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COMMENTARY
Apr 1, 2004

Lowering risks from WMD

LONDON -- The decision of the Libyan regime to declare and destroy its weapons of mass destruction, or WMD, is clearly beneficial to world peace and is a most welcome development. But we should beware claims by some Western leaders that this has come about because the Libyan dictator has seen what happened...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 31, 2004

Hey mom! Just grow up

Laurel Canyon Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Lisa Cholodenko Running time: 104 minutes Language: English Open April 3 [See Japan Times movie listings] Used to be, not so long ago, that the sure-fire way to rebel against your parents, teachers and other adult authority was as...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2004

Australia awakening to threat

SYDNEY -- A test on how well Australians can cope with an increasingly expected Islamic terrorist attack showed last week how little we have learned from New York, Bali and Madrid.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 27, 2004

Tony Blair loses his touch

LONDON -- When he led the reformed British Labour Party to two overwhelming general election victories in 1997 and 2001, Tony Blair epitomized a new political generation that would sweep away both the cobwebs of traditional socialist policy and the increasingly incoherent, sleaze-tainted performance...
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2004

Troops in Iraq set to get down to business

The Ground Self-Defense Force troops deployed to the city of Samawah in southern Iraq will commence their humanitarian aid mission later this month.
COMMENTARY
Mar 22, 2004

BBC still plays a vital role

LONDON -- The British Broadcasting Corporation has one of the longest and respectable histories among the world's public-service broadcasting organizations. Since its establishment in the 1920s, it has built up an enviable reputation for independence and reliability.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2004

Injunction upheld against latest issue of Shukan Bunshun

The Tokyo District Court on Friday upheld a temporary injunction banning publication of the latest edition of the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun, judging that one of its stories violates the privacy of former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka's daughter.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Mar 20, 2004

Back to the future in Russia

MOSCOW -- The outcome of Russia's presidential elections was known long before the polls opened March 14. President Vladimir Putin had successfully marginalized the opposition by placing mass media under state control and exiling tycoons who were supplying opposition groups with donations.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 20, 2004

Bombs and the ballot box

LONDON -- The defeat of the government in Spain that backed the war in Iraq is being widely seen in Europe as one of the most crucial events since the 9/11 attacks in New York set off the current war on terror. But the result of the election on March 14, which followed the bombings in Madrid that killed...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2004

Interference may cost Chen

I still do not understand why the Japanese and U.S. governments are intervening in Taiwanese affairs -- especiall since I believe the administrations of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and President George W. Bush are the best alternatives available at this time for both countries. Japanese and U.S....
COMMENTARY
Mar 13, 2004

Poll severely tests Indonesia

HONG KONG -- As the campaign for the triple-tiered Indonesian general election gets under way, the world's fourth-largest nation is displaying its democratic aspirations. It is also giving its weak administrative structure a severe test.
EDITORIALS
Mar 13, 2004

Unrealistic claim of espionage

In 2001, a Japanese researcher was indicted in the United States on charges of industrial spying. Since he had already returned to Japan, the U.S. requested his extradition under a bilateral treaty. However, legal opinion here remains divided over whether he should be tried in a U.S court -- in other...
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2004

Slain diplomats' car may go on show at ministry

A monument to the dead or merely a gruesome exhibit?
EDITORIALS
Mar 10, 2004

Security bills merit deliberation

For all the talk about defending the country against possible armed attacks from abroad, Japan has no legal framework for protecting civilian populations in these national emergencies. Now, belatedly but necessarily, the government is seeking Diet approval of such legislation as a followup to the military...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2004

Unions playing softball despite lift in economy

Labor unions at large companies, debilitated by falling membership and record unemployment, have given up all hope of obtaining wage increases for their members this year.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2004

Justice minister vows registry revisions to end birth-record prejudice

Justice Minister Daizo Nozawa said Monday that steps will be taken to stop family registry birth records from distinguishing between children born out of wedlock and those born to married couples.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 9, 2004

Taiwanese stretch envelope before polls

SINGAPORE -- In the runup to Taiwan's presidential election on March 20, political sparks are flying not only in Taiwan but also in China and the United States. Moreover, the commemoration in Taiwan of the Feb. 28, 1947, killing of some 10,000 Taiwanese by Kuomintang (KMT) troops -- otherwise known as...
COMMENTARY
Mar 3, 2004

Secret operations rock Blair's boat

LONDON -- From the moment Tony Blair let it be known that he had decided to send troops to Iraq, his days of smooth government were over. The decision unleashed all the dark forces of suspicion and a sense of illegality that are usually contained by democratic institutions. As the prime minister battles...
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 2, 2004

Valentine wants entertainment

Bobby Valentine, who has returned to Japan to manage Chiba the Lotte Marines, said Monday he will urge his players to become less of a samurai and more of a performer while the game is in play.
EDITORIALS
Mar 1, 2004

China draws the line in Hong Kong

When Hong Kong reverted to China, Beijing pledged that there would be "one country, two systems." The capitalist redoubt would be part of "one China," but it would also keep its separate political and administrative order to maintain both stability and the vitality that transformed the city into a regional...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Feb 28, 2004

Hitting the nail on the head

"The nail that sticks up gets hammered down!"
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2004

City won't register surrogate twins

A local government has refused to register the birth of twins born to an American surrogate mother, their Japanese parents said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2004

Mass lawsuit filed against troop deployment in Iraq

Opponents of the dispatch of Ground Self-Defense Force troops to Iraq have filed a lawsuit against the government, saying the deployment violates the pacifist Constitution, officials said Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Feb 25, 2004

Empty democracy in Iran

To no one's surprise, conservatives claimed an overwhelming victory in parliamentary elections held in Iran last week. The results were predictable since many of the country's reform-oriented candidates were not allowed to run. The low turnout is proof that the outcome does not reflect the will of the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Feb 24, 2004

McEnglish for the masses

American sociologist George Ritzer coined the term McDonaldization to describe how a method of production that originated in fast food restaurants is sweeping through every aspect of society.
Japan Times
JAPAN / POLITICS IN FOCUS
Feb 17, 2004

Koizumi, Kan warm to unicameral system

Whenever a Diet session convenes, the Emperor gives a short speech at the House of Councilors' opening ceremony -- a tradition that should demonstrate the chamber's status.

Longform

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