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May 15, 2024
 

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SENTAKU MAGAZINE

COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Aug 30, 2010
Chinese labor strife frames larger fight over ideology
Since May, a number of factories in China have been hit by strikes and other forms of labor disputes, and an end seems to be nowhere in sight. Most of the plants targeted by the strikers are subsidiaries of overseas corporations. Especially hard hit have been the subsidiaries of Japanese companies, including two automakers — Toyota and Honda.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Aug 23, 2010
LDP riding out momentum with unhappy campers
The mood within the No. 1 opposition Liberal Democratic Party is far from jovial even though the July 11 Upper House election saw it regain some of the ground it lost to the Democratic Party of Japan in last year's general election.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 26, 2010
Black Sea challenge by U.S. set to keep Russia on edge
A storm is gathering in and around the Black Sea as Russia faces a mounting challenge from the United States, which is beefing up its military presence in former Soviet satellite countries like Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 12, 2010
China is pleased with Kan but keeps tabs on Ozawa
China apparently views new Prime Minister Naoto Kan as easier to deal with than his predecessor Yukio Hatoyama, and has already started sending friendly signals to Tokyo in the hopes of promoting closer bilateral relations.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jun 21, 2010
Janus-faced Russia hiding its snarls from the West
Diplomats in many corners of the world are puzzled by what appears to be a fundamental shift in Russia's foreign policies in recent months, from a strategy based on threat and intimidation to one of a low profile seeking friendship, especially with Western countries. Their consensus, however, is that this shift is only temporary and that Moscow will sooner or later return to its old tactics.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jun 14, 2010
South Koreans show split over what sank their ship
Despite the confident and harsh manner in which President Lee Myung Bak condemned North Korea for attacking and sinking a South Korean naval vessel, his country is deeply split between the conservative anti-Pyongyang forces and the opposition forces favoring promotion of closer ties with the North.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
May 24, 2010
If China's amazing growth seems illusory, maybe it is
Not many people in Japan are convinced that China has truly become an economic giant even though Beijing has released impressive statistics on the country's economic growth, accumulation of foreign exchange reserves, rising automobile sales and aggregate stock market value.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
May 17, 2010
Political hazards follow the dissing of bureaucrats
Nearly eight months have passed since the Democratic Party of Japan came to power on a slogan of shifting decision-making power and processes from bureaucrats to elected politicians with a view to reducing or eliminating excessive reliance on bureaucrats. As a result of this shift, three distinctly different patterns have emerged in the workings between bureaucrats and politicians:
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Apr 26, 2010
Transforming the judiciary
An epoch-making event in the Japanese judiciary system took place Jan. 27, when, for the first time in Japanese legal history, the prosecution's decision not to indict a suspect was reversed by votes of a panel composed of citizens.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Apr 19, 2010
Playing ends off the middle
Komeito, the third largest political party in Japan, is striving not to antagonize but to be friends with as many rival groups as possible in a determined bid to win in the Upper House election scheduled for this summer. The principal reason for pursuing this tactic, which has been described by some as "omni-directional diplomacy," is to give added color to the 80th anniversary this year of the founding of its parent organization, Soka Gakkai, a Buddhist lay organization that claims to have followers among 8 million households in Japan.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Mar 22, 2010
A haphazard approach to making foreign policy
"I wonder to what extent the Hatoyama administration relies on bureaucrats for its foreign policy," a diplomat from a Middle Eastern country said recently. "It has not expressed its own messages on issues such as Iran's nuclear weapons programs and the Mideast peace process. That makes me wonder who really is calling the shots in drawing up Japan's Mideast policies."
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Mar 15, 2010
Running against the wind
In the gubernatorial election of Nagasaki Prefecture on Feb. 21, the candidate backed by the ruling Democratic Party of Japan was roundly defeated by his opponent, who was supported by the No. 1 opposition Liberal Democratic Party. The winner, former Vice Gov. Hodo Nakamura, garnered 44.9 percent of total votes cast against 31.5 percent for the runnerup, Tsuyoshi Hashimoto.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Feb 22, 2010
Root of premier ambitions
Interior Affairs Minister Kazuhiro Haraguchi is that rare politician who doesn't hesitate to say he'll eventually be prime minister. He has apparently become more confident than ever after receiving support and encouragement from two of the most influential figures in the Japanese media.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Feb 15, 2010
LDP flailing for relevance
The once dominant Liberal Democratic Party is said to be trying to re-establish its identity as a genuine conservative force, but the LDP leadership appears to be doing nothing more than working desperately to maintain the status quo.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jan 25, 2010
Japan could pay big price for hurting American pride
Fifty years after the current Japan-U.S. security treaty took effect, 2010 looks to be a watershed year for the bilateral relationship between Japan and the United States.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jan 18, 2010
Ex-minister making waves
Former Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe, who had lain low for some time, resumed his political activities in earnest late last year. Political observers now wonder what his ultimate aims are: Does he seek to create a political party of his own?
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Dec 21, 2009
Hatoyama girds to review security alliance with U.S.
Only people in their late 60s and older remember the turmoil that raged in Japan in 1960 between the proponents and opponents of ratifying the revised security treaty with the United States. As these generations have aged, the security alliance between the two nations itself has grown somewhat antiquated while the whole world has undergone unprecedented change.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Nov 23, 2009
Whither the LDP withers
The once dominant Liberal Democratic Party has withered so miserably since losing the general election Aug. 30 that it looks as if it could suffer a total collapse or disintegration.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Nov 16, 2009
Does Ozawa run the show as Hatoyama foots the bill?
Only two months in office, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama appears to be losing his political influence primarily because of (1) his failure to exercise leadership in foreign diplomacy and on the domestic agenda, and (2) the extraordinary concentration of power vested in Ichiro Ozawa, whom Hatoyama has chosen to manage his ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) as secretary general.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Oct 19, 2009
Kremlin cajoling Hatoyama
Russia seems to be stepping up efforts to build closer ties with Japan through cracks in Tokyo's alliance with the United States, even as it tries to resolve the thorny Northern Territories issue on terms favorable to Moscow.
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
Yen’s fragility raises specter of a new currency war in Asia
Suspected intervention to drag the yen off a 34-year low against the dollar is already seen as unlikely to have a lasting effect if Japan continues alone.
Online booking for Mount Fuji climb to open on May 20
Visitors climb the slopes of Mount Fuji, Japan's highest peak at 3,776 meters. From May 20, climbers will have access to a new online booking system for Mount Fuji's most popular Yoshida trail in Yamanashi Prefecture.
In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.
Ex-METI bureaucrat given 10-year sentence for drugging and raping women
The Tokyo District Court on Monday sentenced a former industry ministry bureaucrat to 10 years in prison for drugging six women with sleeping pills and then raping or groping them in 2022.
In a rare event, the Northern Lights show up in Hokkaido
The Northern Lights in Nayoro, Hokkaido, on Saturday
Is black the new green for Japan’s flagging tea farmers?
George Guttridge-Smith brews tea at Kyoto Obubu Tea Farm in Wazuka, Kyoto Prefecture, where he serves as head of international development.
Japan's logistics firms seek partnerships to cope with driver shortage
Japan Post CEO Tetsuya Senda (right) and his Seino Transportation counterpart Satoshi Takahashi announce their companies' agreement on joint long-haul truck operations, in Tokyo on Thursday.
How the discovery of a giant sword in Nara offers clues into ancient Japan
Archaeologists say a 1,600-year-old wooden coffin at the Tomio Maruyama tumulus in the city of Nara was kept in good condition probably because it was protected by a layer of clay and copper ions that had seeped out of the mirrors that were buried together.
Unlike 10 years ago, Japan's new security bill sparks little debate
The Lower House starts discussing a security clearance bill on April 19 in Tokyo.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.
How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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