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EDITORIALS

Dec 30, 1999

A marker in the river

Amid the rising din of millennium-inspired commentary, a single remark floated free recently, then fluttered down to lodge quietly in the mind. It didn't come from a pundit looking to say something portentous. It came from the British pop-music composer turned classicist Joe Jackson, introducing his...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 30, 1999

Seafood contamination scare overblown

By Milton Freeman

Special to The Japan Times Recently, concern has been expressed in Japan about the contaminants found in whales and other marine mammals. It has been reported that contaminant levels are dangerously high and the government should take steps to reduce the risk to consumers' health. It may be helpful to...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 30, 1999

Russia's Jewish homeland: a Stalinist experiment in social engineering lingers on

By Russell Working

BIROBIDZHAN, RUSSIA -- Mikhail Kul was a soldier in the Soviet Army that helped defeat Germany in 1945, but he returned home to find that the Holocaust had emptied his Ukrainian village of most of its inhabitants.

EDITORIALS

Dec 28, 1999

Confusion, as usual, in 1999

This has been a year of extremes. It began with the sad spectacle of the U.S. president's sexual escapades and verbal gymnastics exposed to international ridicule, and draws to a close under the shadow of millennial terrorism and computer-induced chaos. There were long-anticipated moments of peace, and...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 28, 1999

Happy in the Gucci nation

By Ronald Morse

What kind of country will Japan be in the 21st century? The millennial forecast is in and it looks like this: Japan's cultural elite is quickly converging around the notion that Japan should be the first boutique state of the 21st century -- distinctive, well designed and expensive.

EDITORIALS

Dec 26, 1999

Justice on the ropes

If crimes against humanity are to be deterred, those that contemplate committing them must know that they will be punished for their misdeeds. The establishment of the International Criminal Court is an important step toward that end, but its effectiveness depends on governments having the political...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 26, 1999

Upbeat ending to 20th century

By Andre Fontaine

PARIS -- A number of problems continue to darken the world as it prepares for a new century and a new millennium: chronic warfare in Afghanistan, Africa and Columbia; widespread terrorism; a stalemate in Kosovo; fear over the plans of "rogue states" such as North Korea, Iraq and Iran; the refusal of...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 26, 1999

Causes of Tokai disaster not so simple

By Glyn Ford

In November, I visited JCO Co.'s nuclear fuel-processing plant -- a subsidiary of Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. -- where Sept. 30 a level-5 nuclear incident took place. The plant is located 110 km from Tokyo in the small town of Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture. The plant is in an area that is a blend of residences...

EDITORIALS

Dec 23, 1999

Nuclear program under fire

Japan's nuclear power program is at a critical moment. Earlier this week, Mr. Hisashi Ouchi died as a result of exposure to massive doses of radiation during an accident three months ago at the Tokaimura uranium processing facility. He is the first Japanese to die in a nuclear accident. That tragedy...

EDITORIALS

Dec 22, 1999

The Kremlin wins, for now

Russia's parliamentary elections, held last weekend, were a victory for the government. Pro-Kremlin parties appear -- and the qualifier is important -- to have won a commanding share of seats in the 450-member Duma. The immediate benefactors of the vote are President Boris Yeltsin and his prime minister,...

COMMENTARY

Dec 22, 1999

Popularity of cults reflects Japan's gaping spiritual void

By Ryuichiro Hosokawa

Why are increasing numbers of Japanese now turning to new religions? Because Japanese today feel they have nothing to fall back on. Even those who do not embrace new religions feel this way. That is why new religions continue to spring forth like mushrooms.

COMMENTARY

Dec 21, 1999

India's future prosperity lies with IT

By David Howell

NEW DELHI and LONDON -- The image of India that too many people still have in their minds is one of teeming millions, timeless customs, monstrous poverty and a giant, sluggish economy.

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

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

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