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EDITORIALS

Jun 27, 2006

Think about it and vote again

One year after French and Dutch voters rejected the proposed European Union constitution in referendums, EU leaders have agreed to extend the "period of reflection," setting the second half of 2008 as a deadline for deciding what to do about the bloc's moribund document. The conclusion of the EU leaders'...

COMMENTARY

Jun 27, 2006

Iraq pullout is not the end

By Keizo Nabeshima

The Japanese government has formally decided to withdraw Ground Self-Defense Force troops from Iraq. The decision reflects Tokyo's judgment that recent developments in the country -- the beginning of a formal government, appointment of three security ministers and the transfer of security powers to Iraq...

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 27, 2006

China showing less angst over Taiwan

By Richard Halloran

HONOLULU -- In the seas around the U.S. island territory of Guam in the Central Pacific, a delegation of 10 Chinese army, navy and air force officers watched three American aircraft carriers and other armed forces go through strenuous training paces last week.

EDITORIALS

Jun 26, 2006

Keeping an eye on the beef

Japan agreed last week to lift its ban on imports of American beef after the United States accepted Tokyo's demand for stricter safety checks. Imports will resume only after Japanese experts have checked the 35 U.S. meatpackers authorized to process beef for export to Japan. Even after imports resume,...

COMMENTARY

Jun 26, 2006

South Korea and China also stir the pot

By Hiroaki Sato

NEW YORK -- A friend of mine in Tokyo has sent me two recent proposals to improve Japan's relations with its neighbors. One, by the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, deals with China and is addressed to both the Japanese and Chinese governments; the other, by the Kansai Association of Corporate...

COMMENTARY

Jun 26, 2006

End of the oil age in sight?

By David Howell

LONDON -- First there was wood. Then it was replaced by coal. Then coal was replaced by oil. Is it now the turn of oil -- which currently accounts for some two-thirds of the world's primary energy -- to be pushed aside by other energy sources and devices?

COMMENTARY

Jun 26, 2006

U.S.-dependent to what end?

By Kiroku Hanai

At a Cabinet meeting May 30, the government finalized its basic policy on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan. The action followed a final Japan-U.S. agreement May 1 on realignment aimed at strengthening deterrents and reducing Japan's burden of hosting U.S. military installations.

EDITORIALS

Jun 26, 2006

Manual is no substitute for ethics

A court ruling handed down earlier this month on a botched operation at a hospital affiliated with the Jikei School of Medicine sheds light on the lack of ethics among some doctors. The operation led to the patient's death a month later.

EDITORIALS

Jun 25, 2006

Shakespeare with a mouse-click

'Can this cockpit hold the vasty fields of France?" Shakespeare wondered in his play "Henry V." "Or may we cram within this wooden O the very casques that did affright the air at Agincourt?" Since the curtain rose this month on a new Web site that puts all of Shakespeare's plays at our fingertips, those...

COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT

Jun 25, 2006

What's in it for them to return us to 'prewar values'?

By Roger Pulvers

The leaders of many countries evoke their nation's history as if it were an idyll of virtue and civility. They gaze into the mirror of the past and see no dark blemish, only purity, goodness and light.

EDITORIALS

Jun 24, 2006

Relapse in Afghanistan

With international attention focused on Iraq, it is easy to forget the other front in the fight against terrorism. A coalition of forces, acting under United Nations authorization, has waged war against Islamic extremists in Afghanistan for nearly four years. That battle has been overshadowed by the...

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 24, 2006

Japan heats up whaling wars

By Jeff Kingston

The battle over whaling has grown more acrimonious in recent years principally because Japan has become a more vociferous and belligerent advocate for a resumption of commercial whaling. In the recently concluded meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), Japan's representative browbeat and...

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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