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EDITORIALS

Nov 11, 1999

Banishing the nuclear specter

The specter of a nuclear holocaust lingers as the world approaches the 21st century. True, the end of the Cold War halted the U.S.-Soviet nuclear-arms race and prompted efforts to reduce strategic nuclear weapons. But the theory of nuclear deterrence -- which created a "balance of terror" during the...

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 11, 1999

Crown tops bush hat, for now

By Roger Pulvers

Two definitive historical events of the past quarter-century have determined the agenda for 21st-century Australia: the dismissal of the Whitlam government by Governor General John Kerr in November 1975; and the defeat of the republican cause in the referendum of November 1999.

EDITORIALS

Nov 10, 1999

Cracking down on loan sharks

Japan's continuing credit squeeze is turning the spotlight onto small-business loans from commercial moneylenders -- so-called "shoko" (commerce and industry) loans that carry extremely high interest rates because they require no collateral, only a third-party guarantee. To collect loans, the lenders...

COMMENTARY

Nov 10, 1999

America should cut taxes, not the debt

By Doug Bandow

The standoff over the U.S. budget between the Republican Congress and Democratic president has had a curious byproduct: leaving more money to pay off the national debt. Some analysts are lobbying to devote future surpluses to the same purpose, perhaps eventually paying off the entire $5.6 trillion national...

EDITORIALS

Nov 9, 1999

Rejoicing in uncertainty

Ten years ago today, the Cold War ended. On Nov. 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall, perhaps the ultimate symbol of the world's division into two blocs and the oppression on the communist side of the Iron Curtain, was breached. Thousands of people mounted the graffiti-scarred concrete to dance, drink or just peer...

EDITORIALS

Nov 8, 1999

A welcome step toward Pyongyang

The government's decision last week to lift the ban on chartered flights between Japan and North Korea comes amid an easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The ban was part of the economic sanctions that Tokyo imposed in August last year to protest the test-firing of a Taepodong ballistic missile....

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 7, 1999

Prospects of a military coup in India

By Ramesh Thakur

This is Part 2 of a two-part article. Part 1 appeared in yesterday's Opinion page.

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 7, 1999

Another Anglo-French beef

By Sarah Benton

LONDON -- So here we are, 60 days short of the new millennium and 66 years short of the date one thousand years ago (1066) when the French conquered Britain -- and we are in the middle of La Guerre du Rosbif, or the Beef War, or Le Front de la vache folle (the mad cow front) as the French daily paper...

EDITORIALS

Nov 6, 1999

Coming to legal grips with Aum

Citizens who are justifiably wary of the lingering threat to public safety posed by the Aum Shinrikyo cult welcome the bill seeking to control its activities now under consideration in the Diet. It is expected to be enacted into law before the end of the year. The numerous criminal activities with which...

EDITORIALS

Nov 5, 1999

Getting children out of the sex trade

Belatedly, but at long last, Japan has taken a tough stand against child prostitution and pornography. A new law banning the sexual abuse of minors came into effect on Monday. The "law for prohibition of child prostitution" makes it a criminal offense for anyone in Japan, and any Japanese traveling overseas,...

EDITORIALS

Nov 4, 1999

Two parties in Tehran

Twenty years ago today, a group of Islamic militants took 53 members of the staff of the U.S. Embassy in Iran as hostages. That crisis lasted 444 days, although its effects color Tehran's relations with the United State to this day. On this 20th anniversary, Washington -- with a few exceptions, as always...

EDITORIALS

Nov 3, 1999

Not transparent enough

Corruption is on the run. Or so we like to think. A high-visibility campaign to end the tendency of governments and businesses to look the other way has had results. Unfortunately, old habits die hard. Corruption may be under attack, but it is still too prevalent, its toll too high.

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

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

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