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COMMENTARY / World
May 28, 2010

Thai 'multiparty' turmoil not lost on China's rulers

BEIJING — Whatever the effects of political turmoil in Thailand, they have not helped the cause of democracy in China. The images of prodemocracy protesters and the subsequent military crackdown in downtown Bangkok have been openly shown in Chinese media without any apparent bias. Indeed, there is...
COMMENTARY
May 19, 2010

Coalition off to a good start

Britain's May 6 general election was different from previous elections both in the way the campaigns were conducted and in its final outcome.
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2010

Fatah, Hamas watch, wait

GAZA CITY — With dueling authorities running Gaza and the West Bank, the Palestinian people find themselves in the middle of an experiment. In Gaza, where Hamas is in charge, the high price of armed resistance to Israel has discredited any attempts to revive the conflict. In the West Bank, under Fatah...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 17, 2010

'Cove' mind-set harms Japan

HONG KONG — The ballyhoo, glitz and glamour of the annual Oscars awards had many people in the world waiting with baited breath to see if they could make even a tangential claim to knowing one of the winners. Newspapers cleared their front pages if someone from their town, sometimes even their country,...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2010

At last, a Turkish military coup that failed

ANKARA — The exposure of the plan hatched by senior military officials — called "Operation Sledgehammer" — to destabilize Turkey's government, and the subsequent arrest of high-ranking officers, demonstrates the growing strength of Turkey's democracy. Moreover, prosecutors' efforts to uncover the...
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Mar 3, 2010

Decks cleared, DPJ focuses on poll

With Tuesday's Lower House passage of the fiscal 2010 budget securing the way for its enactment by the end of March, the ruling Democratic Party of Japan will now focus on passing as many key policies as it can to bring visible results to voters before the summer Upper House election.
COMMENTARY
Feb 19, 2010

Japan, China, past, present

China's recent economic progress coupled with its growing assertiveness in international politics has, in Asia, Europe and the U.S., given rise to some concern and a number of commentaries about the role of China in international politics.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 24, 2010

A 'stable' life for Ozawa, yakuza, sumo stars

In the Jan. 25 issue of Aera, show-business reporter Yoshiko Matsumoto, writing about the persistence of image, related an anecdote about Seiji Maehara. The land minister was traveling coach on a domestic JAL flight and after the airplane landed he helped other passengers remove their belongings from...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 17, 2010

Limits on 'Allah' amid paradise's blessings

HONG KONG — An ad shown on the BBC and CNN channels portrays a Caucasian couple frolicking in a paradise on Earth, enjoying jungle greens filtered through dancing sunlight, scantily clad on a pristine golden beach undisturbed except by turtle tracks, snorkeling through vivid clear blue underwater life,...
EDITORIALS
Dec 29, 2009

The past year of newness

The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation's annual kanji of the year for 2009 is, appropriately, " " (shin), meaning "new." This kanji, chosen by national ballot and announced in December at Kyoto's Kiyomizu temple, reflects the win of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which ended a half-century...
Reader Mail
Nov 29, 2009

Liberal ticket to utopia unlikely

Regarding Charles G. Wilt's Nov. 19 letter, "Conservatives had their chance": As an American commenting on Japanese politics, I don't pretend to know much about this subject, but I do know this: I agree that President Barack Obama has done his country a service by mentioning those who suffered from the...
COMMENTARY
Nov 24, 2009

An able, nonpolitical civil service

LONDON — In Britain and Japan, civil servants are supposed to be nonpolitical and to give unbiased advice. But their independence is threatened by some politicians who want posts to be filled by what Margaret Thatcher used to call "one of us" — people who share the same aspirations as the governing...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2009

U.S.-Japan collaboration on high-speed rail

PRINCETON, N.J. — Traveling at up to 300 kph and boasting an impeccable safety record, the Shinkansen exemplifies Japan's technological prowess. It could also become a new frontier in the U.S-Japan partnership.
COMMENTARY
Oct 3, 2009

Hopes and tasks for the DPJ

In a Yomiuri Shimbun opinion survey conducted just after the election, 72 percent of those polled had an optimistic view of the Democratic Party of Japan, reflecting a favorable popular response to the outcome of the Aug. 30 general election.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 25, 2009

On the pleasure of self-deception

William Kentridge is known for his hand-drawn animations that evoke the quaint charms of the silent film era while unflinchingly observing the brutality of contemporary society, with many of his works drawing from the context of his native South Africa.
EDITORIALS
Sep 24, 2009

Chance to rebuild in opposition

Campaigning for the presidency of the Liberal Democratic Party is now in full swing. The party is struggling to recover from the fallout of the Aug. 30 Lower House electoral battle against the Democratic Party of Japan, when defeat forced the LDP out of power after more than 50 years of rule. It is hoped...
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2009

Okada to prioritize ties with Asian neighbors

To envision how Katsuya Okada will approach his new job as foreign minister, one need look no further than his grilling of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi during budget deliberations at the Diet on June 2, 2005.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2009

Hatoyama embraces 'alien' label

Meet new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, also known as "the alien."
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Aug 31, 2009

Historic sea change at polls product of frustrated public

For better or worse, history has been made.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2009

Voters, fed up with LDP, say it's time for change

As the Democratic Party of Japan's stunning victory and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's resounding defeat was reported Sunday night, many voters on the streets of Tokyo said they savored their chance to vote for change.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 4, 2009

Party offers a third way: happiness

As a historic general election looms on Aug. 30, Japan's long-suffering electorate faces a clear choice: vote for the conservative party that has virtually monopolized power since 1955, or opt for its more liberal but untested rival, which promises long-awaited reform. For those with a taste for the...
JAPAN / PARTY POWERS
Jul 29, 2009

New Komeito chief slams DPJ policies, rules out alliance

Citing the Democratic Party of Japan's "unreliable" policies, New Komeito chief Akihiro Ota says joining hands with the DPJ is unlikely even if the largest opposition force wins the Aug. 30 election.
COMMENTARY
Jun 14, 2009

The will to deal imaginatively with a crisis

LONDON — The report that North Korea had set off a second underground nuclear explosion made headlines here, but European eyes were on issues closer to home, including elections to the European Parliament and the state of the European economy.
EDITORIALS
May 29, 2009

Bring on more debates

Prime Minister Taro Aso and the Democratic Party of Japan leader Yukio Hatoyama held their first one-on-one Diet debate Wednesday. Surprisingly this is only the second time that top leaders of the ruling and opposition camps have debated this way since Mr. Aso came to power in September 2008. Mr. Ichiro...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 23, 2009

Reality check from the top of the world

"I suppose I just couldn't sit down and listen to it anymore. I couldn't go to the pub and just keep complaining about it and not actually go do something about it," says Gavin Dixon.
COMMENTARY
Apr 28, 2009

Politicians on the make

The image of members of Parliament (MPs) in Britain has been damaged by recent revelations about the way in which MPs — including ministers and some senior members of opposition parties — have taken advantage of the rules about expenses to feather their own nests. Some MPs have also been accused...
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Apr 27, 2009

Blunders with North show Japan still child at handling media

Earlier this month, when many in Japan were enjoying the arrival of spring and the accompanying cherry blossoms, something else was in the sky, something much more dangerous than a warm breeze: a three-stage missile, launched from North Korea.

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