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July 08, 2025
 

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COMMENTARY / World
Apr 23, 2007
Latin America's responses to U.S. power
By Carlos Perez Llana
CORDOBA, Argentina -- U.S. President George W. Bush's free-falling popularity, his loss of control over Congress, the nagging doubts about the economy and most of all his discredited reputation as a result of the debacle in Iraq all magnify the characteristic weakness of lame-duck American presidents....
EDITORIALS
Apr 22, 2007
Japan as number-one blogger
Japanese, a recent survey found, is the most common language for blogging. With 70-some million blogs now in all languages, Japan edged out even English and Chinese for the top spot of blog language. A third of all blogs in the world, or virtual world, are written in Japanese. Japan is now number one...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 22, 2007
Who dares take the 'Q' out of Japan's 5-star kyushoku?
By Roger Pulvers
Is one of the great institutions of Japanese cul- ture succumbing to a slow, gnawing attack? It may be. I tell you, if this icon is lost, all we'll have left of the culture will be a few cartoons and some rusting karaoke machines.
EDITORIALS
Apr 21, 2007
Time to go, Mr. Wolfowitz
World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz is embroiled in scandal. A controversy surrounding the treatment given his girlfriend, another World Bank employee, has damaged Mr. Wolfowitz's credibility and that of the institution he heads. Mr. Wolfowitz may gain approval to stay on, but continuing in his post...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 20, 2007
France's identity politics
By Raphael Hadas-Lebel
PRAGUE -- One big surprise of the current presidential campaign in France is how "national identity" has surged to the forefront of the political debate. During the 1995 presidential campaign, the main issues were unemployment and social divisions. In 2002, the priority was security. But the three main...
EDITORIALS
Apr 20, 2007
Tragedy in Nagasaki
A nightmare has descended upon the city of Nagasaki again. On Tuesday evening, a gangster shot and mortally wounded Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito. The mayor was campaigning for a fourth term in a Sunday election. Seventeen years ago, Mr. Ito's predecessor Hitoshi Motojima was seriously injured after being...
COMMENTARY
Apr 19, 2007
Nuclear basics for the alliance
By Brad Glosserman
HONOLULU -- Nuclear strategy has become a core concern in the U.S.-Japan alliance. North Korea is the immediate trigger for Japanese anxiety, but similar uncertainties lie just beneath the surface when Japan contemplates China as well. U.S. assurances are needed -- both to Japan and to potential adversaries...
EDITORIALS
Apr 19, 2007
A stark warning from the IPCC
The evidence of global climate change is impossible to dismiss or ignore. Growing in tandem are the consequences of continued indifference to this phenomenon. Governments and individuals must abandon their short-term thinking and start taking action now to head off the devastating effects that human...
COMMENTARY
Apr 19, 2007
Asia's latest great power joins the game
By Gwynne Dyer
The test would hardly have made the news outside of India if the local air-traffic controllers had posted a warning in advance, but when an Indonesian airliner had to turn around in Indian airspace last Thursday and return to Jakarta to avoid flying into the missile's path, it was bound to draw attention....
EDITORIALS
Apr 18, 2007
Medical care for the terminal stage
The health ministry has formulated a guideline on terminal care stipulating that respect for patients' wishes is "the most important principle" when carrying out medical treatment for those in the terminal stage. The guideline, aimed at preventing single-handed decisions by doctors, is the first government...
EDITORIALS
Apr 17, 2007
Constitution bill lacks consensus
The coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito has passed a bill through the Lower House to set procedures for a national referendum to revise the Constitution, and sent it to the Upper House. This bill, however, is flawed since it does not mandate a minimum-turnout rate for referendums to...
EDITORIALS
Apr 17, 2007
Minamata disease still an issue
Niigata's municipal government has recently recognized two men as victims of Minamata disease, the mercury-poisoning disease symbolizing postwar industrial pollution, for the first time since March 1985. The Kumamoto prefectural government has also recognized a man as a Minamata disease victim; its first...
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
China’s housing crisis is worse than it seems
Residential buildings under construction in Shanghai in July 2022. The Chinese government risks long-term decline by repeating Japan’s policy mistakes in handling its real estate and demographic crises.
Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste
A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.

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

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