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BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2009

Issuance fears have bondholders favoring Aso

Prime Minister Taro Aso, whose approval rating has slumped, may still have the support of bondholders due to perceptions that the current administration is more reluctant to sell debt than a new government formed by the opposition might be.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2009

DPJ election win no longer a sure bet

Ichiro Ozawa's efforts to persuade voters to end the Liberal Democratic Party's almost-uninterrupted 50 years of rule and bring his party to power may be set back by reminders of his links to disgraced former LDP lawmakers.
EDITORIALS
Mar 12, 2009

Words that sow distrust

The investigation that led to the arrest of the chief secretary of Democratic Party of Japan leader Mr. Ichiro Ozawa over alleged irregularities in political donations has put not only Mr. Ozawa but also some Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers in a difficult position. It also has put in focus the thoughtlessness...
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2009

Ozawa denies wrongdoing, vows to stay on

Despite rising public pressure to resign as president of the Democratic Party of Japan over the scandal involving alleged illicit donations from Nishimatsu Construction Co., Ichiro Ozawa said Tuesday he will stay at his post and denied any wrongdoing on his part.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2009

Building markets we need

VIENNA — The greatest challenge of the current global financial crisis is the seeming impossibility of comprehending and managing its diversity. Indeed, the way problems are proliferating appears almost uncontrollable. Plans to meet the crisis, in country after country, have been revamped and restructured...
EDITORIALS
Mar 6, 2009

Blow to the DPJ

The arrest of the chief secretary of the Democratic Party of Japan leader Mr. Ichiro Ozawa on suspicion of violating the Political Funds Control Law has dealt a severe blow to the No. 1 opposition party. The damage to the DPJ is great all the more because the party is regarded as having a chance to win...
COMMENTARY
Mar 6, 2009

Human rights in recession

LONDON — "It's the economy, stupid!" declared Bill Clinton during his U.S. presidential election campaign. He was right then as well as now in emphasizing that economic issues are paramount with voters.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2009

Ozawa says aide's arrest was an abuse

Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa on Wednesday flatly denied that his chief secretary knowingly accepted illicit donations from scandal-tainted Nishimatsu Construction Co. and accused prosecutors of "wrongful exercise of authority" in arresting the aide.
COMMENTARY
Mar 4, 2009

China fuels Sri Lankan war

Sri Lanka, the once self-trumpeted "island of paradise," turned into the island of bloodshed more than a quarter-century ago. But even by its long, gory record, the bloodletting since last year is unprecedented. The United Nations estimates that some 1,200 noncombatants are getting killed each month...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 3, 2009

Capitalism needs full makeover: Walesa

Capitalism will not survive unless it undergoes a full makeover and focuses on benefiting people, former Polish President Lech Walesa said Monday in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY
Mar 2, 2009

Putting Asia first puts Clinton in driver's seat

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — The U.S. secretary of state's recent four-stop swing through Asia led to some accusations of symbolic superficiality. Perhaps — but there can be more real meaning in acts of diplomatic symbolism than what first meets the eye.
BUSINESS / U.S. DIPLOMACY SYMPOSIUM
Feb 24, 2009

Introspective Europe may find it difficult accepting U.S.'s wider world view

Despite widespread public enthusiasm in Europe for the new U.S. administration of President Barack Obama, long-term worrying trends remain that confront the trans-Atlantic relationship, said James Goldgeier, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
EDITORIALS
Feb 24, 2009

Breaking the U.S.-Iran deadlock

In his attempt to find a new U.S. policy toward Iran, U.S. President Barack Obama is trying to engage the nation through direct dialogue, a move that Iran appears to have responded to rather positively. The Iraq war provided Iran with an opportunity to increase its influence on Arab nations and Mr. Obama...
BUSINESS / U.S. DIPLOMACY SYMPOSIUM
Feb 24, 2009

Japan urged to step up global policy dialogue with Obama administration

Japan and the United States should try to move their alliance forward by stepping up cooperation on regional and global issues such as climate change, experts told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 22, 2009

Riveting guitar saga tugs at the heartstrings

In the summer of 1975, Spain's 82-year-old leader Francisco Franco is fading fast. Spain's underground radical groups are determined to tarnish El Caudillo's legacy and, if possible, alter the direction of Spain's future.
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 22, 2009

Its director's cut on new Festival/Tokyo

Japan may be floundering politically and economically, but amid all the uncertainties it is a joy to report the sparkling rebirth of a major international theater event in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2009

Envoy lauds role of ODA in Azerbaijan's development

Official development assistance may be on a long-term decline, but its effectiveness remains integral to Azerbaijan's development, the country's deputy foreign minister said Friday in Tokyo.
EDITORIALS
Feb 20, 2009

Israel's resurgent right

It still is not clear who will be Israel's next prime minister, but the winner of last week's vote is plain: Israel's right will now pace the country's politics. The violence and insecurity of daily life pushed Israeli voters toward hardline solutions to national security. They have tired of promises...
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2009

Opposition parties smell blood

The opposition parties, not satisfied with Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa's abrupt resignation Tuesday and scenting the possibility of a bigger scalp, demanded Wednesday that Prime Minister Taro Aso apologize for the political turmoil.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2009

Waffling Aso roasted on public griddle

If there is one thing contributing to Prime Minister Taro Aso's sagging approval rate, it's his flip-flopping on the issues.
COMMENTARY
Feb 12, 2009

Secretary Clinton's No. 1 mission is to reassure allies

HONOLULU — We welcome the news that Hillary Clinton's first overseas trip as U.S. secretary of state will be to Japan, Korea, Indonesia and China. While her visit to Beijing will likely garner the lion's share of attention and her visit to Indonesia will generate the most speculation (can a visit by...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Feb 12, 2009

State minister Seiko Noda

Seiko Noda, 48, is Japan's state minister in charge of science and technology policy, food safety, consumer affairs and space policy. As a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and of Prime Minister Taro Aso's Cabinet, she is entrusted with running 21 different departments. Not one to crack under...
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2009

Aso hit by resignation threat

Another headache surfaced for unpopular Prime Minister Taro Aso on Tuesday as Justice Parliamentary Secretary Chuko Hayakawa said he intended to resign after the fiscal 2009 budget passes.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Feb 8, 2009

Definitive 'Record of Linji' well worth a wait of 40 years

The Linji-lu is one of the most influential of all Zen texts. Presumably a collection of the lectures and sermons of Linji Yixuan (died 866), founder of the Linji school of Chan Buddhism, it helped form the Rinzai sect of Zen in Japan.
Reader Mail
Feb 8, 2009

New Zealand hasn't a president

I would like to point out that Frank Evans — in his Feb. 3 Have Your Say letter, "Whiners disprove stereotype" — is wrong. New Zealand has a prime minister not a president. We are not a republic; New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy. We still like the British monarchy.
BUSINESS / Q&A
Feb 6, 2009

The debate over government notes

Scholars and Liberal Democratic Party members have been urging the government to print its own money to counter the once-in-a-century crisis buffeting Japan.

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