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JAPAN
Jan 20, 2006

Diet session no cakewalk for majority coalition

When the 2006 ordinary Diet session kicks off Friday, the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling alliance will face several battles to reach its goals -- from within the coalition.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 20, 2006

'Latin America's Woody Allen'on Jewish life in Argentina

At 33, Daniel Burman already has five feature films to his name and he was a co-producer of the much-acclaimed "Motorcycle Diaries."
COMMENTARY
Jan 16, 2006

Heretical to the Asia concept

The European Union is a community founded on the concept of Europe. This concept has been nurtured by the historical consciousness of Europeans to overcome national rivalries and to maintain European traditions. The process of consolidating such consciousness has, however, been accompanied by a process...
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2006

Maehara ties his future to policy results

Seiji Maehara, chief of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, said Saturday he will not run in the party's presidential election in September if he fails to unify views within the party on foreign affairs, security and other basic policies.
COMMENTARY
Jan 13, 2006

Chen shares independence dream anew

HONG KONG -- To the consternation of his political foes and the delight of his allies, Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian on New Year's Day delivered an address in which he made it clear that he was as determined as ever to press ahead for the de jure independence of Taiwan, a move that Beijing has promised...
COMMENTARY
Jan 13, 2006

Gas as a weapon of choice

LONDON -- What did the Russians hope to achieve? Their threat two weeks ago, now happily averted, to cut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine unless it immediately paid four times the current contract price was bound from the start to backfire.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jan 12, 2006

Democrats taking aim at House control

WASHINGTON -- The American political landscape continues to be dominated by U.S. President George W. Bush. He had his ups and downs in 2005, and while he has gained about seven points in the various polls since he hit bottom in late November, his approval ratings remain in the low 40s, according to various...
COMMENTARY
Jan 12, 2006

Step up positive diplomacy

The year 2005 is likely to be remembered as the year when rivalry between Japan and China over how to create a new international order reached a high point.
EDITORIALS
Jan 7, 2006

Plug the fundraising loopholes

Political funds flowing into the coffers of political parties and political organizations nationwide in 2004 totaled 290.8 billion yen, down 9.8 percent from 2003. Of that amount, revenue collected by local party chapters and organizations came to 152.7 billion yen, a decrease of 16.3 percent from the...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2006

Researchers plan apolitical surveys near disputed islets

A group of Japanese researchers will conduct underwater surveys around two tiny islets at the center of a dispute with China.
EDITORIALS
Jan 3, 2006

Asian democratic tide ebbs

Personal and political freedom is expanding around the globe. Freedom House, a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization that tracks these developments, reports that more people enjoy civil liberties than ever before. As is to be expected, the gains are uneven. Sadly, some of the worst abuses of freedom...
EDITORIALS
Jan 1, 2006

The certainty of more unknowns

In a Zen-like moment, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld produced the following pearl of wisdom: "There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. There are known unknowns; that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we...
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2005

China slammed over diplomat's suicide

Tokyo has lodged protests with Beijing four times since last year over the 2004 suicide of a diplomat at the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai, claiming China violated an international treaty by trying to blackmail him for intelligence, government sources admitted Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2005

Consumption tax rise said necessary

Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Heizo Takenaka said Sunday it will be necessary to secure new revenue sources to deal with an expected increase in the ratio of public funding to the basic pension scheme in fiscal 2009, such as through raising the consumption tax.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Dec 26, 2005

A Japanese take on 'intelligent design'

NEW YORK -- Why do my compatriots, the Japanese, try to copy Americans -- often on the basis of a most tenuous understanding? The wonderment occurred when I checked the Internet to see if the notion of "intelligent design" (I.D.) was known in Japan and at once found that it was, and more.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 25, 2005

Snapshot: All I want for Christmas is a new (digital) camera

This week I would like to tell you about the camera that has been my constant companion to ballgames all around Japan for almost 30 years.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 24, 2005

WeLoveSnow.com puts Yuzawa on winter map

Neil Riley is up to his eyes in snow. And he's delighted.
EDITORIALS
Dec 24, 2005

Eking out a trade deal in Hong Kong

It was pretty likely that some deal would get struck at the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial meeting that was held last week in Hong Kong. It was inevitable that any such accord would be the product of arduous last-minute negotiations. And it was certain that trade ministers would applaud the...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 23, 2005

Toast New Yearat the movies

Anyone preferring a more sedate New Year's Eve instead of a night on the town need look no further than Countdown Movie Festival 2006 at Shinjuku's Milano-za theater, Dec. 31. Not only are revelers guaranteed a seat, but they can also catch three films that have yet to be released in Japan. The films,...
COMMENTARY
Dec 23, 2005

Britain's new political setup

LONDON -- Just as commentators have been writing about a fundamentally new political "setup" in Japan, following Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's overwhelming election victory, so also the same language is being used about British politics.
COMMENTARY
Dec 22, 2005

Insecurity fuels anti-globalization battle

LOS ANGELES -- The issues that fueled the antiglobalization movement at the Battle of Seattle have not gone away. A revival movement surfaced last week. Call it the Battle of Hong Kong.
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2005

Gender-free not a key focus in LDP-led equality initiative

The government's upcoming action plan for gender equality will probably rule out uniform gender-free initiatives because of opposition from within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, sources said.
COMMENTARY
Dec 19, 2005

'Korean wave' sweeps the Philippines

MANILA -- The political alliance between the Philippines and South Korea has a long tradition. During the Cold War, both countries were staunch supporters of the United States. The government in Manila was among the first to send troops to the Korean Peninsula to defend the South against the invasion...
Japan Times
Features
Dec 18, 2005

Festive fun with forgotten Futa

It's 9:58 on a chilly Wednesday morning, and it looks like I am the first of the day's visitors to Chiba Zoological Park.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 18, 2005

What did you read about Asia this year?

Donald Richie THE COLUMBIA ANTHOLOGY OF MODERN JAPANESE LITERATURE, edited by J. Thomas Rimer and Van C. Gessel (Columbia University Press) This new take on Japanese modern classics -- old standbys and lots of recent writing as well -- is big (864 pages and it's only the first volume). It includes examples...
COMMENTARY
Dec 14, 2005

Countdown to Taiwan's co-optation

The resounding defeat of Taiwan's ruling party in recent local elections means that China may soon be able to take Taiwan by a combination of enticement and threat. That could occur after Taiwan's March 2008 presidential elections, in the leadup to the Beijing Olympics.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 11, 2005

Invest in Russia now? Forget about it

MOSCOW -- I recently attended a conference in Moscow aimed at attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to Russia. It was a high-level conference, organized by Interfax and Chatham House and attended by ministers, senior bureaucrats and leading businessmen, both Russian and foreign.
EDITORIALS
Dec 8, 2005

Silence isn't always golden

With the Dec. 31 deadline for compiling the fiscal 2006 budget approaching, the government recently made a series of decisions, including placing a heavier financial burden on people aged 70 years or older receiving medical service, the creation of a single public-lending institution out of the current...

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