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EDITORIALS
Jan 27, 2011

Mr. Hu's successful visit

It is not even one month into 2011 and relations between the United States and China are picking up in intensity. Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made a long-awaited trip to China to restart stalled military to military dialogue. That ice-breaking visit was followed by a state...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2011

Facing the specter of famine

SINGAPORE — In India, a potentially huge economic and social crisis is in the making, involving extensive rewriting of recipe books to exclude a favorite ingredient. Onions are in short supply and their prices have risen by 80 percent, too expensive for many Indians to afford as part of their daily...
COMMENTARY
Jan 26, 2011

Why did Duvalier return to Haiti?

LONDON — A confidential 2006 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, made public by WikiLeaks, said the United States viewed the possible return of either of the two exiled Haitian ex-presidents, Jean-Bertrand Aristide or Jean-Claude Duvalier, as "unhelpful." But one of them, former president-for-life...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 26, 2011

A crisis of governance is paralyzing India

LONDON — Despite all the claims of India as a rising power, the country is suffering a serious crisis. The credibility of the government in New Delhi is being tested by a plethora of corruption scandals in recent months. From the Commonwealth Games to telecommunications there are scandals galore and...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 25, 2011

Waiting for the WikiLeak dam to break

Like a giant dose of salts to a bloated and constipated patient, "Cablegate" has scoured its way through the post-9/11 United States empire, exposing its internal workings to merciless scrutiny: In Iraq, U.S. forces and their Iraqi subordinates kill civilians and journalists while their commanders turn...
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2011

Onus on all in Diet to fix system: Kan

Prime Minister Naoto Kan invited the opposition camp Monday to join a debate on social welfare and tax reforms as the 150-day Diet session opened, saying it is the responsibility of every lawmaker to address these pressing issues.
Reader Mail
Jan 23, 2011

Service with a smile sets us apart

Regarding the Jan. 11 Kyodo article "Japanese service winning customers in Europe": I am delighted that Japanese service is rated highly, because there hasn't been much good news recently. I feel that Japan is inferior when it comes to politics, scholastic ability and self-sufficiency, so I'm happy that...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Jan 22, 2011

Ohata wants toll-free plan set, airport rethink

Akihiro Ohata, the new transport minister, says a clear position on toll-free expressways needs to be established by three years.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2011

U.S. alliance vital for national security: Kan

Prime Minister Naoto Kan stressed Thursday the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance and the importance of the continued presence of American forces in Okinawa for the national security.
EDITORIALS
Jan 19, 2011

Tumult in Tunisia

Popular unrest has forced Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali to leave the country. The uprising marks the first time that an Arab leader has been forced from office by the people. Other regional leaders — and their long-suffering publics — are now asking whether a Jasmine Revolution is in...
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2011

Sengoku feels media painted him wrongly

Yoshito Sengoku, who was replaced as chief Cabinet secretary in Friday's reshuffle, voiced frustration Monday with media reports portraying him as the power behind the throne in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan.
COMMENTARY
Jan 16, 2011

Political biases trash lauded Ph.D. research

SEATTLE — Deepak Tripathi's most recent book, "Breeding Ground: Afghanistan and the Origins of Islamist Terrorism" (Potomac Books) raises several issues, both within and outside of its content. It is based on research for a doctoral dissertation that did not qualify.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2011

Little interest on street for reshuffle

Prime Minister Naoto Kan's Cabinet reshuffle Friday was greeted with indifference on the streets of Tokyo, with many expressing hope that the administration will settle down and pursue policies to revive the economy.
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2011

Kan to reveal new Cabinet lineup Friday

Prime Minister Naoto Kan is preparing to reshuffle his Cabinet and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's executive lineup Friday, DPJ sources said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2011

Local bellwether elections

The results of coming local elections in Osaka and Aichi prefectures could have a great impact on the shape of Japan's local government. The people concerned need to carefully watch and consider the moves of two men — Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto and Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2011

The happy quest beyond economic growth

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — In a time of tight budgets and financial crisis, politicians nowadays look to economic growth as the centerpiece of their domestic policy programs. Gross domestic product is taken to be the leading indicator of national well-being. But, as we look ahead to 2011 and beyond, we should...
Reader Mail
Jan 9, 2011

Cycle of anxiety curbing growth

After reading Minoru Matsutani's Jan. 5 article, "20-year slump spawns anticonsumption generation," I began to worry about the Japanese economy, because I think the downturn in consumption will hurt economic growth. I had not heard of the "anticonsumption generation" until now.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 9, 2011

Adoor: India's master storyteller of the silver screen

ADOOR GOPALAKRISHNAN: A Life in Cinema. The Authorized Biography, by Gautaman Bhaskaran. Penguin, 2010, 281 pp. (hardcover) Celebrating the centenary of Akira Kurosawa last year, Donald Richie, the noted writer on Japanese films, observed that Kurosawa believed that he existed only through his films....
EDITORIALS
Jan 8, 2011

Expect a year of frustrations

The most important fact about 2011 is that it is the year before 2012. That year will be marked by elections and leadership transitions; the prospect of those changes will influence more immediate political calculations. So, 2011 reckons to be a year in which political leaders position themselves to...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 7, 2011

'Taking Woodstock'

History has a sly way of happening when you least expect it. For example: A one-time dealer and savvy concert promoter teams up with a hip record-company exec to hold a music and arts festival in a rural setting, showcasing a few of the year's better bands. The promoters expect attendance of around 200,000,...
Reader Mail
Jan 6, 2011

Too much respect for 'officialdom'

Regarding Shinji Fukukawa's Dec. 25 article, "Revitalizing national politics": The problem of Japan as seen by an outsider like myself is that the Japanese give enormous respect to bureaucrats and officialdom. Such respect is very uncommon in many other countries. As in most countries, officials are...
BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2011

Big business comes out strong for TPP

Business leaders urged the government Wednesday to open up the nation's market by joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact by June so industries can benefit from the strong consumption power in the United States and emerging economies.
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2011

Sengoku tries to get opposition to back off

Opposition parties shouldn't boycott Diet deliberations attended by two key ministers targeted by nonbinding censure motions in the Upper House in November, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku, one of those singled out, said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2011

India's elites plunge themselves into crisis

NEW DELHI — For a country with 1.2 billion people, India is ruled by a surprisingly small elite, which runs everything from the government to large companies and even sports bodies. But a series of scandals, some involving billions of dollars, has now seriously undermined that elite's standing in the...
COMMENTARY
Jan 5, 2011

Lost religious liberty worldwide

WASHINGTON — Many of us take religious liberty for granted. Unfortunately, this most fundamental freedom is not protected in many countries around the world.
JAPAN / AT JAPAN'S EXPENSE
Jan 5, 2011

Trade pacts one thing, immigrant labor another

Fourth in a series
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 4, 2011

The basics of being a lawmaker at the Diet

Diet members are often addressed as "sensei" (teacher) and seem to enjoy privileges ranging from high salaries and chauffeur-driven cars to free first-class flights and luxury "green car" seats in bullet trains.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years