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EDITORIALS

Oct 27, 2007

Japanese men going belly up

Japanese men are suddenly overweight. The latest criticism of health, diet and fitness — "metabolic syndrome" — is aimed at men and their bulging waistlines. According to some reports, metabolic syndrome is found in a larger and larger proportion of middle-aged and young people, especially men. Their...

EDITORIALS

Oct 27, 2007

Part-time all the time

Some days, it seems as if all of Japan is being run by part-timers. Every service job, from store clerks to ticket vendors to front-desk help, seems to be handled by nonregular employees. The enthusiasm of many freshly hired workers is matched by their lack of experience. One hardly knows what to expect...

COMMENTARY

Oct 26, 2007

Limits of EU centralization

By David Howell

LONDON — In Lisbon, yet another European Union Treaty has been signed, this one purporting to replace all previous treaties and to give Europe the pattern of governance it needs to meet the future.

EDITORIALS

Oct 26, 2007

A ceiling on extended power

The Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly has enacted a bylaw limiting a governor to three consecutive terms in office, or 12 years. It will not take effect, though, until the central government places a limit on the number of times a person can be elected as governor or mayor, by revising the Local Autonomy...

EDITORIALS

Oct 26, 2007

Deadbeat life insurers

The nation's 38 life insurance companies have failed to pay ¥91 billion of insurance money and other due payments in about 1.2 million cases over five years since the 2001 fiscal year. This backlog will surely increase public worry following the reported nonpayment problem at nonlife-insurance companies...

EDITORIALS

Oct 25, 2007

Mr. Sarkozy's first real test

A fter a whirlwind start, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is facing his first real head winds. Having taken the initiative since moving into the Elysee Palace in May, Mr. Sarkozy is being buffeted by public worker strikes and a high-profile divorce. Neither should be fatal to his presidency, but both...

EDITORIALS

Oct 24, 2007

Libya comes out of the cold

Libya has won a nonpermanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. Tripoli's victory is the clearest sign of its international rehabilitation and a possible lesson for other so-called rogue states: Returning and respecting international norms can pay real dividends.

EDITORIALS

Oct 24, 2007

Don't forget Myanmar

There is a seeming return to normalcy in Myanmar. Calm has returned to the streets and demonstrations are over. The junta has lifted its curfew and ended the ban on gatherings of more than five people. Once cordoned-off pagodas have reopened to the public. The military junta has appointed a commission...

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 24, 2007

Turkey's army won't invade

By Ian Bremmer

PRAGUE — Just when the smoke from Turkey's domestic political conflicts of the past year had begun to clear, another deadly attack by Kurdish separatists on Turkish soldiers has the government threatening military attacks inside northern Iraq. That prospect raises risks for Turkey, Iraq and the United...

EDITORIALS

Oct 23, 2007

Quality care with less

A government plan to save on medical costs by reducing the number of hospital beds dedicated to long-term convalescence is causing anxiety for patients and their families. If the health ministry carries out the plan carelessly, it could lead to the loss of people's trust in the nation's medical system....

EDITORIALS

Oct 23, 2007

Minamata claims still on hold

In September 2006, an experts' forum submitted a report to the environment minister, stressing the urgent need for the central government to take the initiative in setting up a new, permanent framework to aid all victims of Minamata disease, including unrecognized and latent victims.

COMMENTARY

Oct 22, 2007

Potential for Korean progress

By Ralph Cossa

HONOLULU — "It could have been worse, a lot worse!" This was my initial reaction to the Oct. 2-4 summit meeting in Pyongyang between South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun and North Korea's "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il.

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

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

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