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COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 26, 2007

APEC 'circus' precedes main Aussie drama

The eyes of the world will be on Sydney next month, and as that's where I am at the moment, I can tell you we are expecting the city to be under siege.
COMMENTARY
Aug 24, 2007

Howard feeling the squeeze

LOS ANGELES — John Howard, often the most patient and sure-footed of Western-style political leaders, is reported to be losing patience with the current Iraq government and mulling over options for an Australian troop withdrawal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 24, 2007

'Salvador'

Now that the bio-pic genre has become as familiar as a worn beach towel, it seems to have spawned a sub-genre — as yet still in the embryonic stages — which can perhaps be described as the "bio-pic of death."
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Aug 22, 2007

Can others save Earth despite Big Oil's blinkers?

How can an economic superpower founded on progress and innovation be so averse to change that would cut the greenhouse-gas emissions that are spurring global warming and climate change?
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 21, 2007

Islam's message of tolerance

DAMASCUS — I am often invited by religious authorities in the Persian Gulf countries and Saudi Arabia to attend meetings that are held to urge people to follow Islamic faith and law, while avoiding any debate connected to politics or political rights. Political rights, my hosts insist, are maintained...
EDITORIALS
Aug 16, 2007

Subdued hopes for a Korean summit

The leaders of South and North Korea have agreed to hold a summit, the second ever between presidents of the two countries. Any dialogue among Korean heads of state is to be welcomed, but the timing of this meeting is suspicious. It is tempting to dismiss the summit as a political stunt to shore up the...
Reader Mail
Aug 15, 2007

Why belittle environmentalists?

Professor Christopher Lingle, in his very political Aug. 6 article, "Don't play politics with lifesaving DDT," does not seem to know what he is talking about. The ban on DDT has saved the U.S. environment from many difficulties. The bald eagle is being taken off the endangered species list and the...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 14, 2007

The impact of Upper House president

For the first time in the postwar period, the House of Councilors has an opposition lawmaker as president, 66-year-old Satsuki Eda.
EDITORIALS
Aug 11, 2007

ASEAN turns 40

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) celebrated its 40th anniversary this week. It has grown considerably since its birth: It has doubled in size and taken on new tasks. While there is justifiable pride in its progress, there is also recognition that ASEAN must evolve significantly more...
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2007

Experts doubt Abe can pull out of political spiral

Following the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's staggering loss in the July 29 Upper House election, all eyes are focused on whether embattled Prime Minister Shinzo Abe can shore up his credibility with a new Cabinet.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2007

Ozawa rejects Schieffer antiterror overture

Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa turned down a U.S. request Wednesday to continue Japan's support for counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan, throwing the future of a special antiterrorism law into doubt.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2007

Eda takes helm of Upper House

For the first time in nearly half a century, the House of Councilors has an opposition lawmaker as its president.
JAPAN / Q&A
Aug 7, 2007

DPJ's prospects with upper hand in Upper House

The July 29 House of Councilors election brought a landslide victory to the Democratic Party of Japan, which together with the other opposition forces gained a majority in the chamber. In addition, the DPJ won the largest number of seats on a single-party basis and thus will grab the Upper House presidency....
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 6, 2007

Don't play politics with lifesaving DDT

NEW DELHI — The specter of malaria, dengue fever and many other mosquito-borne diseases stalk the world. Despite its deserved reputation as being one of cleanest, pest-free countries in Asia, even Singapore is battling to cope with a rash of dengue cases.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 5, 2007

Conversion in France's Foreign Ministry

PRAGUE — French President Nicolas Sarkozy's appointment of Bernard Kouchner as France's foreign minister was a brilliant political stroke. Having beaten his Socialist rival, Segolene Royal, Sarkozy decided to compound the Socialists' crisis by appointing to his government several political figures...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 5, 2007

Celeb candidates stung by real election hero

TV Tokyo began its summary coverage of last Sunday's Upper House election later than the other stations, and included some genuine theater: A short dramatization of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's "crushing defeat."
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 3, 2007

Junction on Russia's road to nowhere

MOSCOW — Recently, a small event caused a major stir in Russian politics. An aide to President Vladimir Putin, Igor Shuvalov, said it was realistic to expect the appearance of a new person whom Putin would consider his potential successor. The statement hit like a bombshell, producing an explosion...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 3, 2007

Fuji Rock 07: We came, we saw, we survived

From rioting with Iggy to bopping with The Chemical Brothers, JT writers mixed it up among the thousands at Naeba to bring you the highs — and lows — of Fuji Rock '07
EDITORIALS
Aug 2, 2007

Mr. Abe's logic for staying on

His Liberal Democratic Party's massive defeat in Sunday's Upper House election notwithstanding, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared that he will not step down. His far-from-convincing explanations for staying on, even when cursorily examined, sound like a quibble. By clinging to power, Mr. Abe will...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 2, 2007

The best and brightest of the fanatics

KIRKSVILLE, Missouri — In Britain and Australia, several Muslim medical doctors and engineers have been arrested following a series of failed car bombings. The arrest of these well-educated professionals, together with the Egyptian doctor Ayman al-Zawahiri's role as al-Qaida's deputy leader, raises...
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2007

Scandal-tainted farm minister axed

Scandal-tainted agriculture minister Norihiko Akagi was sacked Wednesday for contributing to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's historic defeat in the House of Councilors election.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Aug 1, 2007

A tale of morels

I have a Canadian friend, Nedd Kenney, a brilliant scholar, musician and fieldworker who now lives on Baffin Island off the northeast coast of Canada. It was Nedd who got me my first bhodran (Irish drum), and came to my house in Kurohime, in the Nagano Prefecture hills, to give me some tips on playing...
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2007

Resolution irks right wing but won't harm relations

OSAKA — The passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of a nonbinding resolution calling on Japan to apologize for forcing thousands of young women into sexual slavery during the war will further inflame Japan's rightwing politicians and media, according to experts on Japan's relations with the...
EDITORIALS
Jul 31, 2007

A devastating defeat for Mr. Abe

In Sunday's Upper House election, Japanese voters expressed their dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party, which has been embroiled in a pension-records fiasco, political-funds scandals and gaffes by Cabinet ministers. The votes have made the opposition Democratic...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2007

Abe looks to shake up Cabinet

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday he will change his Cabinet lineup sometime after an extraordinary Diet session next week, as the ruling bloc licked its wounds from its drubbing in the House of Councilors election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / UPPER HOUSE SHOWDOWN
Jul 30, 2007

One thing's sure: Status quo doesn't cut it

An electorate dismayed by a seemingly endless series of scandals involving the ruling bloc went to the polls Sunday to decide the fate of the current leadership in the House of Councilors.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2007

Split posits a harsher Palestinian reality

GAZA — U.S. President George W. Bush's call for a new peace conference for Israel, Palestine and neighboring states that back a two-state solution is a welcome, if very tardy, development. But efforts to restart the peace process now confront a stark new reality: two mutually hostile Palestinian entities...

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