More Opinion Articles - The Japan Times

August 05, 2025

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EDITORIALS

Aug 17, 2004

No need for gloom over economy

Japan's current economy can be likened to a patient nearly recovering from illness: He is allowed to go outside the hospital when weather permits, but he is confined to bed again to rest if he is exposed to cold air and feels poorly.

EDITORIALS

Aug 16, 2004

North Korea must move first

It is deeply disappointing that last week's working-level talks in Beijing between Japan and North Korea produced no substantial progress on the question of whether Japanese abductees remain in North Korea. Pyongyang should reverse its backward-looking attitude and sincerely work to settle this issue....

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 16, 2004

State debt no boon for financial markets

By Christopher Lingle

PRAGUE -- There is a palpable schizophrenia concerning public-sector debt. On one hand, a high proportion of public-sector debt relative to gross domestic product is seen as a warning sign that a country is suffering from macroeconomic imbalances. Similarly, a high ratio of government debt to total debt...

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 16, 2004

Challenging Canberra's march to war

By Ramesh Thakur

On Aug. 8, a group of 43 former top Australian officials -- department heads in foreign affairs and defense, military chiefs, ambassadors -- published an open letter calling for "truth in government." This was without precedent in Australia, although it follows earlier British and American examples....

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 16, 2004

Sun rapidly setting on German paradise

By Michael R. Czinkota

WASHINGTON -- My summertime in Germany with family and friends gave me the warmth and many pleasures of the visitor. On the level of the economy, unfortunately, my visit provided me with the pains of the outside spectator who sees things unfold with the distinct impression that the prognosis is not good....

EDITORIALS

Aug 15, 2004

From Russia with impact

The price of oil on the futures market of the New York Mercantile Exchange, which usually serves as an indicator of international oil prices, has been revisiting all-time highs above $43 per barrel since the beginning of this month. The rise has been caused by concern that the Russian oil giant Yukos...

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW

Aug 15, 2004

Life in a Russian namesake

By Constantine Pleshakov

MOSCOW -- To be a namesake of a celebrity is a curse. A person who bears the same name as a baseball star or a TV anchorman invariably finds himself a target of countless unkind comments that demean his intellect, looks and savings account, and even make fun of the car he drives. No matter how hard he...

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 14, 2004

Rowdy Chinese fans raise some Olympic-size questions

By Richard Halloran

HONOLULU -- Nasty outbursts against a Japanese sports team in China have raised worrisome questions about Beijing's fitness to host the 2008 Olympic Games, which China's rulers intend to be a showcase for the progress of their nation, much as the Games were for Japan in 1964 and for South Korea in 1988....

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 14, 2004

Rape now taking the form of genocide

By Cesar Chelala

NEW YORK -- Although rape as a weapon of war has existed for as long as war itself, it is taking a particularly heavy toll on women's lives in today's conflicts around the world. A high proportion of the women who are victims of rape end up infected with sexually transmitted diseases and infections,...

EDITORIALS

Aug 14, 2004

Casting a wider net against crime

The rising wave of international crime is making it necessary to promote international cooperation in criminal investigations. As a step in this direction, Japan and South Korea have agreed to begin preparatory work on a bilateral treaty that will enable their law-enforcement authorities to conduct joint...

EDITORIALS

Aug 13, 2004

Ready for the Olympics?

The Summer Olympics are back! With the 28th Games opened in Athens on Friday night, people everywhere -- Japan included -- are experiencing that familiar little buzz of ambivalence. Enthusiasm on the one hand, ennui on the other: Yes, it is possible to feel these conflicting emotions at once. The Olympics,...

COMMENTARY

Aug 13, 2004

An uphill battle for women

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON -- Morgan Stanley last month agreed to a $54 million out-of-court settlement to ensure that serious allegations of sexual discrimination against it did not come to trial in the United States. The bank proclaimed its innocence, but if it really had nothing to hide, why didn't it let the evidence...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.

With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear

By Jason Coskrey

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

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