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EDITORIALS

Mar 26, 2003

Mystery disease raises new fears

The outbreak of a mysterious respiratory disease has set off alarms worldwide. Hundreds of individuals have been affected by the malady, which can result, if untreated, in death. Its rapid spread has reignited concern about the dangers of bioterrorist attacks. Although there is no evidence to suggest...

COMMENTARY

Mar 26, 2003

Unrolling the map of a rejiggered EU

By David Howell

LONDON -- One early and significant casualty of the war with Iraq is the unity of Europe. The European continent is split clean down the middle. On one side sit France, Germany and Belgium. On the other side sit almost all the other nations of Europe, east and west.

EDITORIALS

Mar 25, 2003

The war of words

Every war breeds its own vocabulary, and the second Persian Gulf conflict has proved no exception. One thing does seem new, though. As this invasion (aka liberation) plays out 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the world's living rooms, its singular lingo has circled the globe with unprecedented speed....

COMMENTARY

Mar 25, 2003

Weak tobacco pact reflects Japan's lukewarm attitude

By Kiroku Hanai

The member-nations of the World Health Organization have recently approved a draft Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), putting an end to four years of negotiations. The draft is expected to be adopted at the general meeting of the WHO in May, and will take effect after 40 countries have ratified...

EDITORIALS

Mar 24, 2003

ICC takes another step forward

The world's first permanent international court of criminal justice opened for business earlier this month when the first 18 judges were sworn in. While the establishment of the International Criminal Court, or ICC, is a milestone, attention on March 11 was focused as much on the parties who were absent...

COMMENTARY

Mar 24, 2003

Smashing the payoff triangle

By Keizo Nabeshima

The history of the Liberal Democratic Party includes a long list of money scandals. The recent arrest of Lower House lawmaker Takanori Sakai, charged with violating the Political Funds Control Law, is the latest reminder.

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 24, 2003

Don't write off U.N. just yet

By W. Andy Knight

EDMONTON, Alberta-- The hawks in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush finally got what they wanted -- in New York, as well as in the Middle East. The U.N. Security Council is deeply divided, the U.N. system itself seems paralyzed and a preemptive war is about to win "regime change" in...

EDITORIALS

Mar 23, 2003

Invading ancient Mesopotamia

As war again comes to Iraq, the international community is rightly concerned about the human toll, civilian as well as military, long-term as well as immediate. Governments and humanitarian organizations already have relief plans in place to help the expected flood of refugees. Others worry about the...

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 23, 2003

U.S. must rethink North Korea strategy

By Jing-dong Yuan

MONTEREY, Calif. -- On the eve of South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun's swearing-in ceremony, North Korea lobbed a land-to-ship cruise missile into the Sea of Japan. This provocation took place as the world's dignitaries -- among them U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi...

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 23, 2003

More relevant now than ever

By Ramesh Thakur and Andrew Mack

"A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens, set in revolutionary France, begins with the observation that it was the best of times and the worst of times. So might it be said, thanks in no small measure to France, of the tale of two cities of contemporary times, namely Washington and New York, the political...

COMMENTARY

Mar 22, 2003

Difficult task of buying a few good allies

By Doug Bandow

WASHINGTON -- The United States may dominate the globe, but it is almost alone in the war against Iraq. Even the offer of some $30 billion in aid could not procure basing rights from Turkey, a longtime ally.

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 22, 2003

Saddening absence of options for Japan

By Masamichi Hanabusa

I don't wish to speculate on why the United States has embarked on a war against Iraq at this time. What is clear is that U.S. President George W. Bush and the influential aides in his administration believed -- without appearing to entertain the slightest doubt -- that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein...

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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