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August 01, 2025

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COMMENTARY

Apr 4, 2004

Taiwan invasion scenario not so unlikely

By Tom Plate

HONG KONG -- It's unimaginable that China would ever go to war against Taiwan, right? Until recently, that's what I thought.

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 4, 2004

Chance to pick up and move

By Michael R. Czinkota

WASHINGTON -- On May 1, the European Union will grow by 10 new members, mostly from Eastern Europe. In public, the optimism is great as is the gloating at overtaking the United States in population, gross domestic product and currency strength. In private conversations, however, there is great fear of...

EDITORIALS

Apr 3, 2004

Nurturing the sprouts of recovery

Japan's economic recovery, supported chiefly by large, export-oriented manufacturers, is spreading to other sectors, according to the Bank of Japan's quarterly survey on business sentiment. However, it is premature to conclude that the economy is headed for a self-sustaining recovery led by domestic...

EDITORIALS

Apr 2, 2004

Lessons from the Okamoto case

The Tokyo High Court earlier this week rejected a U.S. request to extradite a medical researcher to face charges of industrial espionage in the United States. The court ruled that Mr. Takashi Okamoto, a former employee of the Japanese government-affiliated Institute of Physical and Chemical Research,...

COMMENTARY

Apr 2, 2004

Musharraf gambles in war on terrorists

By Farhan Bokhari

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's decision to send thousands of troops to the remote northern tribal regions marks a fundamental shift in government policy. For decades, the regions have been closed to the outside world, ruled by local leaders who have defied the efforts of the central government to expand its...

COMMENTARY

Apr 2, 2004

Bush bears burden of proof

By Doug Bandow

WASHINGTON -- The ever nastier Washington fight between former counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke and manifold Bush officials has taken on a "he said/she said" quality. It's hard to know who to believe. But having routinely undercut his credibility elsewhere, President George W. Bush should bear the...

EDITORIALS

Apr 1, 2004

Don't forget Afghanistan

Three years after the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan is once again tottering on the brink of chaos. The facts will be in plain view in Berlin at a two-day conference from Wednesday, when 54 nations assess the problems and progress since the U.S-led invasion of Afghanistan. Progress has been remarkable,...

COMMENTARY

Apr 1, 2004

Lowering risks from WMD

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON -- The decision of the Libyan regime to declare and destroy its weapons of mass destruction, or WMD, is clearly beneficial to world peace and is a most welcome development. But we should beware claims by some Western leaders that this has come about because the Libyan dictator has seen what happened...

EDITORIALS

Mar 31, 2004

Pay transparency for secretaries

The Diet's system of public secretaries -- which allows each legislator to hire three aides at taxpayers' expense -- has proven to be deeply flawed, as shown by a recent spate of pay scandals in which a number of legislators were accused of misusing their secretaries' salaries. Now, belatedly, the ruling...

COMMENTARY

Mar 31, 2004

Madrid attack redefines EU

By David Howell

LONDON -- The bomb outrage and mass slaughter of train commuters in Madrid on March 11 has changed the face of European politics in more ways than one.

EDITORIALS

Mar 30, 2004

A test for Taiwan's democracy

Ten days after Taiwan's presidential election yielded a contested result, there are signs of progress in resolving the political crisis it created. The winner of the vote, President Chen Shui-bian, last weekend promised a recount to defuse mounting tensions. The recount is a vital step in sorting out...

COMMENTARY

Mar 30, 2004

Cheney must prove himself on Asia trip

By Tom Plate

LOS ANGELES "The Ear" is going to Asia, says the White House. The White House didn't put the announcement exactly this way, of course. But Dick Cheney, the U.S. vice president, is widely known in Washington to have President George W. Bush's ear. When Cheney talks, Bush listens.

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

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

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