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COMMENTARY

Dec 8, 2001

Look of Japan belies reality

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON -- A recent, short visit to Japan made me doubt whether there was much sense of an economic crisis threatening Japan's future and how far the recession has affected ordinary people.

EDITORIALS

Dec 7, 2001

Breaking with Keynesianism

The government's economic and fiscal report released Tuesday focuses on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's program to resuscitate Japan's moribund economy. No wonder its writers -- selected public economists -- have made a great effort to rationalize the prime minister's "no reform, no growth" agenda....

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 7, 2001

Maoists try to undermine Nepal's ties with neighbors

By Gautaman Bhaskaran

T he latest Maoist turbulence in Nepal is yet another chapter in the Himalayan kingdom's recent history of bloodshed and carnage, which began with the palace massacre in early June.

COMMENTARY

Dec 7, 2001

Koizumi takes aim at public corporations

By Ryuichiro Hosokawa

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi believes the Japanese economy cannot recover without structural reform. As the first step in translating this political philosophy into action, he is working on reforming inefficient government-affiliated public corporations.

EDITORIALS

Dec 6, 2001

Take action, Mr. Arafat

Two suicide bombing attacks by Islamic militants in Israel over the weekend followed by the severe responses on the part of the Israeli government have dashed hopes for bringing the Mideast peace process back to life in the near future. The horrific attacks have brought the situation to a head.

COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE

Dec 6, 2001

Bush scores high leadership marks

By Bob Keefe

WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush continues to enjoy the support of the American people for his prosecution of the war against terrorism. His job rating on the war effort remains just under 90 percent, where it has been since it all began. The military successes in Afghanistan have quelled concerns...

COMMENTARY

Dec 6, 2001

Taiwan's Lee 'flexes strength'

By Ralph Cossa

TAIPEI -- "The KMT is still the biggest opposition party in the legislature." With these words, Kuomintang party chairman Lien Chan tried, unconvincingly, to put a positive spin on the former ruling party's disastrous showing in last weekend's legislative elections in Taiwan.

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 6, 2001

Israeli occupation spawns cycle of death

By Michael Dahan and Sam Bahour

AL-BIREH, West Bank -- In the 48 hours following the horrific suicide bombings in Israel, hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon addressed the nation while simultaneously increasing, by yet another step, Israel's part of the violence in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Sadly, no end...

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 6, 2001

Egypt: a mirror of what is wrong with U.S.-Arab relations

By David Hirst

CAIRO -- In a workshop in the Khan Khalil bazaar in the heart of medieval Cairo, Atef Hamid unwraps three beautifully crafted copper plates, each with designs taken from ancient and famous mosques, on which his grandfather has been laboring.

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 5, 2001

Show North Koreans the carrot as well as the stick

By Raelyn Campbell

LOS ANGELES -- While most of the world's attention following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has focused on rooting out Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network, there has been quiet progress on another perennial terrorism problem -- North Korea.

EDITORIALS

Dec 5, 2001

Taiwan's transformation

The historic evolution of Taiwanese politics continued last weekend as the Nationalist Party, the KMT, lost control of the legislature, its last political stronghold. In a landslide vote, the Democratic Progressive Party, headed by President Chen Shui-bian, emerged as the island government's strongest...

COMMENTARY

Dec 5, 2001

Koizumi and LDP square off

By Keizo Nabeshima

With the government's decision to scrap or privatize seven key public corporations, including four highway corporations, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has cleared a major hurdle on the road to "structural reform with no sanctuary." Now his battle against the "resistance forces" -- the old guard of...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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

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