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July 08, 2025
 

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EDITORIALS
Mar 9, 2007
Mr. Abe's trivial pursuit
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent statements on the Japanese military's use of "comfort women" during the war years trivializes the real issue. By focusing on whether Japanese soldiers used physical force to recruit young Asian women into a form of sex slavery, he shifts attention from the government...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2007
Realizing the potential of an aging society
By Daisaku Ikeda
Japanese society stands on the cusp of change. Starting from this year, large numbers of the postwar baby-boom generation will reach retirement age -- the so-called "2007 problem." The country's over-65 population already stands at 25.6 million, more than 20 percent of the total, and this percentage...
COMMENTARY
Mar 8, 2007
Mideast's new tower of Babel
By David Howell
LONDON -- The turnaround in U.S. policy on Iraq is truly breathtaking. From firmly refusing to talk to Iraq's awkward neighbors, namely Iran and Syria, the Bush administration has suddenly changed its tack. It seems that talking to them -- without of course necessarily agreeing with them -- is now acceptable,...
EDITORIALS
Mar 8, 2007
Is the opposition ready for battle?
The Lower House passed an 82.91 trillion yen budget for fiscal 2007 in a plenary session over the weekend. The budget, the first compiled under the Abe administration, is now in the Upper House's Budget Committee. Fierce Diet battles are expected to ensue between the ruling and opposition forces since...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2007
Overcoming Africa's north-south divide
By Sanou Mbaye
PRAGUE -- The late President Mobutu Sese Seko of former Zaire once declared that the north African countries, which pride themselves on their Arabic descent, should be excluded from the then Organization of African Unity.
EDITORIALS
Mar 8, 2007
Lack of transparency spells trouble
China plans to increase its defense budget by 17.8 percent to $44.94 billion in fiscal 2007 from the previous year's actual level. The boost, announced a day before the start of an annual session of the National People's Congress, is the largest since a 19.4 percent jump in fiscal 2002. China's defense...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 7, 2007
Bans on ethnic and racial information well-founded
By Raphael Hadas-Lebel
PARIS -- Race has always been a provocative subject when the needs of science and statistics intersect with politics. Now that debate is once again heating up in France, as the planned introduction of "ethnic statistics" has caused a fierce dispute that touches the very heart of French republicanism....
EDITORIALS
Mar 7, 2007
Thailand's troubles continue
It was expected that any instability that followed last September's coup in Thailand would be short-lived. Supporters even hoped that the military-led government would lessen uncertainty, end corruption and soothe the tensions that fuel a Muslim insurgency in the country's southern provinces. Those hopes...
COMMENTARY
Mar 6, 2007
Russia set to break the ice
By David Wall
TORONTO -- You probably missed it. With the new year focus on America's continued efforts to deal with U.S. President George W. Bush's three "evils" -- Iraq, Iran and North Korea -- you probably were not aware of the potential long-term international consequences of a speech by a Russian minister in...
EDITORIALS
Mar 6, 2007
Political pledges at the local level
Under a recent revision of the Public Offices Election Law, candidates running for leadership posts in local government can print their election "manifestos" with public money and distribute copies during the campaign period. For Diet elections, the distribution of printed manifestos has been allowed...
EDITORIALS
Mar 6, 2007
Taking gas heaters for granted
The Japan Industrial Association of Gas and Kerosene Appliances announced mid-February that since 1986, there have been a total of 314 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning involving the use of gas water heaters, room heaters and other gas appliances. Of these cases, 129 resulted in 199 deaths. This announcement...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 5, 2007
Eastern challenge to West European jobs
By Hans-Werner Sinn
MUNICH -- In January, the European Union expanded eastward once again. Following the "Big Bang" enlargement of 2004, which added 75 million new EU citizens, the accession of Romania and Bulgaria has added 30 million more. What does this mean for the labor markets of Western Europe?
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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Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027
Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

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