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COMMENTARY

Feb 21, 2001

Japan-U.S. ties: lost at sea?

By Tom Plate

LOS ANGELES -- The Japanese people are angry about a lot of things these days, not just their soggy economy. They are angry about the collision of a U.S. submarine with a Japanese fisheries ship off Hawaii. They are angry about their prime minister, Yoshiro Mori, who incredibly continued with a golf...

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 21, 2001

India's barbaric idea of school discipline

By Gautaman Bhaskaran

Corporal punishment has no place in a civilized society. Yet a recent High Court judgment in the southern Indian state of Kerala recently upheld the legitimacy of this method of punishing a child.

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 21, 2001

Unequal treatment in the Middle East

By David Hirst

Beirut -- The Israelis have just elected a prime minister who, brought before the bar of international justice, would surely be judged a war criminal in the class of, say, Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb commander who is as firmly associated with the Srebrenica massacre as Gen. Ariel Sharon was with that...

EDITORIALS

Feb 21, 2001

The G7 prescription for Japan

With signs of a slowdown in the U.S. economy casting a shadow over the global economy, the Group of Seven finance ministers and central-bank governors who gathered in Palermo, Italy, last weekend emphasized the need for coordinated action to ensure sustainable growth worldwide. That appeal for cooperation,...

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 20, 2001

Corporate investment is key

By Mamoru Ishida

Amid widespread economic uncertainty, some economists prefer a more expansionary monetary policy or inflation targeting. At a recent meeting of the government's Economic and Fiscal Advisory Council, many members called on the Bank of Japan to relax credit restraints even further.

EDITORIALS

Feb 20, 2001

No game plan for a new politics

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's days are numbered. The latest popularity survey by one vernacular newspaper has found that public trust in his administration has plummeted to 9 percent. Not only the leader of a coalition party but also members of his Liberal Democratic Party are now speaking of the possibility...

EDITORIALS

Feb 19, 2001

Name them and shame them

Money laundering was once considered a problem of "rogue" bankers. No longer. It is becoming increasingly clear that no one is immune to the siren song of easy profits. Earlier this month, major U.S. banks were slammed for their willingness to look the other way when dealing with ill-gotten funds. Public...

COMMENTARY

Feb 19, 2001

Should war criminals worry?

By David Howell

LONDON -- Almost unnoticed by the world's media, a huge step forward in the pattern of global governance is about to be taken.

COMMENTARY

Feb 19, 2001

Defense issues move to the fore

By Keizo Nabeshima

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, in a policy speech to the Diet Jan. 31, stated: "Emergency legislation (designed to defend Japan in the event of foreign aggression) is necessary to ensure the security of the state and the people. I intend to initiate considerations in this regard." Earlier, on Jan. 26,...

EDITORIALS

Feb 18, 2001

Extend a helping hand to Mongolia

The coming spring promises more, not less, hardship for Mongolia's nomad households. The pastures are covered with snow, with no signs of sprouts emerging. The stocks of hay built up last autumn are already depleted, and many sheep and horses -- essential assets of the nomads -- are on the verge of starvation....

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 18, 2001

Okinawans have good reason to be angry

By Robert D. Eldridge

On Feb. 6, the morning edition of the Ryukyu Shimpo, one of Okinawa's two main dailies, reported that the commander of U.S. forces in Okinawa, Lt. Gen. Earl B. Hailston of the III MEF/Marine Corps, called Okinawa prefectural officials, including Gov. Keiichi Inamine, "nuts and a bunch of wimps" in a...

COMMENTARY

Feb 18, 2001

This cup of coffee is on George W. Bush

By TED RALL

NEW YORK -- I admit it: The money's already spent. I know, I know. I should have waited until that huge GOP windfall actually hit my bank account before going out on a wild tax-cut bender, but I just couldn't help myself. The mere thought of all that budget surplus loot -- trillions! of dollars! just...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.

What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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