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COMMENTARY / World

Mar 16, 2010

Rudd stakes job on health care

By David P. Janes, Patrick Messerlin and Alan Goodall

SYDNEY — It's a big gamble, but Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is ready to take it. He will go into an election on the strength of his stance on, of all things, health care.

COMMENTARY

Mar 16, 2010

Obama needs a push to normalize Cuba ties

By Cesar Chelala

NEW YORK — Several years ago, during my first visit to Cuba to attend a health-related meeting, I witnessed a demonstration. As friends and I walked into the Bodeguita del Medio, a traditional restaurant famous for the number of illustrious visitors who had dined there over the years, a young Cuban...

EDITORIALS

Mar 16, 2010

First step for serious emission cuts

The Hatoyama Cabinet Friday endorsed a basic bill designed to combat global warming. Importantly, the bill specifies middle- and long-term numerical targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions: by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020, and by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. However, the...

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 16, 2010

Unsnarl the Armenia-Turkey-Azerbaijan jam

By Vartan Oskanian

YEREVAN, Armenia — Will Turkey's current turmoil between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the country's powerful army complicate and delay the country's boldest initiatives in years — the moves to address decades-old tensions with both Armenians and Kurds?

EDITORIALS

Mar 16, 2010

Reforming rich-friendly tax laws

At the first meeting (Feb. 24) of the government Tax Commission's expert panel to discuss tax reform, Finance Minister Naoto Kan called for a review of how the tax system has evolved since the 1980s. Apparently Mr. Kan thinks that past changes to the tax system have weakened the state's ability to collect...

EDITORIALS

Mar 15, 2010

Yubari set on reconstruction

The assembly of Yubari, a bankrupt city in central Hokkaido, on March 2 adopted a financial reconstruction plan to pay off accumulated debts of ¥32.2 billion over 17 years. The plan also features 74 new projects to resuscitate the city and improve services for residents. To persevere through a long,...

COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE

Mar 15, 2010

Running against the wind

In the gubernatorial election of Nagasaki Prefecture on Feb. 21, the candidate backed by the ruling Democratic Party of Japan was roundly defeated by his opponent, who was supported by the No. 1 opposition Liberal Democratic Party. The winner, former Vice Gov. Hodo Nakamura, garnered 44.9 percent of...

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 15, 2010

Tamer-looking defense budget may mask China's real buildup

By Harsh V. Pant

LONDON — After nearly two decades of double-digit increases in its military budget, China announced a mere 7.5 percent jump in its defense budget this year.

CARTOONS / ZERO GRAVITY

Mar 14, 2010

COMMENTARY

Mar 14, 2010

Assuaging China's expanding 'core' concerns

By Michael Richardson

SINGAPORE — Not long before U.S. President Barack Obama held his low-key meeting in the White House with the exiled Tibetan leader last month, the Dalai Lama, a Chinese Embassy spokesman in Washington issued a statement on the talks and the U.S. decision to provide a new package of defensive arms to...

EDITORIALS

Mar 14, 2010

Don't exclude 'Chosen' schools

The Diet is deliberating on a bill to make public high school tuition free and provide ¥120,000 yearly to those attending private schools or certified educational institutions. But Mr. Hiroshi Nakai, minister in charge of the North Korean abduction issue, aired the view in February that pro-North Korean...

EDITORIALS

Mar 14, 2010

Back to the fast-breeder path

The Nuclear Safety Commission on Feb. 22 gave the go-ahead to starting the test run of the prototype fast-breeder reactor (FBR) Monju in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture. If the prefectural and municipal governments give their consent, the test run should begin by the end of March at the earliest.

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.

With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear

By Jason Coskrey

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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