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COMMENTARY
Jul 25, 2007

The death of Iraq's Christian community

WASHINGTON — Although Islam long has been in the ascendancy in Iraq, the so-called Assyrians, who speak a neo-Aramaic language, predate the rise of Islam. Today, however, the Iraqi Christian community faces possible extermination.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2007

N. Korea talks could restart next month: Hill

are very aware of the fact that this is a step-by-step process, with many steps to come," Hill said. Pyongyang agreed to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for access to frozen funds at a Macau bank. The funds were frozen after the U.S. blacklisted the bank for allegedly assisting North Korea in...
EDITORIALS
Jun 10, 2007

Another frustrating G8 summit

One step forward, one step back. That's likely to be the verdict on the just-ended summit of the Group of Eight industrial powers. Progress came on climate change; the retreat was on AIDS. Yet the trimming of ambitions regarding AIDS policy should shape perceptions of the historic deal on greenhouse-gas...
COMMENTARY
May 14, 2007

Cherry-picking an identity

LONDON — Political leaders nowadays are fond of talking about national identity and culture, but do we know what they mean by either identity or culture, and do they know themselves what they mean?
EDITORIALS
Apr 9, 2007

How does the ASDF help Iraq?

The government has submitted to the Diet a bill for a two-year extension of the July 2003 ad hoc law to deploy Self-Defense Forces for noncombat activities in Iraq. Since the law expires at the end of July, the government hopes the Diet will pass the bill by the end of June. The specific aim of the bill...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2007

Ishihara, Asano are in capital duel

Organizers of the 40th Annual Ome City Marathon were furious when Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara scheduled the first Tokyo Marathon for Feb. 18, the same day as their race.
Japan Times
LIFE
Feb 25, 2007

Law and disorder

I was surprised when Jaime Xavier Lopez, the head of Sacred Heart, a notorious "martial-arts" group, told me to meet him at the government's Office of Cadastral Surveys and Property, where he has his day job. Or that's where he did work, since he is now imprisoned.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Feb 10, 2007

McClaren taking heat after England's most recent stumble

LONDON -- Seven months after Sven-Goran Eriksson's departure, many of those who were glad to see him walk away are yearning for a return of the good old days under the Swede.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2007

Tokyo tells India to forsake nukes and join the NPT

Japan refused on Wednesday to acknowledge India as a legitimate nuclear weapons state and demanded that it join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
COMMENTARY
Nov 14, 2006

What are Kim's objectives?

North Korea has agreed to rejoin the six-party nuclear talks on its nuclear-weapons program before yearend following hard bargaining with the United States and China. The breakthrough resulted from mounting international pressure, especially the U.S. financial crackdown and the United Nations Security...
COMMENTARY
Sep 1, 2006

Rights awareness spreading like wildfire

HONG KONG -- The headlines tell it all. On the front page of the International Herald Tribune: "Activist in China sentenced to 4 years -- decision seen as part of a sweeping move to punish dissent."
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 10, 2006

Rape wielded as a weapon in Myanmar

LONDON -- Gender-based sexual violence obstructs peace and development, particularly when it is a weapon used by military dictatorships against their own peoples. Myanmar is now permeated by such state-sponsored violence. Systematic sexual violence became visible in Myanmar when the Shan Women's Action...
COMMENTARY
Aug 9, 2006

Beijing loath to cast the fate of elections in Hong Kong to the wind

HONG KONG -- With Hong Kong having entered its 10th year as a Chinese special administrative region, pressure is building on Beijing to honor its promise of allowing full democratization of this former British colony. Opinion surveys consistently show that the majority of Hong Kong residents want to...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 5, 2006

Bringing peace to Lebanon

As Israel encounters stiffer than expected resistance to its attacks in Lebanon, and world outrage and condemnation of the mounting human toll rises, calls grow for a ceasefire followed by the deployment of a fresh peacekeeping force. The nature and prospects of a new mission will depend crucially on...
SOCCER
Jul 27, 2006

Nakazawa may quit national team

Japan and Yokohama F. Marinos defender Yuji Nakazawa, who played for Japan in all three matches at the World Cup in Germany, indicated Wednesday that he may end his international career.
COMMENTARY
Jul 16, 2006

Soft target needs an antiterror strategy

NEW DELHI -- The grisly July 11 Bombay train bombings, the latest in a series of major terrorist attacks in India, are a reminder that the country needs to move from hand-wringing to a credible counterterror strategy against jihadist groups.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 11, 2006

A way forward?

Last month, Diet member and Senior Vice Minister of Justice Taro Kono publicized a new action plan for immigration.
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2006

Pyongyang fires seven missiles into Sea of Japan

North Korea fired six ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan early Wednesday and another one in the evening, drawing economic sanctions from Japan and intensifying international concern about its nuclear weapons and diplomacy with the United States.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2006

Isle tensions flare up again

Tensions between Tokyo and Seoul flared again Monday when South Korea began maritime research in waters around islets under its control that are also claimed by Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 30, 2006

Japan ready to battle 'culinary imperialists'

Earlier this year I was commissioned by a British newspaper to research a Japanese company called Hakudai, which was reputed to be putting whale meat into dog food.
COMMENTARY
May 15, 2006

The post-Koizumi gauntlet

Japan's political future hinges on the successor to Junichiro Koizumi, whose tenure as president of the governing Liberal Democratic Party and, hence, prime minister will end in four months. Opinion polls show Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe is by far the most popular potential contender for the premiership,...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 14, 2006

Bewitching tales of when a foreign woman takes a Japanese man

Though it boasts one of the highest living standards in the world and a crime rate that is low compared to other developed countries, many of its citizens believe that Japan is a very difficult place to live for non-Japanese. The most commonly held reason for this belief is that the language and social...
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2006

Chernobyl survivor on musical mission

me." International reports have shown conflicting views over the effects related to childbirth.
EDITORIALS
Apr 19, 2006

An unhealthy blast from the past

The ruling coalition has agreed to include a clause on patriotism in a bill that will revise the Fundamental Law of Education for the first time, although Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has not decided when to send the bill to the Diet. The 1947 law, although drafted under the leadership of the Occupation...
COMMENTARY
Apr 15, 2006

2006 is all about democracy

HONOLULU -- The 2006 National Security Strategy (NSS) document has just been released. News coverage has focused on one word: preemption. Largely overlooked has been the much greater emphasis on the promotion of democracy as the primary objective of American foreign policy in the second administration...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Apr 3, 2006

Things to watch as BOJ restores interest rates

The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Japan's biggest banking group, raised the rates it offers on time deposits with a maturity of one year or over on March 20. The increase varies according to the size of the deposit and the length of maturity. The annual rate for a five-year deposit under 3 million yen,...
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Mar 13, 2006

Koreans hope semi spot enough for military release

PHOENIX -- Grab a uniform and do it for your country. Whether it is in the army or in the World Baseball Classic, several members of Team Korea will do just that soon enough. Or they will already have done both.

Longform

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