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COMMENTARY / World

Feb 19, 2007

Palestinians need more than unity to heal

By Daoud Kuttab

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- The reconciliation between the leaders of the two major Palestinian groups, Hamas and Fatah, that has just been negotiated in Saudi Arabia is being hailed as a major political breakthrough. But the national unity government created as a result of this agreement faces many daunting...

EDITORIALS

Feb 19, 2007

A viable farming sector

This year will be important for Japan in developing policy for creating a viable agricultural sector without inviting criticism of protectionism from abroad. Among the reasons for tackling this issue is that, although the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations has stalled, the liberalization...

COMMENTARY

Feb 19, 2007

Nuclear uncertainties linger

By Keizo Nabeshima

For the people of Japan, the world's only country to suffer atomic-bomb attacks, the existence of nuclear weapons in any form is unacceptable. Regrettably, however, nuclear proliferation is continuing outside the framework of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 19, 2007

Abe must not neglect Japan-U.S. ties

By Yoshio Okawara

Since coming to power four months ago, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has successfully mended fences with China and South Korea, reinforced diplomatic and economic foundations in Europe, and built bridges in Southeast Asia. But he has not visited his closest ally, U.S. President George W. Bush, although Abe...

EDITORIALS

Feb 18, 2007

Face of the lay judge system

By May 2009, Japan will introduce a lay judge system in which ordinary citizens will take part in criminal proceedings as judges to help decide the outcomes of trials. The system is gradually taking shape as the Supreme Court has made public a simulation for the process of choosing candidates for lay...

COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT

Feb 18, 2007

Whose Japan deserves youth's patriotism now?

By Roger Pulvers

'I for one, cannot believe that love of one's country must consist in blindness to its social faults, in deafness to its social discords, in inarticulation of its social wrongs. Neither can I believe that the mere accident of birth in a certain country or the mere scrap of a citizen's paper constitutes...

EDITORIALS

Feb 17, 2007

Qualified GDP growth

The government has announced that Japan's economy continued to grow for the eighth consecutive quarter in the October-December period. Gross domestic product in the quarter registered 1.2 percent growth in real terms from the previous quarter, translating to an annualized 4.8 percent. This growth rate...

EDITORIALS

Feb 16, 2007

JAL's last chance at revival

The medium-term restructuring plan announced last week by Japan Airlines Corp. is a plan for the survival of the nation's flag carrier. The group is saddled with 1.7 trillion yen in debt. JAL President and CEO Haruka Nishimatsu summarized the importance of achieving the goals when he said, "We must keep...

EDITORIALS

Feb 16, 2007

Yen traveling on thin ice

The joint statement issued last weekend by the Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank governors did not directly refer to the Japanese yen. But criticism of the currency's weakness appears likely to mount. After the G7 meeting, the yen briefly hit a record low against the euro and a four-year...

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 15, 2007

Moscow and the Middle East

By Yuliya Tymoshenko

PRAGUE -- Iran's influence in the Middle East is being strengthened not only because of the opportunities created by the frustration of U.S. power in Iraq, but because of the diplomatic protection it has been receiving from China, and most importantly, from Russia. With President Vladimir Putin now on...

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 15, 2007

More pressing issues than climate change

By Bjorn Lomborg

COPENHAGEN -- You would have had to be stuck in deepest Mongolia to avoid hearing that the United Nations' climate panel, the IPCC, issued a new report. Perhaps even in the depths of Mongolia, you would have heard the dire warnings emitted by journalists. You would have distilled from these agonized...

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 15, 2007

Defending Polish plumbers makes sense

By Jan Krzysztof Bielecki

PRAGUE -- Supporters of Europe's social model claim that what distinguishes it is the importance placed on "social cohesion." And, of course, it is as difficult to be against cohesion as it is to be against friendship. But the real question is which policies work best.

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

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

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