Search - question

 
 
COMMENTARY
Mar 7, 2004

EU's false trilateral dreams

LONDON -- The idea that the European Union should be run and managed by a hard core of countries, meaning France, Germany and -- if it can be coaxed along as well -- Britain, is once again doing the rounds.
COMMENTARY
Mar 7, 2004

Capturing bin Laden won't repair rift

ISLAMABAD -- The elimination of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden -- by either killing or capturing him -- would indeed boost the morale of U.S. President George W. Bush as he prepares for the presidential election in November.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2004

Police search Sato's Diet office

Investigators searched the Diet office of Kanju Sato on Friday for evidence over allegations that he misappropriated a secretary's state-paid salary.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2004

Group cranks up rhetoric over isles

A group of former and current Diet members demanded Friday that Japan Post issue stamp sheets featuring images of three sets of islands embroiled in territorial disputes.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Mar 6, 2004

Despite track record, scrutiny of Ferguson remains relentless

LONDON -- Perhaps the real truth as opposed to what we have been told will never be known.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2004

DPJ's Sato tenders resignation from Diet

House of Representatives lawmaker Kanju Sato tendered his resignation from the Diet on Thursday amid allegations that he pocketed the state-paid salary of a woman falsely registered as his secretary.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2004

'Careless' Japan Post issues disputed-isle stamp sheet

Japan Post said Thursday it "carelessly" issued customized stamp sheets featuring images of Takeshima Island, which is claimed by Japan and South Korea.
EDITORIALS
Mar 5, 2004

Opportunity for mutual prosperity

In the not so distant future, China probably will eclipse the United States as Japan's largest trading partner. That could happen before 2008 when Beijing hosts the Summer Olympics. Setting the pace of China's economic growth is investment in infrastructure, whose momentum is expected to increase in...
CULTURE / Film
Mar 3, 2004

Weir's far from all at sea

Russell Crowe never made it to the press conference for "Master and Commander," apparently due to an injury suffered on the set of his current film. On the plus side, the usual slack-jawed celeb-oglers were nowhere to be found and a number of interesting questions were put to director Peter Weir, himself...
JAPAN
Mar 3, 2004

22% say foreigners' rights secondary to locals'

Foreigners in Japan should not expect to have the same human rights protections here as Japanese, 21.8 percent of respondents in a fiscal 2002 survey said.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2004

Breakdown of district court ruling on Aum guru Asahara

Tokyo subway gas attack
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 28, 2004

Rivalry threatens Sri Lankan ceasefire

COLOMBO -- There are growing fears that the recent political turmoil in Sri Lanka will seriously hamper the internationally supported effort to end the two decades of ethnic strife between the majority Buddhist Sinhalese and the minority Hindu Tamils.
COMMENTARY
Feb 27, 2004

Rightwing's political football

Don't underestimate the depth of genuine public anger in Japan over the abduction issue with North Korea. At the same time don't underestimate the degree to which Japan's powerful rightwing is exploiting the issue to shift Japan even further to hardline foreign policies, a shift typified by the extraordinary...
COMMENTARY
Feb 27, 2004

Watershed for Hong Kong-Beijing ties

HONG KONG -- The relationship between Hong Kong and Beijing is at a critical point, with the central government having cautioned the special administrative region not to rush headlong into democracy while local people fear that their democratic aspirations may be frustrated.
EDITORIALS
Feb 26, 2004

An endorsement from Mr. Annan

With Japan taking an important part in the reconstruction of Iraq, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's five-day visit here, starting last Saturday, could not have come at a better time. His trip has given Japanese government leaders -- including not only Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister...
EDITORIALS
Feb 25, 2004

Empty democracy in Iran

To no one's surprise, conservatives claimed an overwhelming victory in parliamentary elections held in Iran last week. The results were predictable since many of the country's reform-oriented candidates were not allowed to run. The low turnout is proof that the outcome does not reflect the will of the...
EDITORIALS
Feb 24, 2004

Malaysia's new look

Malaysia's new prime minister, Mr. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is wasting no time distinguishing himself in office. Typically, however, he is doing it quietly. Without a lot of fanfare, Mr. Badawi has launched a campaign to root out corruption. In foreign policy, he is smoothing over the rough relationships...
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2004

Japan's Iraq role wins praise of Annan

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday won a desperately needed endorsement from U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan for Japan's engagement in postwar aid missions in Iraq.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Feb 23, 2004

Critical war questions beg for an answer

NEW YORK -- First, my historian friend George Akita sent me a clipping of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's article that appeared in The Honolulu Advertiser (Aug. 7, 2003). Titled "We need rules for waging war," the piece begins with McNamara remembering the night of March 9, 1945, when...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 22, 2004

Legends keep it visceral and current

Colin Newman of the English punk band Wire uses the words "interesting" and "energy" a lot when he talks about music. "Interesting" can often be a backhanded compliment, but Newman uses it literally because he tends to approach pop as an intellectual endeavor.
COMMUNITY
Feb 21, 2004

Breathe under water with Aqua Adventure Divers

If Kevin Winchester is not covering ground on skis, or by motorbike (a mighty Honda CB1300cc, as befits a member of Tokyo Riders), he is flying high or diving deep. But don't call him sporty, or the outdoor type. "They are just things I like to do!"
EDITORIALS
Feb 20, 2004

GDP growth belies strong recovery

Japan's economy expanded at an annualized rate of 7 percent in the last quarter of 2003, with export-oriented large manufacturers providing the main thrust of growth. Whether this will lead to a broad and enduring recovery remains to be seen, however. The export boom will fizzle out if overseas demand...
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2004

LDP-New Komeito ties criticized

Democratic Party of Japan leader Naoto Kan on Wednesday criticized the Liberal Democratic Party for depending heavily on New Komeito to stay in power.
EDITORIALS
Feb 17, 2004

Pyongyang talks leave door ajar

It appears that North Korea now wants to reach some sort of agreement with Japan over the abduction issue. Last week, two ranking officials of the Japanese Foreign Ministry visited Pyongyang for the first government-to-government talks in 16 months. Although nothing specific is alleged to have resulted...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / A GAIJIN'S TALE
Feb 17, 2004

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

I met my (Japanese) wife in Australia, where we decided to get married. I later agreed to come to Japan to meet her parents and seek their permission to tie the knot.
Japan Times
JAPAN / POLITICS IN FOCUS
Feb 17, 2004

Koizumi, Kan warm to unicameral system

Whenever a Diet session convenes, the Emperor gives a short speech at the House of Councilors' opening ceremony -- a tradition that should demonstrate the chamber's status.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2004

Abduction issue talks end with little progress

By KANAKO TAKAHARA

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami