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COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 9, 2003

Waging war on the U.S. presence

If you're a reader of Japanese newspapers or a viewer of Japanese TV news, you're probably well aware of the U.S. military presence in Japan.
EDITORIALS
Sep 8, 2003

Moving too fast on missile defense

The Defense Agency's plan to build a missile-defense system is causing much controversy here. The basic question is whether such a system is urgently needed and whether it is suitable for ensuring the peace and security of Japan. The question should be addressed very carefully from various angles. The...
COMMENTARY
Sep 8, 2003

Japan must stick to its guns

Officials of six nations held talks in Beijing late last month on ways of defusing the North Korean nuclear crisis, 50 years after the signing of the armistice agreement that ended hostilities in the Korean War. The talks culminated in agreement to solve the crisis in a peaceful manner through dialogue...
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2003

Nearly 50% oppose keeping imported wild animals as pets

Nearly 50 percent of Japanese responding to a government survey said they are opposed to imported wild animals, such as raccoon and iguanas, being kept as pets.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2003

Envoy on Iraq fact-finding mission

Yukio Okamoto, diplomatic adviser to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, left Saturday for Iraq to look into how Japan can contribute to reconstruction efforts there.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2003

Okamoto to assess Iraq security

The government is sending Yukio Okamoto, a foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, to Iraq on Saturday to check security conditions and determine how the Self-Defense Forces can contribute to rebuilding the country.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2003

Health Ministry to ban foods containing processed 'katuk'

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry decided Friday to ban the sale of foods containing processed "katuk," a leafy green vegetable, by the end of next week.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2003

Aoki throws weight behind Koizumi; others still divided

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi received a shot in the arm on Thursday when LDP heavyweight Mikio Aoki threw his support to the prime minister in the party's upcoming presidential election.
EDITORIALS
Sep 5, 2003

A chance to end faction politics

Factional dissension in the Liberal Democratic Party is probably the most significant aspect of the party's presidential election set for Sept. 20. Factions critical of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi are so deeply divided that they have failed to field a single candidate. The group headed by former...
JAPAN / AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS
Sep 5, 2003

Koizumi support of U.S. a double-edged sword?

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was offered two scripts by the Foreign Ministry ahead of the March invasion of Iraq by the United States.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2003

Miyake evacuees sold short by government

Having spent three years away from their homes, many Miyake Island residents forced to evacuate due to volcanic eruptions in 2000 are suffering amid a lack of financial support from the government.
EDITORIALS
Sep 4, 2003

Window dressing in Yangon

Nothing quickens the blood of political analysts like leadership changes in reclusive and secretive governments. The shuffle in the upper ranks of Myanmar's governing junta is no exception. The big question is the effect the changes will have on the fate of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, the imprisoned Nobel...
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2003

Koizumi has polyp removed from colon

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi underwent endoscopic surgery Wednesday after doctors found a polyp in his colon during a regular health checkup, the prime minister's office announced.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2003

Kan looks to downsize Diet, narrow single-seat vote disparity

Naoto Kan, president of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, unveiled Wednesday a set of political reforms that includes downsizing the Diet and narrowing the disparity in vote value for single-seat constituencies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS
Sep 4, 2003

Koizumi half way toward reforming public firms

Can Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi live up to his pledge to save the nation's ailing economy by reforming monstrous public corporations?
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2003

Transport minister stands behind highway chief after finances OK'd

Transport minister Chikage Ogi brushed aside mounting calls Tuesday for the president of Japan Public Highway Corp. to step down over allegations it doctored its financial statements to cover up huge debts.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2003

For LDP's Aoki, Koizumi a useful tool

An LDP heavyweight who is throwing his support behind Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's re-election has an ulterior motive: the party regaining its majority in the House of Councilors.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2003

Japan to pay victims of mustard gas leak in China 100 million yen

Japan will pay 100 million yen to victims of last month's leak of mustard gas from barrels abandoned in China by the Imperial Japanese Army, a government source said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2003

Koizumi wants more cooperation from opponents

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday he will work hard to win over Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers who oppose his policies as he gears up for the party's presidential election on Sept. 20.
JAPAN / AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS
Sep 3, 2003

Was 'reform without sanctuaries' an empty pledge?

When Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi took office in April 2001, he told the public that pain was a necessary evil in the process of rehabilitating the corporate sector and achieving financial stability.
JAPAN / AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS
Sep 2, 2003

Koizumi's failings linked to inflexible fiscal policy

Some economists compare it to trying to lose weight by fasting when the real solution is exercise, while others talk about repairing an airplane's altimeter when it's the engine that needs attention.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Sep 1, 2003

Surge in JGB issuance proves need for Koizumi reform drive

The preliminary GDP figures for the latest quarter, released Aug. 12, show that Japan's economy grew at an annualized rate of 2.3 percent in the April-June period. The economy is on a continuing uptrend, with GDP having expanded six quarters in a row since the January-March period of last year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS
Sep 1, 2003

Koizumi renews confrontational posture

When he became prime minister in April 2001, Junichiro Koizumi boasted high public support, portraying himself as a lone wolf fighting old-guard politicians in the Liberal Democratic Party.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2003

2004 budget requests 5 trillion yen more than this year

Spending requests from government ministries and agencies for fiscal 2004 will total 86.46 trillion yen, up 4.67 trillion yen from the initial budget for the current fiscal year, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 24, 2003

Japan again risking too little, too late

Last month Japan passed legislation that opened the door to sending the Self-Defense Forces on missions to Iraq. In principle, this was a very positive step forward for those who had hoped to see Japan play a greater role in international security affairs.
EDITORIALS
Aug 23, 2003

Falling savings rate is a warning

Until not long ago Japan was criticized -- or praised -- for its extraordinarily high savings rate, depending on how one looked at it. The United States, for one, pointed out that Japan was saving too much and investing too little, and called for steps to stimulate domestic demand and boost consumer...
EDITORIALS
Aug 21, 2003

Yasukuni issue must be resolved

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine continue to cast a shadow over Japan's relations with its Asian neighbors. In particular, China and South Korea remain critical of a Japanese head of government paying an official visit to the shrine, which is dedicated to millions of Japan's...

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past