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COMMENTARY
Dec 1, 2003

Iraq and economy top political agenda

The special session of the Diet that was convened on Nov. 19 following the Nov. 9 general election came to an early close Nov. 27. On the question of the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq, which is the most important issue at the moment, fierce debate unfolded between Prime Minister Junichiro...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2003

Cross-strait tensions build as one-China principle fades

HONOLULU -- The "one-China" principle that has been the mainstay of relations between the United States and China for 30 years is steadily fading. Curiously, a critical chapter in the fate of the principle is being played out now on the tiny mid-Pacific nation of Kiribati.
COMMENTARY
Nov 28, 2003

No resting on laurels in Asia

SEOUL -- This is a remarkable moment in international relations. Despite a nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, there are no doubts about the U.S. commitment to East Asia. Despite widespread criticism of U.S. policy, Washington currently enjoys "the best relations ever" with both Japan and China....
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2003

Hashimoto faction mending old wounds

The Liberal Democratic Party's biggest faction is apparently regaining unity after a bitter split during the party's presidential election.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 25, 2003

Ghosn, Koizumi and structural reform

Carlos Ghosn and Junichiro Koizumi are two well-known names in Japan. Ghosn, the CEO of Nissan, is famous for his rescue of the company from the brink of bankruptcy. Prime Minister Koizumi's "trademark" is structural reform, which he promised in 2001 would lead to the creation of 5 million jobs within...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2003

Weaker LDP worries ASEAN

SINGAPORE -- Japan's Nov. 9 general election was generally regarded as a political setback for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his reforms program. His Liberal Democratic Party emerged with fewer seats in the Diet than before -- but bolstered by a political merger with a smaller party, the governing...
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2003

Yamasaki plots political comeback

Taku Yamasaki, a former Liberal Democratic Party vice president who lost his Diet seat in the Nov. 9 general election, might run in next summer's House of Councilors race. Sources said Thursday that Yamasaki is considering running on the proportional representation part of the Upper House race.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2003

Tanaka rips Koizumi on reform

Former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka, after joining a parliamentary group led by the Democratic Party of Japan, lashed out Wednesday at Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's policies as she formally made her comeback to the Diet.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2003

Security key factor in future Japan-ASEAN tieup

Although the relationship between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has largely been an economic affair until now, it will cover political and security concerns in the years to come, according to ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 16, 2003

From manifest destiny to voter apathy

The media kept referring to last week's House of Representatives poll as the "manifesto election," because it was the first time Japan's political parties had spelled out their platforms. The inexperience showed. In their printed versions, the manifestos were considered all but incomprehensible, and...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Nov 14, 2003

Constant in-fighting by Dutch leaves little energy for opponents

LONDON -- If Euro 2004 was to be decided on the basis of back-stabbing, internal politics, racism, disharmony and picking the wrong team, then Holland would have no rival.
EDITORIALS
Nov 14, 2003

Divisions within Sri Lanka

Ending the 20-year civil war in Sri Lanka was never going to be easy, but that task has become considerably more difficult with the outbreak of fighting within the Sri Lankan government. The battle between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe over the peace talks has...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2003

Doi throws in towel as SDP president

Takako Doi said Thursday she will resign as president of the Social Democratic Party to take responsibility for the SDP's crushing defeat in the general election.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Nov 11, 2003

How much do you know about Japanese politics?

Lisa MooreMother, 31
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2003

Party heads Kumagai, Doi lose in single-seat races

Hiroshi Kumagai, head of the New Conservative Party, the junior coalition partner of the Liberal Democratic Party, lost his seat in Sunday's general election.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 9, 2003

Is Japan to mainland Asia what Britain is to Europe?

The European landmass lies to the south and east of Britain, the Asian landmass to the north and west of Japan. A newspaper headline in Britain once famously declared: "Fog over the channel, continent isolated." Japan may lack such endearing chauvinism, but is far more homogeneous and closed as a society...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 9, 2003

Down Under at its fun-filled best

Australia has never really needed any ploys to lure travelers to this vast country. The natural beauty of the rain forests in the north, deserts in the dry interior and mountains in the south, all surrounded by some of the greatest beaches in the world, are more than enough reasons to take a trip Down...
EDITORIALS
Nov 7, 2003

Another keyword in campaign

What should be done to rebuild Japan's tightly-knit, bureaucrat-led society? The question is gaining urgency as local governments clamor for greater autonomy. In response, the administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is moving toward streamlining the complex system of grants and subsidies,...
EDITORIALS
Nov 5, 2003

Tax debates at cross-purposes

As the campaigning for the Sunday general election draws to a close, the debate on the consumption tax remains low key. The simple reason is that a tax increase is always politically unpalatable, especially at election time. Nonetheless, the fact that practically all parties are making it a campaign...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 5, 2003

Borderless abstraction

The Oxford Dictionary of 20th Century Art defines Op Art as: "an exactly prescribed retinal response . . . repeated small scale patterns arranged so as to suggest underlying secondary shapes or warping or swelling surfaces."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2003

Battle for power waged on voters' screens

The leader of the Democratic Party of Japan is fleetingly portrayed in a recent TV commercial as the stern-faced chairman of a fictitious Cabinet meeting, the scene accompanied by upbeat rock music.
EDITORIALS
Nov 4, 2003

Mr. Chen's travel schedule

Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian made a brief visit to New York City last weekend. Ostensibly, Mr. Chen was traveling via the United States, on his way to Panama. It was not the sort of transit most international passengers enjoy. His took a couple of days, during which he received an award, made a speech,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / ELECTION 2003
Nov 4, 2003

Party campaign strategies smack of desperation

With the coming election in mind, former House of Representatives member Kaoru Yosano last spring departed the Liberal Democratic Party faction led by Shizuka Kamei.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2003

Order of Culture bestowed upon Ogata, four others

Emperor Akihito conferred this year's Order of Culture on five recipients Monday, including former U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata.
JAPAN / ELECTION 2003
Nov 4, 2003

Candidates pile on abduction bandwagon

OSAKA -- It was an unusually warm day in late October when a small crowd gathered around a candidate speaking outside Izumigaoka Station near Kansai airport.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Nov 4, 2003

Pension cash payments and house-buying

Nenkin Dear Lifelines; I am American, my late husband was Japanese. We lived in Japan throughout our marriage, but for various reasons it became prudent to bring the kids back to the U.S. after he died at age 42.
COMMENTARY
Nov 3, 2003

China, EU working to justify closer ties

HONG KONG -- China and the European Union, each rapidly growing in its own way, are poised to develop a closer relationship that encompasses virtually all spheres, including global politics and economic cooperation.

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