More Opinion Articles - The Japan Times

Today's print edition

Subscribe for more access

COMMENTARY

Dec 24, 2007

Opportunity for progress in Middle East

By Cesar Chelala

NEW YORK — Recent reports by The Associated Press that Hamas leaders seek a ceasefire agreement with Israel should be wholeheartedly embraced as they offer hope of halting the vicious cycle of violence that has plagued both Israelis and Palestinians.

EDITORIALS

Dec 23, 2007

Wall on climate change comes down

It is a start. That's the best assessment of the agreement produced by the 190-some governments at the United Nations climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia, earlier this month. After an abrupt U-turn by the United States, delegates reached consensus on a new framework for tackling global warming....

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 23, 2007

Europe remiss in dealing with Russia

By Giles Merritt

BRUSSELS — Friend or foe, or something uneasily in between? That's the question Europe is asking about Russia, and Russia about a newly aggressive Europe. President Vladimir Putin's choice of Dmitri Medvedev, Chairman of Gazprom, the gas company with an emerging stranglehold on European energy supplies,...

COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT

Dec 23, 2007

Oh, to be American — with God on Your side

By Roger Pulvers

The administration of George W. Bush, with its faith-based mission, is seen by many as a radical departure from the main- stream of American politics. But in fact it is no more than a continuation, in a mildly extreme form, of what has gone before. Bush has changed the typeface, but not the layout, on...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 22, 2007

Wrong approach to Africa

By David Howell

LONDON — An acrimonious summit meeting between EU leaders and the leaders of African countries ended last week in Lisbon. The EU was trying to offer the Africans a new trade deal, but many of the African representatives argued that the deal would make them worse off, not better off. They denounced...

EDITORIALS

Dec 22, 2007

'The Bulldozer' wins in Seoul

South Korea has a new president. As anticipated, former Hyundai CEO Lee Myung Bak won a landslide victory in Wednesday's election. A conservative, Mr. Lee has promised to re-examine many of the policies of his predecessors. His presidency offers Japan a chance to rebuild a crucial relationship that has...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 21, 2007

Poor nutrition negates hi-tech treatment

By Sheila Sisulu

ROME — For most people reading this, in an era of obesity, the idea of going to the doctor when we are sick and being told to eat more is bizarre. And yet, for millions of people in the developing world, undernutrition is the root cause of many of their ailments. Eating more of the right food is actually...

EDITORIALS

Dec 21, 2007

More allegations of bribery

Former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya has been served a second arrest warrant accusing him of taking a cash bribe of some ¥3.63 million. Mr. Motonobu Miyazaki, a former executive of defense equipment trader Yamada Corp. and subsequent founder of defense-related trader Nihon Mirise Corp., and...

EDITORIALS

Dec 21, 2007

Tax reform minus the long view

The ruling coalition's tax reform proposals for fiscal 2008 are apparently aimed at getting votes in coming general elections. They fail to address long-term issues such as how to divide tax-revenue sources equitably between the central and local governments and how to overhaul the tax system to reconstruct...

COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE

Dec 21, 2007

Fukuda's point of no return

Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi rocked the Japanese political landscape in November by predicting that Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda would dissolve the Lower House and call a general election "in the near future."

COMMENTARY

Dec 20, 2007

'Supping with the devil' to sign a deal

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON — Prime Minister Gordon Brown's decision to boycott the EU-African Summit held recently in Lisbon won general approval in Britain. He did not attend because Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe, was going to be at the meeting.

EDITORIALS

Dec 20, 2007

Strains in Malaysia

The arrest of leaders of an ethnic Indian rights group shines a spotlight on rising tensions in Malaysia. The government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi appears unnerved by growing protests; its resort to the Internal Security Act (ISA) is a troubling sign. The focus of complaint is charges of...

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

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

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

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

international-reports