Search - politics

 
 
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2001

A (temporary) love affair with death

LONDON -- "I love death more than you love life," said Osama bin Laden in a recent interview, clearly convinced that this gave him moral superiority over the whole of Western civilization. There are plenty of young men in the refugee camps that litter the Muslim world who would make the same assertion....
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2001

Plan to scrap highway project has local interests up in arms

Having decided to dismantle and privatize Japan Highway Public Corp., the Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is now focusing on which road construction projects to cancel.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 30, 2001

Cheers for Bhutto in Delhi a reminder of region's shifty politics

Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's former president, played the rights cards during her seven-year reign, endearing her to India while ensuring that she was not alienated from her own people.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2001

Plan to scrap highway project has local interests up in arms

Having decided to dismantle and privatize Japan Highway Public Corp., the Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is now focusing on which road construction projects to cancel.
COMMENTARY
Nov 24, 2001

German lessons for Korea

SEOUL -- Koreans have come to cherish Germany's experiences, as many see this country's unification saga as an important, if not the most important, point of reference. Korea's unification will probably be more difficult and complex than Germany's unification in October 1990. Koreans have one major advantage,...
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Obituary: Kazuo Majima

Kazuo Majima, an Upper House lawmaker from the Liberal Democratic Party, died of a heart attack Thursday morning at a hospital in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, his family said. He was 69.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Poll reveals disaffected youth chase good times, shun work

Young people in Japan are more interested in having a good time than in seeking a better society, according to a government survey released Thursday. They are also overwhelmingly dissatisfied with Japanese society and have little interest in making a contribution to it.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Obituary: Kazuo Majima

Kazuo Majima, an Upper House lawmaker from the Liberal Democratic Party, died of a heart attack Thursday morning at a hospital in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, his family said. He was 69.
COMMENTARY
Nov 19, 2001

Prospects for post-Taliban Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD -- Judging by the roaring business in barber shops across Afghanistan, the war-torn country is certainly feeling liberated. Women who were forced to venture outside clad only in a "burqa" now have the freedom to take off the long veil, while many Afghans are celebrating the freedom to play...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2001

Tobin tax: fodder for spendthrift pols

Suggestions have been made that the turmoil that swept through East Asia in 1997-98 is evidence of the instability of global capital markets. Supporters of this idea validated their claims by asserting that a contagion effect spread the turbulence to other emerging market economies.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2001

Expatriates in Japan uneasy over Northern Alliance advance

Many Afghans residing in Japan distrust the Northern Alliance and do not support its recent seizure of Kabul.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2001

Expatriates in Japan uneasy over Northern Alliance advance

Many Afghans residing in Japan distrust the Northern Alliance and do not support its recent seizure of Kabul.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 11, 2001

Taking things one moment at a time

Monday night, the Nippon TV documentary series "Super TV" (9 p.m.) chronicles the last six months of a man with terminal cancer. Last year, the show's producers received a letter from the man's children, who explained their father's situation and asked them "to record his life right up until the last...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Nov 11, 2001

Mizoguchi's street of shame

RED-LIGHT DISTRICT, the film by Kenji Mizoguchi, translated and annotated by D.J. Rajakaruna. Colombo: S. Godage & Brothers, 2001. 182 pp., $12.50 (paper) Kenji Mizoguchi's last film, the 1956 "Akasen Chitai" ("Red-Light District," aka "Street of Shame") may not be one of his best pictures but it is...
EDITORIALS
Nov 6, 2001

Northern Ireland's sleight of hand

A bit of political legerdemain has pulled the Northern Ireland peace process back from the brink of collapse. The creative solution to divisions within the province's Protestant community is only a temporary response, however; all supporters of the peace process must redouble their efforts to overcome...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 6, 2001

Fighting for independence in the shadow of a Goliath

ALMATY, Kazakstan -- The phone calls started last May, after the body of an ethnic Uighur activist was found strangled and dumped in a water reservoir.
EDITORIALS
Nov 5, 2001

China's growing dilemma

Two historic transitions are beginning in China: the rise to power of its fourth generation of leaders and the economic transformation leading to membership in the World Trade Organization. They are pulling the country in different directions and creating conflicting priorities for the Beijing government....
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2001

Three politicians among recipients of top decorations

The government on Saturday announced this fall's 4,521 recipients of decorations and awards for their contributions to the state and society, with top orders going to three present and former lawmakers.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2001

'Unconstitutional' shrine visit provokes barrage of lawsuits

OSAKA -- More than 900 people filed three separate lawsuits Thursday against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, claiming his Aug. 13 visit to Yasukuni Shrine was unconstitutional.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2001

'Unconstitutional' shrine visit provokes barrage of lawsuits

OSAKA -- More than 900 people filed three separate lawsuits Thursday against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, claiming his Aug. 13 visit to Yasukuni Shrine was unconstitutional.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2001

LDP wins by-elections, gains simple majority

Two Liberal Democratic Party candidates won by-elections in Miyagi and Shiga prefectures Sunday, securing for the LDP a simple majority in the Lower House.
LIFE
Oct 29, 2001

Revolution and evolution mark motorcycle lineup at Tokyo Motor Show

Tired of being jammed into a packed train every morning? Sick of being stuck in the city every weekend? Bummed out because high parking fees rule out owning a car? If you answered yes to these questions, you might want to consider buying a motorcycle. They're affordable, running costs are reasonable...
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2001

LDP wins by-elections, takes majority in Lower House

Two Liberal Democratic Party candidates won by-elections in Miyagi and Shiga prefectures Sunday, securing the LDP a simple majority in the Lower House.
COMMUNITY
Oct 28, 2001

Plunder in a land of plenty

KYZYK-SUU, Kyrgyzstan -- When Canadian mining giant Cameco Corp. opened the Kumtor gold mine in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan in 1996, logistics were considered to be the greatest obstacle.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 28, 2001

He's not just your average Joe

By the time I finally managed to contact Joe Strummer for a phone interview, The Mescaleros were in Los Angeles. It was the last port of call on the American leg of their tour to promote their second album, "Global A Go-Go." They had already played the first of four gigs at the Troubadour in West Hollywood,...
BUSINESS
Oct 27, 2001

Fence-mending over, friendship committee goes to work

Taking its cue from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's largely successful fence-mending trip to China, Japan will formally inaugurate a blue-ribbon troupe to prepare for an extravaganza commemorating the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2001

Move to change electoral system decried

A move by the ruling bloc to partially change the House of Representatives electoral system has been widely criticized as a political compromise by the Liberal Democratic Party to please coalition partner New Komeito.
JAPAN
Oct 26, 2001

Japan must leave backward ways behind

Japan must drastically revise its attitudes toward women and foreigners to stake a place in the global information technology revolution and survive and prosper as a nation in general, according to experts at a Tokyo conference last week.

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