing on needed arrangements. Visitors to the North say factories are running at just 20 percent...

EDITORIALS

Feb 8, 2001

Fear is the winner in Israel

Israelis have elected a new prime minister. Likud Party leader Ariel Sharon has trounced Prime Minister Ehud Barak in a historic vote. The results cap a stunning comeback for Mr. Sharon, who was written out of Israeli politics after the 1982 invasion of Lebanon which he masterminded. The results also...

EDITORIALS

Feb 7, 2001

Averting tragedy in the sky

One week after a frightening near miss between two Japan Airlines jetliners over Yaezu in Shizuoka Prefecture, it seems almost certain that the near midair collision was caused by a combination of human errors. While investigators have yet to reach a conclusion, two human factors -- incorrect instructions...

EDITORIALS

Feb 6, 2001

Reaching out to problem children

School teachers throughout the country recently held brainstorming sessions as part of a voluntary effort to promote educational reform. Reports and discussions at those meetings, attended by members of the Japan Teachers Union (Nikkyoso) and the National Teachers Union (Zenkyo), reinforced the perception...

EDITORIALS

Feb 5, 2001

Save Ariake Sea before it dies

Yet another possible man-made disruption of nature has been reported from Kyushu's Ariake Sea. This major nori (seaweed) cultivation area appears all but dead. Not only has output dropped sharply, the plant has also discolored. The abnormal growth of phytoplankton has created a serious shortage of nutrients...

EDITORIALS

Feb 4, 2001

Ginger, the new IT girl

Among the many things for which whiz-bang American inventor Dean Kamen is famous is an automated wheelchair that can ride over uneven ground and climb stairs. That particular breakthrough device was code-named "Fred." Now, as everyone this side of the grave must have heard, there is also "Ginger." Some...

EDITORIALS

Feb 3, 2001

Justice delayed or justice denied?

Thirteen years after Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people, a decision has been rendered. Three Scottish judges in a court in the Netherlands sentenced Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi to life imprisonment for the bombing. His codefendant, Mr. Lamen Khalifa Fahimah, was acquitted....

EDITORIALS

Feb 2, 2001

Mr. Mori's vision fails to inspire

In a policy speech at the opening of this year's regular Diet session on Wednesday, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori took great pains to win over a skeptical public. It was his first formal address to the Parliament since he took office last April. It was also the third longest such speech ever, perhaps reflecting...

EDITORIALS

Feb 1, 2001

And the restructuring begins

There are two ways to look at this week's announcement that DaimlerChrysler is retrenching operations and laying off 20 percent of its workforce by 2002. On the one hand, it is another move by an auto manufacturer that has had trouble responding to a rapidly changing market. On the other, it reflects...

EDITORIALS

Jan 31, 2001

Gujarat digs out of the rubble

The death toll from the earthquake that hit the western Indian state of Gujarat last Friday continues to mount. Officially, 6,287 people have been confirmed dead as a result of the tremor that registered 7.9 on the Richter scale, and 15,481 were injured. About a half-million people have been left homeless....

EDITORIALS

Jan 30, 2001

The view from Davos

The pompous and the powerful are wrapping up their annual get-together in Davos, the Swiss alpine village made famous in recent years by the World Economic Forum. This year, there were as many police and security officials as attendees, an indication of the real dangers that threaten the global economy....

EDITORIALS

Jan 29, 2001

Prepare for the unexpected, Mr. Bush

While it is early days yet for the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, the broad outlines of his foreign policy are becoming clear. His statements during the campaign hinted at a departure from traditional U.S. policies, and they caused some alarm among America's allies. Mr. Bush's foreign-policy...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.

If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami

By Alex K.T. Martin

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