Morearticles

 
Menu
Search
 
May 16, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

More Opinion stories

COMMENTARY
Nov 12, 2003
Democracy: a most contentious ideal
By Ronald Meinardus
MANILA -- No other philosophical or political idea is as contentious as the concept of freedom. All principal writings of political philosophers deal with the issue of freedom in one sense or another, leading to an enormous -- and at times confusing -- body of sources. Freedom defines the relationships...
EDITORIALS
Nov 11, 2003
A viable two-party system?
In Sunday's election, the voters opted for stability -- with a twist. They gave the three-party ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party a continued mandate to run the country but, at the same time, handed the LDP a slap on the wrist: the loss of a majority in the 480-seat influential Lower...
COMMENTARY
Nov 11, 2003
A step toward a dynamic Japanese government
By Sam Jameson
Japanese voters on Sunday took a big step toward creating a two-party political system, but history shows that Japan still has a long way to go before it becomes a country in which changes of government occur periodically.
EDITORIALS
Nov 10, 2003
Being prepared for SARS
We must fully prepared for any new outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome this winter. Four months have passed since the World Health Organization declared that SARS was under control. The WHO is of the opinion that even if SARS flares up again, infection will not spread as long as countries take...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2003
China can learn from Japan
By Mamoru Ishida
China faces mounting pressure to revalue its allegedly undervalued yuan. I am concerned that China could repeat the mistakes that Japan made in exchange-rate policy. China can learn much from Japanese experiences in economic management and currency diplomacy.
COMMENTARY
Nov 10, 2003
Britain needs political center
By Hugh Cortazzi
LONDON -- The British Conservative Party has once again kicked out its leader. Ian Duncan Smith had shown himself unable to control his party and capitalize on the mistakes and failings of the current British Government led by Prime Minister Tony Blair. He lacked charisma and displayed a sad lack of...
EDITORIALS
Nov 9, 2003
Two paths to justice
On opposite sides of the world, two trials have been winding their way to justice along very different paths. In each case, the guilt or innocence of the defendants is not seriously at issue. These trials are hardly "whodunits." In a sense, each has been a ritual rather than a substantive procedure,...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 9, 2003
Is Japan to mainland Asia what Britain is to Europe?
By Takashi Inoguchi and Ramesh Thakur
The European landmass lies to the south and east of Britain, the Asian landmass to the north and west of Japan. A newspaper headline in Britain once famously declared: "Fog over the channel, continent isolated." Japan may lack such endearing chauvinism, but is far more homogeneous and closed as a society...
COMMENTARY
Nov 9, 2003
Iraq changes U.S. presidential scenarios
By Harvey Stockwin
HONG KONG -- Seen from East Asia, American politics appear to be undergoing a sea-change. Mainly under the pressure of events in Iraq, President George W. Bush's re-election in 2004 has become much more uncertain, and it has become easier to see some of the Democratic Party's potential candidates becoming...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 9, 2003
APEC future rests on political relevancy
By John Barry Kotch
SEOUL -- Another APEC summit has come and gone but has anything really changed? The question that needs to be asked is whether the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum is still relevant? No one attending the recent APEC summit in Bangkok really wanted to leave -- especially after the magnificence...
EDITORIALS
Nov 8, 2003
A sense of diplomatic uncertainty
During his two and half years in office, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has faced a series of major diplomatic challenges, including the U.S. strike on Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, the nuclear-weapons program in North Korea and the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents. In a way,...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2003
Double blow to peace efforts in Sri Lanka
By Gautaman Bhaskaran
MADRAS, India -- The Sri Lankan peace process is under serious threat. Worse, there is a constitutional crisis provoked by President Chandrika Kumaratunga's dismissal of three key ministers, including the island nation's defense chief.
Success of Chinese-made fighter jets against India raises alarm in Asia
Chinese J-10 fighter jets from the People's Liberation Army Air Force August 1st Aerobatics Team perform during a media demonstration at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, in November 2015.
Japan to recognize Taiwan as place of origin in family registration system
Masataka Yuhara, secretary-general of the Friends of Lee Teng Hui Association in Japan, which has been calling for "Taiwan" to be permitted as a place of origin in family registers.
Rich Japanese still fear yen crash, wealth manager says
The yen slumped more than 2% on Monday alone, nearing ¥150 to the dollar, after the U.S. and China temporarily lowered tariffs, triggering a reversal of bearish dollar bets.
Japanese retailers turn to California rice for cheaper alternative
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass eats California rice at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday along with Mitsuko Tsuchiya, vice president of retailer Aeon.
Japanese automakers looking at a ¥1 trillion hit from Trump tariffs 
Cars on display at Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama on Tuesday. The automaker posted a massive annual net loss and confirmed that it plans to cut thousands of jobs worldwide.
For his first feature film, director Ryuya Suzuki created a masterpiece
"Jinsei," which follows its protagonist over a century, probes themes of identity and societal issues with a dark comic touch. The director, however, says he created the story without knowing where it would lead.
Historian Rob Fitts discovers earliest ever reference to baseball in Japan
Japan's Shohei Ohtani carries the Japanese flag onto the field before the start of the World Baseball Classic final against the United States in Miami on March 21, 2023.
Japanese retailers turn to California rice for cheaper alternative
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass eats California rice at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday along with Mitsuko Tsuchiya, vice president of retailer Aeon.
Harmfully hot days for pregnant women in Japan nearly doubled over past five years
New research by a U.S. climate scientists’ group reveals that extreme heat has increased the risks of preterm births and other pregnancy complications in Japan, nearly doubling the number of days that are harmfully hot for pregnant women over the past five years.
Sumo title contenders already emerging in early stages of Tokyo meet
Onosato (left) battles Abi on Day 3 of the Summer Basho in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?
By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Fujitsu crafts sustainable innovation for itself, society
Fujitsu crafts sustainable innovation for itself, society

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER