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May 02, 2025
 

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EDITORIALS
Mar 24, 2000
Extending a hand to Iran
The United States continues its overtures to Iran. Last week, Washington lifted a ban on the import of some Iranian luxury goods and admitted to having interfered in Iran's internal affairs in the past. The mea culpa was a bold step, but its effects will be blunted by the political dynamic in each country....
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2000
Election aftershocks rocking Taiwan
By Rick Mercier
TAIPEI -- Taiwan continues to feel the aftershocks of the political earthquake that hit last Saturday, when Democratic Progressive Party leader Chen Shui-bian's presidential victory rocked the foundations of party politics on an island that has been ruled by the same party for more than half a century....
COMMENTARY
Mar 24, 2000
Police resisting vital reform
By Kiroku Hanai
The Japanese police have long enjoyed a high reputation both at home and abroad, due partly to their efficiency in apprehending criminals. Today, however, the Japanese police system is suffering from a breakdown of ethics, caused in part by its insular nature.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2000
Economic doomsayers are off the mark
By Yasukichi Yasuba
The government's projection for Japanese economic growth is 0.6 percent for fiscal 1999 and 1 percent for fiscal 2000. Both are based on unrealistic assumptions about the present and future state of the economy. The projection appears to have been verified by the negative GDP growth recorded in the last...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2000
No more Indian idealism
By Brahma Chellaney
NEW DELHI -- U.S. President Bill Clinton's weeklong tour of South Asia has caused an outbreak of Clinton-mania in the region, generating bloated expectations. In the Indian cities on his itinerary, streets have been cleaned, signposts washed or repainted, and tree branches cut back. The Great White Messiah...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2000
Beijing all bark and no bite? Think again
By Brad Glosserman
Tensions over the Taiwan Strait are palpable after China did its best to intimidate Taiwanese voters in the runup to last weekend's election. First, the Cabinet released a white paper that drew an unmistakable line -- thickened with a new condition -- regarding the limits of acceptable Taiwanese behavior...
EDITORIALS
Mar 23, 2000
Scrutinize the 'sympathy budget'
Washington's request that Japan maintain its "sympathy budget," or special host-nation financial support for the U.S. forces stationed here, has drawn a cool reception from the Japanese government and the media. During his visit here last week, U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen repeated that request...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2000
How the IMF got its man
By Philippe Ries
Now that the curtain has finally fallen on the lengthy drama of former IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus' succession, the time has come to distribute grades to the players on stage.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2000
Breaking down the doors of Japan's discriminatory press clubs
By Eric Johnston
In May 1993, David Butts, then Tokyo bureau chief of Bloomberg Business News, was fed up. After years of unsuccessful efforts to penetrate Japan's press clubs through polite negotiation, the tall Texan chose a more direct approach. On the day annual company reports were released, Butts, with other foreign...
EDITORIALS
Mar 22, 2000
When bankrupt is better
Rarely does good news come so poorly packaged. Thailand's biggest corporate debtor, Thai Petrochemical Industry, was declared insolvent last week by a Thai bankruptcy court. Oddly enough, that is a welcome development. The decision allows creditors to take over the company, restructure it and get back...
EDITORIALS
Mar 22, 2000
The CDU's new image
Reeling from financing scandals that threaten former Chancellor Helmut Kohl with criminal prosecution, Germany's Christian Democrats have turned to Ms. Angela Merkel to cleanse the party. It is a gamble, but it could pay off.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2000
Clinton's opportunities in South Asia
By Farhan Bokhari
ISLAMABAD -- U.S. President Bill Clinton will travel to Pakistan on March 25, on the last leg of his South Asian journey, which began last Sunday. But the few hours he plans to spend in Islamabad may represent more than just a passing phase in Washington's new diplomacy in South Asia.
Nearly half of workers in Japan engage in ‘quiet quitting’
"Quiet quitting" is most common among the younger generation, with 46.7% of respondents to a survey in their 20s identifying with the practice, reflecting a less-motivated workforce more focused on work-life balance.
Israel protests after Kyoto inn seeks war crime declaration from tourist
A street in Kyoto in March 2023. An Israeli tourist was asked to sign a document stating that he had not committed war crimes when he checked in at a Kyoto guesthouse in April, prompting a response from Israel's ambassador.
U.S. and Ukraine sign resources deal after fraught negotiations
The United States and Ukraine signed a minerals deal on Wednesday, offering a measure of assurance to officials in Kyiv.
Puzzling decisions and opaque rankings are all part of sumo's charm
Chiyoshoma (right) battles Churanoumi during the New Year Basho in Tokyo in January. The Mongolian's drop down the sumo rankings ahead of the May tournament was one of the biggest surprises of the latest banzuke.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
CDP submits bill proposal on separate surnames, but challenges remain
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers speak to reporters in parliament on Wednesday after submitting a bill in the Lower House to allow married couples to retain different surnames.
Puzzling decisions and opaque rankings are all part of sumo's charm
Chiyoshoma (right) battles Churanoumi during the New Year Basho in Tokyo in January. The Mongolian's drop down the sumo rankings ahead of the May tournament was one of the biggest surprises of the latest banzuke.
North Korea's Kim sets sights on nuclear-armed navy
An unidentified weapons system is fired from the deck of North Korea's latest destroyer, the Choe Hyon, during two days of tests on Monday and Tuesday in this undated photo released Wednesday.
Single, or not? Japanese dating app launches relationship verification system
Tapple, one of Japan's most popular dating apps, has launched the nation's first feature to verify a user's single status via their My Number card.
Counting the reasons why there are so few American cars in Japan
Tesla's store in Tokyo's Shibuya district. While sales of American cars in Japan appear to be shrinking, Tesla's presence in the country is growing.

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

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A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
By Alex K.T. Martin

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