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August 21, 2025

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COMMENTARY / World

Nov 2, 2007

U.S. influence behind Bhutto's return

By Gautaman Bhaskaran

MADRAS, India — One of America's playing fields has been Pakistan, and since 9/11 this small Islamic nation has been truly under the grip of Washington. U.S. President George W. Bush roped in Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to counter terror in adjoining Afghanistan and, in return, doled out aid...

COMMENTARY

Nov 2, 2007

Dealing with the Iran threat

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON — The imposition by the United States of sanctions against Iranian banks and the revolutionary guards, combined with discussion about the "big blue" bomb, has led to an increase in tension in the Middle East, a rise in the oil price and fears that the U.S. is preparing an attack on Iranian nuclear...

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 1, 2007

Not so welcome to Japan any longer

By Kevin Rafferty

HONG KONG — Japan is still purporting to celebrate "Yokoso Japan" or Welcome to Japan — just as it is preparing to inflict on every foreign visitor measures that are harassing, time-consuming, unnecessary, and would be illegal if done to Japanese citizens in Japan.

COMMENTARY

Nov 1, 2007

CCP changes but elitism remains intact

By Frank Ching and Rhiannon Picton-James

HONG KONG — Oh, what a difference a few decades make! Back in the days of Chairman Mao Zedong and his little red book, China was proud to proclaim the Communist Party as the party of workers, peasants and soldiers.

EDITORIALS

Nov 1, 2007

Anatomy of a fabrication

Former defendants who were charged with violation of the Public Offices Election Law and eventually found innocent have filed a damages lawsuit with the Kagoshima District Court, invoking the State Tort Liability Law. Twelve former defendants and five family members of a dead former defendant demand...

EDITORIALS

Nov 1, 2007

Mr. Moriya's testimony

Testifying as a sworn witness in the Diet, former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya admitted that an extraordinarily close relationship existed between him and a former executive of defense equipment trader Yamada Corp. But he denied any wrongdoing that may bring a criminal charge against him. Mr....

COMMENTARY

Nov 1, 2007

Trumped up war on 'terror'

By Gregory Clark

My French aunt died the other day. She was lovely woman. But sadly she was also a terrorist.

EDITORIALS

Oct 31, 2007

Guard against inflation

A recent string of price increases are raising concern that the threat of inflation may be looming once again. The prices of canned tuna, pasta, ham and sausage products, mayonnaise, cup noodles and frozen foods have all risen. Taxi fares, electricity and gas bills may soon follow suit.

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 31, 2007

Number of displaced Iraqis is soaring

By Robert Lowe and Shirouk Alabayachi

American officials report that the number of sectarian and other killings in Iraq has declined since the onset of the military "surge" that began earlier this year. But while the number of killings may, indeed, have fallen, does that mean Iraq is really safer?

COMMENTARY

Oct 31, 2007

Consistency, proportionality and hypocris

By Gwynne Dyer

LONDON — Fifteen months ago, the armed wing of Lebanon's Hezbollah party, listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and most other Western countries, attacked Israel's northern border, capturing two Israeli soldiers and killing eight more. Israel replied with a month of massive air attacks...

EDITORIALS

Oct 31, 2007

A deal in Manila

As an action film star, Mr. Joseph Estrada was constantly dodging perils. Last week, he made another escape; this time for real. The former president of the Philippines walked out of jail after being amnestied by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. This act of clemency may be more than it seems: It looks...

EDITORIALS

Oct 30, 2007

What was Damascus building?

Sept. 6, Israeli warplanes bombed a Syrian complex that may have been the site for a nuclear reactor. Both governments have been close-mouthed about the attack, Syria denies that the site was a nuclear complex — Israel refuses to say anything, and other governments that might know what was there have...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.

The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers

By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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