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EDITORIALS

Jul 3, 2003

Freeze salaries to arrested lawmakers

The average annual income of Japanese Diet members in 2002 dropped 6.2 percent from the year before to 26.93 million yen, the lowest level since 1993 when an income and asset reporting system for national legislators was introduced, according to data released Monday by the Diet. This drop is attributed...

COMMENTARY

Jul 2, 2003

Drive for European unity gets a boost from Iraq war

By Andre Fontaine

PARIS -- Two months ago, the European Union seemed bound to be one of the major casualties of the trans-Atlantic rift generated by the Iraqi war. Now, however, the climate is improving.

COMMENTARY

Jul 2, 2003

Pyongyang: keep the gloves on for now

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON -- There is no question that the anachronistic communist regime in North Korea threatens the peace in Northeast Asia. In the absence of good intelligence, however, it is difficult to estimate the extent of the threat. American intelligence on Iraq was faulty, and it is doubtful whether the CIA...

EDITORIALS

Jul 2, 2003

'Big-boned' changes require leadership

The Cabinet last week approved a new set of guidelines for structural reform, dubbed the "big-boned" program. It is the third of its kind since Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi took office in April 2001. In a nutshell, the latest program gives the impression that his reform drive is running out of steam....

EDITORIALS

Jul 1, 2003

Another nudge for the U.S. economy

The stars are beginning to line up for the U.S. economy. The war in Iraq ended quickly, the Bush tax cut has become law, economic indicators point to growth in the second half of the year and the dollar is declining against other currencies, boosting the prospects for exports. To help nudge things along,...

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 1, 2003

Hong Kong strives to end SARS stigma

By Alex Fong

As the principal representative of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Tokyo, I am pleased to share the challenges and achievements of Hong Kong with our friends in Japan on the sixth anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.

COMMENTARY

Jul 1, 2003

A ridiculous SDF restriction

By Kenzo Uchida

The first half of 2003 was marked by the war in Iraq, led by the United States and Britain, and the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, which hit China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Canada.

EDITORIALS

Jun 30, 2003

Prepare for the next outbreak

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which has claimed the lives of more than 800 people around the world, appears to have subsided. No new cases have been reported in mainland China, the epicenter of the disease, since June 11. Complete eradication will be difficult, though, and...

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Jun 30, 2003

U.S. policy only fuels fundamentalism

By Hiroaki Sato

NEW YORK -- "In pre-surrender discussions of the postwar world, no principle, save the basic principle of democracy itself, was more frequently cited than that of religious freedom as essential to the establishment of a permanently peaceful world."

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW

Jun 30, 2003

An irrational space odyssey?

By Constantine Pleshakov

MOSCOW -- Of all the arms races humankind has been involved in, the one in space has been the most bizarre. If a person is interested in a case study of unintended consequences, one could hardly find a better subject. Scientific curiosity, imperial dreams, down-to-earth geopolitics, interests of commerce...

COMMENTARY

Jun 30, 2003

U.N. strives to control real weapons of mass destruction

By Keizo Nabeshima

In July 2001 the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus an action program to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. Two months later, the 9/11 terror attacks hit the United States, shifting the focus to international terrorism and the proliferation...

COMMENTARY

Jun 29, 2003

Six lies of Myanmar's junta

By Harvey Stockwin

HONG KONG -- Myanmar's military junta has reacted to growing international disquiet over its current crackdown on the country's duly elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy by telling lies that only increase fears for her personal survival.

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.

The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

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