For better or worse, Japan might remain nuclear-free forever
On May 5, Japan's last operating nuclear reactor was shut down, turning it into a nuclear energy-free country. The government is working desperately to restart two reactors in the town of Oi in Fukui Prefecture, but the outcome is difficult to predict. In fact, some ...
Todai plan to shift school year could be catalyst for wider Japanese reforms
The University of Tokyo, locally known as Todai, has announced a draft plan to shift the start of its academic year from spring to autumn and called on 11 other major universities to join it. Public discussion of the proposal has been immense since ...
South Korea's opening leaves wishy-washy Japan farther behind
On July 1, 2011, the European Union-South Korea free-trade agreement took effect, promising to significantly facilitate the exchange of goods and services and give both nations a major economic boost. The conclusion of the deal demonstrated the huge European interest in South Korea's economy ...
A U.S. of Euro Land may be what's needed but unity is in short supply
Japan launched major yen-selling intervention on Oct. 31 in response to massive speculative yen-buying — the first such action since August. The ever-rising yen is threatening Japan's export industry and can easily derail the eagerly awaited economic recovery from the March 11 shock. However, ...
Japan faces crossroads for rebranding itself after Fukushima crisis
The Fukushima power plant crisis has clearly damaged Japan as a country brand. There has been an outpouring of sympathy for the victims and a widespread admiration for Japan's perseverance, stoicism and orderly response, but the overwhelming perception overseas is negative: disbelief that such ...
German energy study offers framework for Japanese policy chaos
Pure chaos is reigning over Japanese energy policy and the future of its nuclear power industry. Just after trade minister Banri Kaieda declared the nation's nuclear power stations safe to restart late last month, Prime Minister Naoto Kan suddenly ordered that stress tests be ...
Meaningful future needed to preserve Tokyo Motor Show
Japanese automakers were hit hard by the March earthquake and the massive supply chain interruptions continue. It's so bad in fact that normalization of production at most domestic and overseas plants is expected to take until the end of the year. Toyota is likely ...
Germany's economic miracle: New lessons await for old Japan
The economies of Japan and Germany, similar in many respects, are often compared. Not only did both rise from the ashes of World War II to become the leading economies in their regions, but they also formed strong manufacturing bases, large numbers of successful ...
Japan, Germany face less size and clout as anniversary nears
Japan and Germany will celebrate the 150th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties in 2011. The first commemorative events will kick-off this October, with the grande finale planned to take place in October 2011 in Yokohama. Both countries were defeated in World War II but re-emerged ...
Japan not competing hard enough to reap big rewards in Africa
These days the world's eyes are on Africa. However, of the 32 soccer teams competing in the FIFA World Cup, one main stakeholder is missing: the Chinese team. Many years ago and earlier than most other countries, the government in Beijing had identified Africa as ...
Japan-EU Summit a chance to chart new decade of change
On April 28, Japanese and European leaders will meet for the 19th bilateral Japan-EU Summit in Tokyo. At first sight, the summit is just another in a long series of annual events that began back in 1991 with the European-Japan Joint Declaration of The ...
A German lesson for Japan's climate chiefs
The Copenhagen Climate Summit in December 2009 produced few tangible results and was widely regarded a failure. No consensus was reached on multilateral agreements, returning unilateral and national initiatives to the spotlight once again. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama made international headlines before the conference by ...
