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EDITORIALS
Jul 25, 2005

China revalues its currency

China's revaluation of its currency came as something of a surprise. Beijing has been under considerable international pressure to increase the value of the yuan, but Chinese economic officials had countered that doing so was not yet in their country's best interests. The change in position reflects...
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2005

Japan may give energy aid to N. Korea

Japan will provide energy aid to North Korea in cooperation with the U.S. and South Korea if substantial progress is made in getting Pyongyang to abandon its alleged nuclear program in upcoming multilateral talks, according to government sources.
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2005

Unpegged yuan to impact firms

From electronics makers to fishing companies, China's decision Thursday to abandon the yuan's peg to the dollar will affect a wide range of Japanese businesses over the long term, observers say.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 23, 2005

Cool Biz: Okinawan shirts and bikinis

Prime Minister Koizumi would be proud of me. I am completely embracing the Cool Biz campaign by going to work in a bikini top and shorts. And I think Mr. Koizumi would agree after seeing my workplace, which doesn't even have air conditioning. I would support the campaign even more if in addition to the...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2005

Asbestos deaths just tip of the iceberg

Recent revelations that hundreds of workers at firms across Japan have died from asbestos-linked diseases over the past few decades have raised questions about whether the health risks of the unburnable mineral were duly recognized by the government and businesses.
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2005

TSE outsiders panel meets, has yet to ponder regulatory spinoff option

A special advisory panel to the Tokyo Stock Exchange held its first meeting Wednesday with an eye toward submitting recommendations by fall on whether the bourse should spin off its regulatory functions.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2005

Teikoku Oil gets drilling rights in East China Sea

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry granted Teikoku Oil Co. rights Thursday to explore in disputed waters in the East China Sea near Chinese drilling platforms.
COMMENTARY
Jul 9, 2005

Blair pinpoints EU challenges

LONDON -- In his speech to the European Parliament in Brussels on June 23, British Prime Minister Tony Blair set out in stark terms the main challenges facing Europe (and in different ways perhaps, the United States and Japan) from China and India.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jul 9, 2005

Brace for more bipartisan battles in wake of Supreme Court justice's retirement

WASHINGTON -- The July 1 announcement by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor that she is retiring marks the end of a distinguished 24-year career, and the beginning of a crucial struggle by President George W. Bush to find a replacement.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 9, 2005

Beijing aims to politically isolate Koizumi

SINGAPORE -- The feud between China and Japan over the contents of Japanese history textbooks, sovereignty of the Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's periodic visits to Yasukuni Shrine came to a head in April when anti-Japanese riots broke out in some Chinese cities.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 7, 2005

Fuel-cell vehicles run clean, but is their future clear?

Fuel-cell vehicles have been dubbed the ultimate clean car, but whether they can replace gasoline-powered automobiles in the not-so-distant future is an open question.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 5, 2005

The whaling debate

Stay away Why should a country who has exhausted the whale population in their country come over and hunt a mysterious creature we have all looked after in our country.
COMMENTARY
Jun 30, 2005

Blaming Pakistan won't help

ISLAMABAD -- The latest diplomatic rift between Pakistan and Afghanistan speaks volumes about the underlying frictions among both countries and the United States in the so-called war on terror.
COMMENTARY
Jun 29, 2005

A tidal wave of optimism

LOS ANGELES -- Talk about an ocean of optimism! Here's a positive current for you if there ever was one: A close friend -- whom I dub The Very Successful Korean-American Businessman (VSKAB), who doesn't want his name to be used (but whose last name is Kim like several million other Korean-Americans),...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2005

Call them illegal, but they're also heroic

SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- "Being that you are an alleged expert in language, you should know the difference between legal and illegal," the reader stated in his e-mail, as he reacted angrily to one of my articles on immigration.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2005

Door wide open for resolving Korean nuclear issue

HONOLULU -- There is no country in Asia, indeed in the world, that behaves like the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Since its founding more than a half century ago, the DPRK has pursued a different course, always troubling. For 13-15 years it has been the very center of Northeast Asian...
COMMENTARY
Jun 20, 2005

Politicos feeding off turmoil

MANILA -- These days the political class in the Philippines is preoccupied with other things besides governing. Attention is focused on what one commentator has termed "the worst crisis any administration" has ever experienced. The opposition is orchestrating turmoil and openly calling for the ouster...
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2005

Koizumi, Roh to meet Monday with aim of easing tensions

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will meet with South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun in Seoul on Monday in a bid to mend soured bilateral ties, the Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 14, 2005

The G8 agrees on debt relief

Group of Eight finance ministers agreed last weekend to write off more than $40 billion in debt owed by the world's poorest countries. The agreement is a critical first step in efforts to help lift these nations out of grinding and enduring poverty. The deal is only a beginning, however. Success will...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 12, 2005

Thanks to the efforts of many, baseball remains intact despite merger

You may be reading this column between 7 a.m and 8 a.m. on Sunday morning.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jun 11, 2005

Punshiment for Bowyer over Dyer incident has gone too far

LONDON -- It is with the heaviest of hearts that this correspondent sticks up for Lee Bowyer, the Newcastle midfielder who would undoubtedly figure in most supporters' top five least popular players.
COMMENTARY
Jun 11, 2005

Slots, cops, and deception

LAS VEGAS -- The Japanese have been kicking around the idea of building American-style casinos in Japan for four years now. The Parliament Committee on Casinos with 100 Diet members has been gathering information on casinos, and Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara has been a major proponent of the idea. In...
COMMENTARY
Jun 11, 2005

Poor losers fan Filipino disenchantment

MANILA -- To characterize the public mood in the Philippines as depressed is no exaggeration. According to recent surveys, pessimism about economic prospects is on the rise, and a majority of Filipinos believe their quality of life has deteriorated in the past year. A recent Asian Development Bank survey...
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2005

Sharon wants visit after Gaza pullout

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's visit to Japan, initially planned for June, will probably take place in the fall at the earliest, Japanese government sources said Friday.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jun 8, 2005

Playing World Baseball Classic in spring or fall makes no sense at all

Do you ever come up with an idea that you think is really great?

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?