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August 26, 2025
 

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COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2010
Unlike China, wariness marks India's ascent
By Dominique Moisi
PARIS — Some countries are naturally at ease with the concept and the reality of strategic power. Such was clearly the case of France under Louis XIV, the Sun King in the 17th century, and such is the case today of China, whose leadership is comfortable with the balance-of-power games of classical...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2010
High price for cheap yuan
By Kevin Rafferty
HONG KONG — U.S. President Barack Obama decided to back off at least from an immediate direct confrontation with China over the value of the yuan. It is a sensible decision on both economic and political counts. But there is no sign yet that policymakers and noisy troublemakers in Washington, Boston,...
EDITORIALS
Apr 21, 2010
Troubling new toll system
The Hatoyama administration April 9 announced a new expressway toll system that will take effect in June. The new system will cap per-day tolls on motorcycles and minicars at ¥1,000, standard-size cars at ¥2,000 and larger vehicles, including trucks and buses, at ¥5,000 or ¥10,000 depending on their...
EDITORIALS
Apr 21, 2010
Uphold Upper House ideals
The Upper House election is expected to be held July 11, with half of the chamber's seats up for grabs. Political parties would do well to keep in mind an ideal held by many voters: The Upper House should not operate like a second Lower House, where partisan interests take precedence over everything,...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2010
Will Syria come in from the cold?
By Kenan Mortan
ISTANBUL — Will the recent rapprochement between the United States and Syria mark a new era in Syria's international standing?
COMMENTARY
Apr 20, 2010
Methane has scent of potential
By Michael Richardson
SINGAPORE — Starting this month and extending through May, South Korea will resume exploratory drilling in waters off its east coast to find out whether a long-hidden energy resource can be turned into a new wellspring of natural gas. Other major energy users and importers, including the United States,...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 20, 2010
Nuke ban must apply to all
By Akira Kawasaki
The Obama administration's Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), released this month, has received much attention for declaring that the United States will not use nuclear weapons against nonnuclear weapon states. As an NGO representative involved in an ongoing debate between Japan and Australia over this issue,...
EDITORIALS
Apr 20, 2010
Slack air safety inexcusable
Budget carrier Skymark Airlines' failure to uphold the fundamentals of airline safety were underlined by the transport ministry. After a three-week inspection of Skymark's operations, the ministry on April 6 issued a warning, ordering it to rectify 12 safety-related problems. The airline submitted its...
EDITORIALS
Apr 20, 2010
Auto-industry forces combine
Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA of France announced a business and capital tie-up agreement with Daimler AG of Germany on April 7. In December, Suzuki Motor Corp. and Volkswagen AG of Germany struck a capital tie-up deal. The auto industry is undergoing sweeping transformation as markets in developed...
COMMENTARY
Apr 20, 2010
Between the lines of U.S. nuclear policy
By Ralph Cossa
HONOLULU — I have attended a number of discussions in recent years about U.S. nuclear weapons strategy and policy. All invariably begin with a presentation by a U.S. official or expert who proclaims that the United States, in the past decade, has significantly reduced the role and importance of nuclear...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Apr 19, 2010
Playing ends off the middle
Komeito, the third largest political party in Japan, is striving not to antagonize but to be friends with as many rival groups as possible in a determined bid to win in the Upper House election scheduled for this summer. The principal reason for pursuing this tactic, which has been described by some...
EDITORIALS
Apr 19, 2010
Addressing food self-sufficiency
The Hatoyama administration March 30 introduced a basic food, agriculture and agricultural-village program. Among other things, the program calls for raising Japan's food self-sufficiency rate from the current 41 percent to 50 percent (calculated by calories) in 10 years. This goes beyond the 45 percent...
Character-crazed Japan has little appetite for Labubu
A pop-up advertisement for the newly opened Chiikawa Park in Tokyo's Ikebukuro neighborhood demonstrates how the country is chockful of cute characters — to the detriment of trends like Labubu.
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?
Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.
JICA to designate four Japanese cities as 'hometowns' for African nations
The Japanese flag (left) with the flag of the African Union
Man arrested in Kobe stabbing had been staying at hotel near victim’s home
Masashi Tanimoto arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of a woman in Kobe, is sent to prosecutors on Sunday.
Japanese prefectures break with labor ministry on minimum wage
The ministry of labor has suggested a 6% minimum wage increase, but most prefectures reporting so far are opting to go slightly higher.
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?
Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.
Germany's first sakemaker offers a bold brew of ideas
Reigen, Germany's first sake brewery, makes a diverse, nontraditional range of sake that includes fruit-flavored sips and wine barrel-aged renditions.
Alicia Keys closed Summer Sonic, but J-pop owned it
Summer Sonic’s 2025 lineup demonstrated its strength, showcasing the latest in J-pop, including “new kawaii” act Fruits Zipper.
Is the LDP’s catch-all approach to politics still effective?
Former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi visits Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Aug. 15. Political commentator Toru Hashimoto has suggested that Takaichi ought to lead a group of like-minded hawkish politicians out of the Liberal Democratic Party and form their own party.
Fingers sore from too much phone time? You might have ‘sumaho yubi.’
A catch-all term for tendonitis and arthritis caused by excessive smartphone use, 'sumaho yubi' may be difficult to treat for gadget-crazy Japan.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

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

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