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July 13, 2025
 

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EDITORIALS
Mar 19, 2008
Sacrifices for rehabilitation
One year has passed since the effectively bankrupt city of Yubari in Hokkaido began a special fiscal rehabilitation process under the internal affairs ministry's supervision. It must repay ¥35.3 billion debts by the end of fiscal 2024. In the first year, it repaid about ¥1.5 billion as required. But...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2008
No Tibetan independence
LONDON — The monks who marched through Lhasa on March 10 to mark the anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule in 1959 did not want to wreck China's Olympic year, but they knew that Chinese troops would be less likely to shoot them this year than most. And so it proved: the monks were...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2008
Sentimental barrier to economic growth
By Bjorn Lomborg, Kym Anderson and Hasan Tuluy
Protectionist sentiment and fear of globalization are on the rise. In the United States, presidential candidates appeal to anxious voters by blaming the North American Free Trade Agreement for the erosion of the country's manufacturing base. Liberal trade initiatives have run into trouble in Congress,...
EDITORIALS
Mar 18, 2008
Privacy vs. Juki Net
The Supreme Court earlier this month declared as constitutional the nationwide Juki Net residency registry network, ruling against residents who had filed four separate lawsuits. Citing the possible danger of information leakage and use of information for illegitimate purposes, residents from Osaka,...
EDITORIALS
Mar 18, 2008
Time to boost domestic demand
The dollar plunged last week to the ¥95 level for the first time in 12 years and six months. The U.S. currency at one point moved to record lows against the euro. Its weakness results from a fear among market players that the U.S. economy is heading toward a recession. The subprime mortgage crisis in...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Mar 17, 2008
Ozawa's troops are restless
Political insiders have begun suspecting that Ichiro Ozawa may be losing his grip on the Democratic Party of Japan after a head-on collision between the DPJ and the governing coalition was averted during 11th-hour mediation by the Lower House speaker and the Upper House president.
EDITORIALS
Mar 17, 2008
Punishing bureaucratic neglect
The Supreme Court earlier this month upheld a suspended prison sentence for a former health ministry official who had been found guilty of failing to prevent the sale and use of HIV-contaminated blood products that resulted in the death of a patient suffering from impaired liver function. It concluded...
COMMENTARY
Mar 17, 2008
Tainted 'gyoza' poisoning bilateral ties
By Frank Ching
HONG KONG — The tainted "gyoza" dumpling scare in Japan has caused the delay of President Hu Jintao's visit to Tokyo and, if not properly handled, could result in the unraveling of the dramatic improvement in bilateral relations achieved since October 2006, when Shinzo Abe broke the ice by visiting...
EDITORIALS
Mar 17, 2008
Deadlock in 'gyoza' probe
The investigation into food-poisoning incidents caused by insecticide-tainted "gyoza" dumplings imported from China is deadlocked because Japan and China have completely different views as to where the insecticide contaminated the gyoza. China opposes Japan's view that the possibility of the contamination...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2008
Dancing with bears in Putin's shadow
By Yu Bin
Perhaps more than any other capital in the world, Beijing has closely observed the changing of the guard in the Kremlin. There are many reasons for Beijing's concerns: Russia's revival as a major power, its petro-politics approach to foreign relations, its management of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization...
COMMENTARY
Mar 16, 2008
Is Obama another JFK, Bush, or both?
By Tom Plate
LOS ANGELES — Admirers of Barack Obama who glibly and favorably compare the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency to John F. Kennedy always assume that they are doing the former a favor. But there's another way to look at it — and it's less pretty.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 16, 2008
Ireland wrestles with a plethora of polemics
By Roger Pulvers
First of two parts
Tokyo hit by torrential rainfall at rush hour
People line up at Shibuya Station in Tokyo as they try to avoid the heavy rain on Thursday.
Foreign drivers in Japan to face tougher license conversion rules from October
According to the National Police Agency, there were 75,905 people who converted their foreign driver’s license to a Japanese one in 2024, up from 48,885 in 2019.
Nissan clinches $4.5 billion bond deal after orders soar
Nissan Motor has raised $4.5 billion through a junk bond sale in U.S. dollars and euros, part of which carries a record-high coupon rate.
Chinese fighters came within 30 meters of Japanese spy aircraft, Tokyo says
A Chinese JH-7 fighter jet makes an near an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea this week in this image released Thursday.
What Japanese politics could look like after Upper House election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (center) waves to attendees as he departs after delivering a campaign speech in Yokohama on Sunday.
New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Once a niche, anime is now mainstream content for Netflix and other streaming services
Though Netflix remains the dominant choice globally for anime viewers, Amazon Prime Video has also invested heavily in anime, steadily adding titles to their catalogue.
NGOs condemn rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of Upper House vote
Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya holds a board that reads "Japanese First" in Tokyo on July 2. In a joint statement on Tuesday, eight human rights nongovernmental organizations described the far-right party's stance as "hate speech."
Japanese dancers find a home abroad at Houston Ballet
“Giselle” lead Yuriko Kajiya (center), performing with Connor Walsh as Albrecht, is one of six Japanese dancers at Houston Ballet.
From the Abes to the Ohtanis: How siblings shape athletic development
Olympic judoka Uta Abe (second from left) and Hifumi Abe (second from right) with their brother Yuichiro (center) and their parents. “I’m always consciously trying to be a good older brother,” Yuichiro said.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

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

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