Morearticles

 
Menu
Search
 
May 17, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

More Opinion stories

COMMENTARY
Feb 17, 2004
U.S.-British naivete unmasked
By Gregory Clark
With the United States bringing out new rules of international relations regularly, it is important to take stock from time to time. One of them, spawned by the Iraq conflict, is the uncertainty doctrine. This says that whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or not does not matter. What is...
EDITORIALS
Feb 16, 2004
Taking nonproliferation seriously
The inadequacies of the global nuclear nonproliferation regime become more evident each day. From Libya and Pakistan come recent revelations that a black market in nuclear materials has existed for years virtually under the nose of the world's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency....
EDITORIALS
Feb 15, 2004
Romance by the numbers
You have to hand it to Singapore: It is doing its best to lose its longtime image as the nanny state of Asia. In fact, with the launch earlier this month of the now annual "Romancing Singapore" campaign, it is behaving less like a nanny and more like a madam.
COMMENTARY
Feb 15, 2004
Japan jumping headfirst into the future
By Tom Plate
The Japanese "get no respect, no respect at all." That trademark line from American comic Rodney Dangerfield certainly applies to the government of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Last August when I interviewed Koizumi in his official Tokyo residence, I asked him point-blank if Japanese troops really...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Feb 15, 2004
Don't tease the Russian bear
By Constantine Pleshakov
MOSCOW -- In this election year for both Russia and the United States, a major conflict is under way in Russo-American relations: the debate over the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Created to contain the Soviet Union during the Cold War, NATO had to redesign itself following the...
COMMENTARY
Feb 15, 2004
Afghanistan risks becoming narco-state
By Farhan Bokhari
ISLAMABAD -- The United Nations' office on drugs and crime has warned recently that Afghanistan risks becoming a narco-state, dependent largely on the flow of illegal drugs. The production and shipment of narcotics in an otherwise shattered and bankrupt economy not only add to the aggravation within...
EDITORIALS
Feb 14, 2004
Free trade, without the sweetener
The conclusion of a free trade agreement between the United States and Australia has been greeted with mixed emotions. The deal has been applauded for significantly lowering duties on manufactured goods. It also strengthens the U.S.-Australia strategic partnership. But free trade advocates worry about...
COMMENTARY
Feb 14, 2004
The fallibility of intelligence
By Hugh Cortazzi
LONDON -- The Jan. 28 report of Lord Justice Brian Hutton's inquiry into the death last July of British government defense scientist David Kelly was highly critical of the behavior of the British Broadcasting Corp. and a BBC reporter who had accused the government of "sexing up" intelligence for the...
EDITORIALS
Feb 13, 2004
Questionable intelligence
Confronted with mounting evidence that Iraq did not possess weapons of mass destruction at the time of last year's war, U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair last month decided to launch an independent inquiry into the quality of intelligence they used to justify the war....
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2004
Bird flu lessons highlight change in Asia
By Eric Teo Chu Cheow
SINGAPORE -- Avian flu has spread across 10 countries in Asia -- from China and Pakistan to Indonesia. A meeting in Bangkok at the end of January highlighted the flu's "regional dimension" as well as the necessity for a regional approach to eradicating it.
EDITORIALS
Feb 12, 2004
Pension reforms without teeth
With Japan's population aging rapidly, overhauling the underfunded public pension system for company employees is an urgent priority. The reform package approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday contains important reforms, but it entails painful adjustments. Its primary aim is to balance revenue (premiums)...
COMMENTARY
Feb 12, 2004
China creeps toward a culture of openness
By Frank Ching
HONG KONG -- Last month, in a small but significant move toward greater openness and transparency, China for the first time made available to the public a portion of materials from its diplomatic archives for the period between the founding of the People's Republic in 1949 and 1955.
Success of Chinese-made fighter jets against India raises alarm in Asia
Chinese J-10 fighter jets from the People's Liberation Army Air Force August 1st Aerobatics Team perform during a media demonstration at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, in November 2015.
Rich Japanese still fear yen crash, wealth manager says
The yen slumped more than 2% on Monday alone, nearing ¥150 to the dollar, after the U.S. and China temporarily lowered tariffs, triggering a reversal of bearish dollar bets.
Japan to recognize Taiwan as place of origin in family registration system
Masataka Yuhara, secretary-general of the Friends of Lee Teng Hui Association in Japan, which has been calling for "Taiwan" to be permitted as a place of origin in family registers.
Irresponsible climbing prompts debate over who should pay for Mount Fuji rescues
Mount Fuji fills the skyline above a bridge connecting stores at a popular outlet shopping center in the city of Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in November 2024.
Akazawa's dilemma: no tariff deal or a half-baked deal
Chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa and his delegation in the Oval Office of the White House in April. Since then, Japan's trade negotiations with the U.S. have produced no tangible results.
Nissan hoping to electrify home crowd as Formula E returns to Tokyo
Nissan's Oliver Rowland drives during qualifying for Miami E-Prix at Homestead Motor Speedway in Homestead, Florida, on April 12.
For his first feature film, director Ryuya Suzuki created a masterpiece
"Jinsei," which follows its protagonist over a century, probes themes of identity and societal issues with a dark comic touch. The director, however, says he created the story without knowing where it would lead.
Historian Rob Fitts discovers earliest ever reference to baseball in Japan
Japan's Shohei Ohtani carries the Japanese flag onto the field before the start of the World Baseball Classic final against the United States in Miami on March 21, 2023.
Japanese retailers turn to California rice for cheaper alternative
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass eats California rice at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday along with Mitsuko Tsuchiya, vice president of retailer Aeon.
Harmfully hot days for pregnant women in Japan nearly doubled over past five years
New research by a U.S. climate scientists’ group reveals that extreme heat has increased the risks of preterm births and other pregnancy complications in Japan, nearly doubling the number of days that are harmfully hot for pregnant women over the past five years.

Podcast

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

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?
By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones
Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER