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COMMENTARY

Dec 22, 2000

The EU gets ready to grow

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON -- The recent European Union summit at Nice seems to have been bad tempered and acrimonious. Yet it eventually, even if only after days of wrangling, ended in an agreement of sorts and the way is now open to the admission of new members from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, leading in due...

EDITORIALS

Dec 21, 2000

Taking it easy on tax reform

A basic agreement reached earlier this month by the three ruling parties on fiscal 2001 tax code changes is a case of being unable to see the forest for the trees. Their myopia distorts an overall tax review and undermines the basic principles of taxation: fairness, neutrality and simplicity.

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 21, 2000

Kim, de Gaulle: visionary but vulnerable

By John Barry Kotch

SEOUL -- South Korean President Kim Dae Jung returns from Norway and Sweden this week with his Nobel Prize in hand, having secured his place on the world stage. But at home, he faces a nation deeply divided over his "sunshine policy," deeply troubled over its economic prospects and enveloped in a social...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 21, 2000

Mounting problems to test Cambodia's new 'stability'

By Peter Eng

PHNOM PENH -- They fought with guns and bombast during a civil war, a U.N. peacekeeping mission, an election, a coup, another election -- and every free moment in between. For most of the past two years, the followers of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Prince Norodom Ranariddh have cooperated in...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 21, 2000

Time once again for Russia's perennial heating crisis

By Russell Working and Nonna Chernyakova

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia -- The communist central planners who designed modern Russia's infrastructure devised a system of boiling water kilometers from where it is needed, running it through aboveground pipes across a region where temperatures can drop as low as minus 40 C -- and expected this to warm the...

EDITORIALS

Dec 20, 2000

English for the 21st century

One thing that is almost certain not to change in the new century is Japan's long love-hate relationship with the English language. What might change is the degree of interest in learning English among younger Japanese, eager to tap the wealth of information available on the Internet. In fact, much about...

COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE

Dec 20, 2000

A divided Capitol awaits new president

By Bob Keefe

WASHINGTON -- Wow! What a list of things to do for U.S. President-elect George W. Bush. It is long, and the degree of difficulty of almost every item on the list is of Olympian proportion.

COMMENTARY

Dec 20, 2000

The world may welcome Bush

By David Howell

LONDON -- While the United States adjusts to the idea of having George W. Bush as its new president, his predecessor has been treading the international stage for the last time -- at least in a presidential capacity. Bill Clinton's "final" visit to Britain received immense coverage, some of it almost...

EDITORIALS

Dec 19, 2000

Structural reform is still key

The Japanese economy seems to have hardly improved in the past three months and appears likely to slightly worsen in the next three. This dim picture is painted by the Bank of Japan's latest "tankan" survey, which sums up how business managers view their companies' performances. The economic perception...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 19, 2000

Eco-terrorism threatens Galapagos natural treasures, eco-tourism

By Mark Brazil

The Galapagos Islands, the world's second-largest marine reserve, are under attack from fishermen spurred by Asian markets for marine products. The Ecuadorean government has done nothing to halt the eco-terrorism in what only recently was a paradise for eco-tourism.

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 19, 2000

Australia aims to be a more credible ally

By Robyn Lim

The United States should welcome the more outward-looking defense posture embodied in the Australian white paper released on Dec. 6. Although the country's armed forces will remain configured mostly for the defense of Australia, enhanced capabilities can also be used to contribute to allied coalitions...

EDITORIALS

Dec 18, 2000

Myanmar in the middle

Relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Europe are moving forward. The fact that foreign ministers from the two blocs held their two-day meeting in Vientiane, Laos, last week is a sign of progress. The relationship had been frozen for two years amid mounting acrimony. Divisions...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.

What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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