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COMMENTARY / World

Jul 28, 2003

A Tibetan history lesson for China

By George Sioris

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- With India's recognition of the Tibet Autonomous Region as a part of China -- a corollary result of the recent talks in Beijing between Chinese and Indian leaders -- the region has ceased to be viewed as a historical buffer state between two Asian giants. This is of tremendous...

COMMENTARY

Jul 28, 2003

More transparency needed in investigations of suspects

By Kiroku Hanai

Little progress is reported in Japan-U.S. talks on legal proceedings in the alleged rape of an Okinawan woman by a U.S. serviceman. A hitch has developed over the demand by U.S. authorities for greater protection of the suspect's rights.

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 28, 2003

Political reformers of Japan unite!

By Gerald Curtis

The new buzzword in Japanese politics these days is "manifesto." The Japanese language does not use capital letters, but if it did, you can be sure "manifesto" would be written with a capital M to convey the weighty tone with which it is pronounced by those who believe it is the answer to Japan's political...

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Jul 28, 2003

Commodore Perry's legacy of curiosity

By Hiroaki Sato

NEW YORK -- In the sesquicentennial of U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's visit to Japan, I am happy to imagine that I must be one of the few owners of the original edition of his report: "Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan, Performed in the Years 1852, 1853,...

EDITORIALS

Jul 27, 2003

Demystifying the meow

So, the geniuses at Takara Co. Ltd. who last year gave this country the "Bowlingual," the gadget that supposedly translates dogs' thoughts into human language, have now announced a November launch for "Meowlingual," which is touted as doing the same for cats. (One sign that the inventors might actually...

COMMENTARY

Jul 27, 2003

50-year testament to the absence of war

By Harvey Stockwin

HONG KONG -- Sunday is the 50th anniversary of the signing of a document that has lasted much longer than expected and has had a profound influence on the course of modern Asian history.

COMMENTARY

Jul 27, 2003

China shifts toward activism

By Brad Glosserman

HONOLULU -- Northeast Asia watchers were treated to a curious sight last week: high-profile foreign policy activism by Beijing. The Chinese government was publicly pushing the United States and North Korea to the negotiating table. It's unclear whether this approach marks a new phase of Chinese diplomacy...

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 26, 2003

Take another shot at Four Party talks

By John Barry Kotch

SEOUL -- While the United States and North Korea remain stuck in a standoff over the format of future meetings to deal with the North's programs to develop weapons of mass destruction, a scout on the upper deck has sighted an iceberg -- not landfall ahead. The warnings of this seasoned statesman issued...

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 26, 2003

Killers in U.S. rely on mercy of Mexico

By Russell Working

LOS ANGELES -- Anabella Vara was pregnant at 14 and married at 15, and by the time she was 21 she was living in fear. On Valentine's Day 1999 her husband, Daniel Perez, looped a rope around her neck and tried to strangle her. She and her 5-year-old son fled to her parents' house, but two months later...

COMMENTARY

Jul 26, 2003

Timing on dispatch of SDF turns up Koizumi weak spot

By Kenzo Uchida

A couple of weeks ago I wrote that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was brimming with confidence after a bill proposing special measures to support the reconstruction of Iraq passed the House of Representatives in the National Diet. A likely political scenario for the fall -- one that anticipated a long-term...

EDITORIALS

Jul 26, 2003

Will a merger widen political choices?

That democracy is based on a free and fair election system goes without saying. A system that enables government to change is another vital feature of democracy. In Japan, power remains in the hands of the Liberal Democratic Party, although a large segment of the voting public is unhappy with the party....

EDITORIALS

Jul 25, 2003

Iraqis take control

The inauguration of an Iraqi-led government in Baghdad is the first concrete step toward creating a free and democratic Iraq. Installation of the Iraqi Governing Council by the United States is still problematic, but a successful transition from U.S. administration to a stable and functioning civil society...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

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