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EDITORIALS

Dec 30, 2006

2006, politics and personalities

The year 2006 may best be remembered as a year when outsize personalities drove events -- rather than abstract political forces -- although there were, as always, lingering issues that defied resolution. In Pyongyang, supreme leader Kim Jong Il continued his brinkmanship, struggling to keep the world's...

EDITORIALS

Dec 29, 2006

Loose ends in fabrication scandal

Punishment at last has been meted out to now-disqualified structural designer Hidetsugu Aneha, the main player in the earthquake-resistance data-fabrication scandal that surfaced in November 2005. The Tokyo District Court Tuesday sentenced him to five years in prison, coupled with a 1.8 million yen fine,...

EDITORIALS

Dec 29, 2006

Narrowing the great divide

Japanese and Chinese scholars held their first meeting this week in Beijing on a joint project to study both countries' ancient and modern history. Launch of the project had been agreed to in October by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Hu Jintao during their summit in Beijing.

COMMENTARY

Dec 28, 2006

Turkey's gaze is shifting East

By David Howell

LONDON -- The ambiguous attitude of Western European countries toward Turkish entry into full membership of the European Union has produced a flood of comments, as well as a good deal of anger and confusion in Turkey.

EDITORIALS

Dec 28, 2006

Trouble in Turkmenistan

President Saparmurat Niyazov was larger than life; in death, the forces rushing into fill that void risk destabilizing Turkmenistan, the country he ruled with an iron hand. There is the danger that instability unleashed by the struggle for power could spread beyond Turkmenistan's borders to other Central...

EDITORIALS

Dec 27, 2006

The U.N. votes, Iran ignores

The United Nations Security Council at long last voted to impose sanctions on Iran for its continuing pursuit of uranium enrichment in defiance of the international community. The Tehran government immediately dismissed the U.N. move and vowed to step up nuclear activities. The stage is thus set for...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 27, 2006

Latin Americans lose fear of the formerly radical left

By Rodrigo Pardo

PRAGUE -- The death of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, Chile's former military dictator, provides perhaps an appropriate end for a year that saw the Latin American left return to glory, a revival that President Hugo Chavez's overwhelming re-election in Venezuela is but the strongest sign. For unlike in the days...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 26, 2006

Compelling antiwar images

By Kiroku Hanai

Clint Eastwood has turned out a pair of outstanding movies based on stories about Iwo Jima, the scene of an internecine battle between U.S. and Japanese forces during the Pacific War.

EDITORIALS

Dec 26, 2006

Nuclear pragmatism

A merican President George W. Bush has signed legislation that lets his country and India cooperate on civilian nuclear-energy programs. The move is likely to be one of the legacies of Mr. Bush's presidency: It is the cornerstone of his attempt to forge a new relationship between the two countries.

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 25, 2006

Enabling Islamic science to be born again

WASHINGTON -- For a few hundred years, when science and mathematics were enjoying a period of great invention, one region of the world stood out. Masters of these disciplines were revered, medicine advanced quickly and the average person was curious about how nature worked. Not surprisingly, this region...

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Dec 25, 2006

Relativity of greatness in a lawless world

By Hiroaki Sato

NEW YORK -- Americans love to rank their own greats. One recent example is "the 100 most influential Americans of all time" that The Atlantic monthly compiled from the views of 10 historians. The list appears in its December issue, with a brief summary of what distinguishes each person.

EDITORIALS

Dec 25, 2006

Lucky breaks in new budget

The fiscal 2007 draft budget, the first one compiled under the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, reduces the amount of new debt, lifting hopes for the nation's financial reconstruction. But the reduction is mainly due to lucky circumstances -- not because of strenuous efforts to cut spending....

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

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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