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COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT

Apr 20, 2008

'Bone Man' bears lifelong witness to the ugly brute of war

By Roger Pulvers

Tell me, where is the glory in war?

EDITORIALS

Apr 20, 2008

Major ruling on SDF's Iraq mission

The Nagoya High Court Thursday ruled that the Air Self-Defense Force's mission in Iraq includes activities that violate the war-renouncing Constitution. It rejects the government's explanations concerning the dispatch of an ASDF unit to Iraq. Although the government says that the ruling does not bind...

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 19, 2008

What shape is America's recession?

By Nouriel Roubini

NEW YORK — Now that it is clear that the United States is in recession, the debate has moved on to whether it will be short and shallow or long and deep — a question that is as important for the rest of the world as it is for the U.S.

EDITORIALS

Apr 19, 2008

All eyes on Yamaguchi

Campaigning has kicked off for the April 27 Lower House by-election in the Yamaguchi No. 2 constituency. The poll will have a great impact on the Diet struggle between the ruling and opposition forces over such issues as the gasoline and other road-related taxes, medical services and pensions. It will...

EDITORIALS

Apr 19, 2008

Health insurance chaos

The new health insurance scheme for people aged 75 or over that began April 1 has been thrown into confusion due to the central and local governments' failure to adequately prepare. New health insurance cards failed to reach some 63,000 people in time, and chaos continues even though the health ministry...

COMMENTARY

Apr 18, 2008

A passport to peace in the Middle East?

By Cesar Chelala

TUCUMAN, Argentina — Daniel Barenboim, the noted Israeli musician, is no stranger to controversy. By recently accepting Palestinian nationality, although in itself only a symbolic act, he will only fuel the controversy about his role in the Middle East process.

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 18, 2008

Agricultural neglect leaves millions trapped in poverty

By Noeleen Heyzer

BANGKOK — In the last decade, developing economies in Asia and the Pacific doubled in size, growing over seven percent on average. This growth has garnered much attention and plaudits. Yet, 641 million of the world's poorest — nearly two-thirds of the global total — live in the Asia-Pacific region....

EDITORIALS

Apr 18, 2008

Safety comes first at nuclear plants

The Atomic Energy Commission's white paper on nuclear power for 2007 that has been adopted by the government says that a worldwide increase in nuclear-power generation is indispensable to fighting global warming. This is in line with the government's call for halving CO・emissions by 2050. But promoting...

EDITORIALS

Apr 18, 2008

Unavoidable extension of sanctions

Japan has extended economic sanctions against North Korea for six months following their April 13 expiration, marking the third time that the sanctions have been renewed. The extension is unavoidable since there has been no progress in the issue of the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea,...

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 17, 2008

Have we finally achieved moral progress?

By Peter Singer

MELBOURNE — After a century that saw two world wars, the Nazi Holocaust, Stalin's Gulag, the killing fields of Cambodia, and more recent atrocities in Rwanda and now Darfur, the belief that we are progressing morally has become difficult to defend. Yet there is more to the question than extreme cases...

EDITORIALS

Apr 17, 2008

Turmoil in Zimbabwe

It has been three weeks since Zimbabwe's voters went to the polls. They are still waiting for the results. By all appearances, they have had enough of President Robert Mugabe and gave opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) the reins of power. Mr. Mugabe and his...

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 16, 2008

Caution still advised for resilient Brazil

By Glauco Arbix

SAO PAULO — Less than a decade ago, Brazil's economy faltered at the first sign of instability in international financial markets. Today, by contrast, the country seems immune from global market turbulence — or so Brazilian officials believe.

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

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

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