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August 18, 2025
 

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COMMENTARY
Apr 13, 2007
Legacy of Asian liberation
By Kazuo Ogoura
Taiwanese politics appears to be "boiling." Scandals involving political leaders or their relatives have "heated" the political waters. Seen from the perspectives of democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law and justice -- rather than from that of what effects the turmoil might have on Japan-Taiwan...
EDITORIALS
Apr 12, 2007
More to crisis than meets the eye
A showdown between Iran and Britain was averted last weekend when Tehran announced the release of 15 British service personnel it had taken hostage. The personal intervention of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad resolved the crisis, but it is yet unclear how the incident will play out in the murky...
COMMENTARY
Apr 12, 2007
Australia's anti-China pact
By Gregory Clark
Australia does some strange things in its foreign policies. The latest "security" (read "military") tieup with Japan is no exception.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 12, 2007
Transforming our way of living
By Daisaku Ikeda
This year, the Doomsday Clock devised by the Chicago-based Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was advanced two minutes, for the first time in five years. It now stands at 11:55 p.m., just five minutes away from the "midnight" of human annihilation. This change not only reflects last year's nuclear test...
EDITORIALS
Apr 11, 2007
The benefits of delayed divorce
On April 1, a system that allows divorced couples to divide retirement pensions went into effect. It has been reported that many housewives had postponed divorce in order to benefit from the new system. But they should be aware that the amount they will receive will be smaller than they had probably...
EDITORIALS
Apr 11, 2007
Temporary boost for Mr. Abe
In five gubernatorial elections Sunday, candidates supported by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and those supported by the opposition Democratic Party of Japan fought head on against each other. The LDP took three and the DPJ two. Although the results are not a direct indication of a similar trend...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 10, 2007
False hope of Iran sanctions
By Ian Bremmer
PRAGUE -- Despite his bellicose rhetoric, U.S. President George W. Bush would very much like to avoid a choice between airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites and accepting a nuclear Iran. For the moment, administration officials are hoping that "targeted" sanctions aimed directly at Iran's leadership will...
EDITORIALS
Apr 10, 2007
A view toward enshrinement
Documents on Yasukuni Shrine recently released by the National Diet Library shows that the then Health and Welfare Ministry actively involved itself in the enshrinement process for Japan's war dead at Yasukuni Shrine, including Class-A war criminals. The close relationship between the government and...
COMMENTARY
Apr 9, 2007
Redundant higher education
By Takamitsu Sawa
In the 1990s, the education ministry announced a policy of making graduate schools the center of education and research at what had traditionally been undergraduate universities. At about the same time, restrictions on a liberal arts education for undergraduates were relaxed, allowing even freshmen students...
EDITORIALS
Apr 9, 2007
How does the ASDF help Iraq?
The government has submitted to the Diet a bill for a two-year extension of the July 2003 ad hoc law to deploy Self-Defense Forces for noncombat activities in Iraq. Since the law expires at the end of July, the government hopes the Diet will pass the bill by the end of June. The specific aim of the bill...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2007
Making institutions work for the poor
By Jean-michel Severino
PARIS -- The World Bank has long proclaimed its dream of "a world free from poverty." Likewise, the International Monetary Fund may arguably desire "a world free from financial crisis."
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2007
A way forward for global financial policy
By Kenneth Rogoff and Lakhdar Brahimi
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Financial globalization is exploding. Yet, as the world's leading finance ministers and central bankers convene in Washington this month for the semiannual International Monetary Fund board meetings, policy paralysis continues.
Winning warship bid gives Japan confidence boost as Tokyo eyes more exports
Australia’s decision to select Japan's upgraded Mogami-class warship, seen in this computer-generated image, has been “well received across Japanese industry," a Defense Ministry official said.
European leaders to join Zelenskyy for key meeting with Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the tarmac after they arrived for a meeting on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
Hiker missing in Hokkaido after bear attack found dead
The Rausu mountain range at Hokkaido's Shiretoko National Park. A man in his 20s who went missing after being attacked by a bear while hiking on Mount Rausu has been found dead.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers
Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
Trump shifts stance on road to Ukraine peace after meeting Putin in Alaska
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on next to Russian leader Vladimir Putin during a news conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
In preserving Japanese hospitality, ‘details are everything’
Beniya Mukayu, a traditional "ryokan" inn located in Ishikawa Prefecture, considers itself at "the heart of onsen towns, local residents, farmers, fishermen, sake brewers and artisans" — all of which need new, sustainable methods of serving visitors to survive into the future.
A seaside hotel built on competitive Japanese cycling
In a region more associated with art, Keirin Hotel 10 takes a decidedly more athletic approach to attracting tourists.
Reading the Japanese clock: Are times a-changin'?
People walk past a time board at Hakata Station in Fukuoka. Luckily for those trying to catch a train, reading a clock is universal.
The indelible memory of being a part of Unit 731
Hideo Shimizu, 95, says he cannot forget seeing the prisoners' bloody wills scribbled on the walls of prison cells at Unit 731 in 1945.
Recent deaths of Japanese boxers underline importance of emergency action plans
The Japan Boxing Commission's safety protocols have been thrust into the spotlight following the deaths of Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa, who suffered fatal brain injuries while fighting on the same card on Aug. 2.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

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

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