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COMMENTARY / World

Sep 28, 2006

Irwin's enthusiasm survives his passing

By Alan Goodall

SYDNEY -- His death was bizarre -- stabbed through his wet suit by a stingray. Yet the continuing work of Australia's most famous wildlife activist is winning worldwide acclaim in the cause of conservation.

COMMENTARY / World

Sep 28, 2006

Chavez and Bush on a collision course

By Cesar Chelala

NEW YORK -- Of one thing you can be sure with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez: You won't be bored listening to him. Chavez's recent criticism of George W. Bush at the United Nations is only the latest in a war of words with the U.S. president. Chavez has accused the Bush administration of trying to...

COMMENTARY

Sep 28, 2006

Japan's political resurgence

By Brahma Chellaney

TOKYO -- The election of Shinzo Abe as postwar Japan's youngest prime minister signals more than a change at the helm. Abe not only symbolizes a generational change in Japanese politics but also is the face of an assertive new Japan intent on shaping the power balance in Asia in a way that China does...

COMMENTARY / World

Sep 28, 2006

Moving toward an East Asian Community

By Yoshio Okawara

One of the first tasks the new administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe needs to address is to mend bilateral fences with China and South Korea, which have been strained primarily as a result of his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine.

COMMENTARY / World

Sep 28, 2006

So much for Thai democracy

By Gwynne Dyer

LONDON -- Democracy is fine as long as the voters elect the right people, but they often get it wrong. The Palestinians elected Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel, so the Israelis and their allies overseas have to persuade them of the error of their ways with bombs, bullets and a financial blockade....

COMMENTARY / World

Sep 28, 2006

'New Europe' has plenty of old problems

By Charles Wyplosz

GENEVA -- The riots in Budapest, incited by leaked tapes that show Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany openly admitting that his government had lied for over a year about the country's dire finances, are but the latest evidence that things are going seriously wrong across Eastern Europe.

EDITORIALS

Sep 27, 2006

Aum leader's trial finally ends

The long trial of Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara ended Sept. 15 when the Supreme Court rejected a special appeal by lawyers for Asahara. The top court's decision affirmed the February 2004 ruling of the Tokyo District Court, which found the cult leader guilty of 13 criminal counts, the most serious...

EDITORIALS

Sep 26, 2006

Saraba, Mr. Koizumi

Mr. Junichiro Koizumi leaves the center stage of Japanese politics Tuesday, after five years and five months in power. He can claim some major accomplishments under the banner of structural reform. He also has created problems that must be overcome by the new administration in the years to come.

EDITORIALS

Sep 25, 2006

Sustainable local government

On June 20, Mayor Kenji Goto of Yubari, Hokkaido, solemnly told the city assembly that his city would have to undergo compulsory financial reconstruction, the equivalent of recovering from the brink of bankruptcy. The city is the second local government to fall into this status in 14 years.

COMMENTARY

Sep 25, 2006

Sticky bureaucratic fingers

By Kiroku Hanai

It used to be said that Japanese bureaucrats were first rate while politicians were third rate. That's no longer true, as evidenced by an appalling spate of scandals involving slush funds in the central and local governments.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Sep 25, 2006

Supreme Court ruling doesn't hold water

By Hiroaki Sato

NEW YORK -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia can't be serious. In a recent decision he penned, he quoted "a famous exchange" in the 1942 movie "Casablanca" and a tale about "an Eastern guru" exclaiming, "Ah, after that it is turtles all the way down." The first quote was intended to deride the...

COMMENTARY / World

Sep 25, 2006

Pope showed bias in misguided moment

By Kevin Rafferty

HONG KONG -- What theological devil tempted Pope Benedict XVI earlier this month to make a byzantine reference to a long-forgotten Christian emperor who, under siege in Constantinople (now Istanbul) from Muslim forces, made derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad's instruction to spread Islam by...

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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