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EDITORIALS

Jul 16, 2005

Priorities in the six-party talks

The next round of six-party talks, the multilateral negotiations over North Korea's nuclear-weapons programs, are scheduled to resume the week of July 25 in Beijing. While it is unclear what motivated North Korea to return to the talks, success will depend on whether the other five parties -- Japan,...

COMMENTARY

Jul 16, 2005

The terrorists won't succeed

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON -- The British government's measured and firm response to the attacks in London on July 7 has had the support of all political parties. The resolution of the general public to get on with their life has not wilted.

EDITORIALS

Jul 15, 2005

Preventive care for the elderly

A revision in the nursing-care insurance law, which passed the Diet in late June, will go into effect in April 2006, representing a significant turn in the direction of the government's approach since the insurance system was introduced in fiscal 2000.

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 15, 2005

Security threat from disease

By Mely Caballero-Anthony

SINGAPORE -- Given the real possibility of a global pandemic, possibly from the possible outbreak of a virulent influenza, it's time to ask: Should states treat infectious diseases as security threats?

EDITORIALS

Jul 14, 2005

Shutting down business fraud

Today's communities in Japan, especially impersonal big cities, are becoming hostile places in many ways for elderly people living alone. New gangs of criminals, who often pose as kind and soft-spoken business operators, are eager to swindle the elderly out of their life savings. These con artists know...

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 14, 2005

Tokyo-Seoul rift threatens U.S. interest

By Scott Snyder

WASHINGTON -- Despite efforts during last month's summit between South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun and President George W. Bush in Washington to speak with "one voice" about the health of the alliance and to improve policy coordination toward North Korea, the summit saw the emergence of a potentially...

COMMENTARY

Jul 14, 2005

Unraveling motives of terror

By David Howell

LONDON -- After months of careful planning, it has been the turn of London to suffer the carnage already familiar to the people of Madrid, Jakarta, Casablanca, Riyadh, Istanbul, New York (although not on the same scale) and many other world cities.

EDITORIALS

Jul 13, 2005

Stabilize Central Asia

Central Asia remains a wild and forbidding place. It is a sprawling, sparsely populated area. Its position at the crossroads of trade between East and West has made it the focus of attention and competition for centuries. The discovery of significant oil and gas reserves has made Central Asia even more...

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 13, 2005

New Delhi gets serious about cigarettes

By Gautaman Bhaskaran

MADRAS, India -- A recent study in the United States revealed that films have a powerful effect on viewers' behavior. When actors smoke on screen, they serve as a link between big tobacco companies and impressionable young people.

COMMENTARY

Jul 13, 2005

Sinophobia complicates takeover bids

By Harvey Stockwin

HONG KONG -- In quick succession, the previously intangible reality of "China Rising" has taken on tangible form for Americans, as China has used the wealth that has accrued as a result of its rapid development and huge trade surpluses to try and takeover three U.S. businesses.

EDITORIALS

Jul 12, 2005

Some hope from the G8

It is easy to be cynical about G8 summits. The annual meetings of the heads of state of the leading industrialized nations are equal parts political theater, photo opportunity and security nightmare. Each summit produces a lofty statement that echoes its predecessors, is invariably bland despite (or...

COMMENTARY

Jul 12, 2005

A skittish reform pendulum

By Keizo Nabeshima

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's postal privatization bills cleared the Lower House on July 5 by only five votes, demonstrating the strength of anti-Koizumi forces in the governing Liberal Democratic Party. The narrow margin reflected severe criticism of not only the legislation but also Koizumi's...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.

How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan

By Megha Wadhwa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

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