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EDITORIALS

Jan 7, 2005

Recovery effort on a global scale

The vast numbers of tsunami victims in the stricken countries around the Indian Ocean boggle the mind. More than 10 days after the disaster, exact figures are still unknown. According to the United Nations, the death toll has passed 150,000 and is expected to keep climbing. Thousands of other people,...

COMMENTARY

Jan 7, 2005

Musharraf's penchant to stay in charge

By Farhan Bokhari

ISLAMABAD -- The prospect that Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf -- who seized power in a bloodless coup five years ago -- will remain head of the military looms as a major setback in the political outlook for South Asia's second-largest nuclear-armed country.

COMMENTARY / World

Jan 6, 2005

Finding succor in tragedy

By Michael R. Czinkota

WASHINGTON -- It is said that even the darkest cloud has a silver lining. So what positives could possibly be connected with the sorrowful destruction from Sumatra's tsunami? The catastrophe has shown us several things:

EDITORIALS

Jan 6, 2005

Uncertain economic prospects ahead

The world's economic outlook for 2005 is uncertain at best. Pessimists may worry about worst-case scenarios, but economic disasters, unlike natural disasters, can be prevented through better planning and management. Much depends on how major economic powers -- particularly the United States, Europe,...

COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE

Jan 6, 2005

Lessons from last year's landmark U.S. election

By Bob Keefe

WASHINGTON -- The last election that we just endured is still being quantified and dissected. From the seemingly endless forums and reviews that have flowed since Nov. 2, we are learning a bit about how our elections are run and won.

EDITORIALS

Jan 5, 2005

Easier path for foreign investors

Japan is beginning to open the door wider to foreign direct investment. The Justice Ministry has completed a skeleton draft of a new law that will make it easier for foreign companies to purchase Japanese ones. Japanese executives understandably fear that their companies might become targets for foreign...

COMMENTARY

Jan 5, 2005

Beijing counts on more high-speed growth in '05

By Frank Ching

HONG KONG -- Barely three years after joining the World Trade Organization, China has emerged as a major trading power, with total trade last year exceeding $1 trillion, an increase of more than 30 percent over 2003, making China the world's third-largest trading power. This is an astonishing performance...

COMMENTARY

Jan 4, 2005

Britain governed by nannies

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair is often accused of being a "control freak," meaning someone who places the emphasis on presentation rather than content, but the accusation that he and his colleagues have become obsessed with "political correctness" is closer to the mark.

EDITORIALS

Jan 4, 2005

The year for the Middle East?

The year 2005 may herald a new era of hope for the Middle East. The death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has provided the opportunity for all parties to push with renewed vigor for a negotiated peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Amazingly, the interested parties appear to be making the most...

COMMENTARY

Jan 3, 2005

Modern England leaves Granny behind

By Sarah Benton

LONDON -- "What are we coming to" cried one of the grannies at my Christmas dinner, meaning we, the English. Her small anguish was prompted by the thought of the bank holidays and festive refusal of work that wraps everyone in a haze of food and alcohol, gifts and family, and lets the outer world fend...

EDITORIALS

Jan 3, 2005

Pile of unfinished business

This year has the potential to shape the world in profound ways. Some key events, and their results, will be instantly evident. Much of their impact will not be visible for years to come, however. We can identify with reasonable certainty what those moments will be, but only guess at their outcome and...

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW

Jan 3, 2005

Putin's tragic gaffes of 2004

By Constantine Pleshakov

MOSCOW -- The year 2004 has had mixed blessings for Russian President Vladimir Putin. He won re-election in a landslide, and though the results were probably rigged, by and large they still reflected voters' sympathies well enough: Russia likes its president.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.

How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan

By Megha Wadhwa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

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