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May 15, 2024
 

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SENTAKU MAGAZINE

COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jun 27, 2011
Power industry's chokehold
The electric power industry in Japan has such strong political clout that nobody, not even the government, seems capable of liberalizing the generation and distribution of electricity, let alone making a dent in the regional monopoly currently enjoyed by each of the 10 utilities.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jun 15, 2011
Yakuza eye cleanup profits
The government and law enforcement authorities appear to be fighting an uphill battle to prevent gangsters and other "antisocial" groups from cashing in on disposing of huge amounts of debris generated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which played havoc with large areas along the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
May 23, 2011
Long hot summer on track
Fears of unbearable heat this summer for train commuters in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area are mounting for two reasons: (1) Electric power shortages triggered by the accidents at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station may force East Japan Railway Co. (JR East), the major operator of commuter trains, to suspend the use of air conditioners; and (2) with the train cars now in use, windows can be opened only partially to let in fresh air even when the air conditioning is off.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
May 16, 2011
The new enervated Tepco
With the onset of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant crisis following the March 11 Tohoku-Pacific earthquake, radioactive substances continue to seep into the sea, air and soil. Residents within a designated proximity of the plant will likely have to live away from their homes a long time. The prospect of the situation returning to normal is nowhere in sight.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Apr 25, 2011
Mideast unnerving North Korea
North Korea's ruler and his heir apparent are scared stiff at the prospect of prodemocracy movements spreading from the Middle East and northern Africa to their home turf.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Apr 11, 2011
From Russia with leverage
Spiraling oil prices and the serious accidents at a major Japanese nuclear power station caused by the March 11 quake and tsunami are helping strengthen the position of Russia in the international community.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Mar 28, 2011
Weeklies getting the gavel for targeting public figures
Fear is mounting within Japanese journalism circles, especially among publishers of popular weekly magazines, that their reporting may be severely constrained by the recent tendency of courts to award large compensation claims to plaintiffs in libel suits.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Mar 11, 2011
Get ready to switch chairs
Prime Minister Naoto Kan will likely have to decide whether to call a general election or to resign as early as next month as his popularity continues to plummet.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Feb 28, 2011
Judicial allergy to appeals
More than 1,800 criminal cases reached Japan's Supreme Court on appeal in fiscal 2009. But 98.01 percent of them were thrown out without a hearing. The situation is not much different with civil cases. This trend has chipped away at the very foundation of the nation's three-tier judiciary system, in which a ruling by a district court may be appealed to a high court and ultimately to the Supreme Court.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Feb 15, 2011
Waiting for Kan to crash
A question that has grown increasingly popular among politicians in Tokyo's Nagata-cho is: How long is Naoto Kan going to survive as prime minister?
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jan 24, 2011
Japan's chance to exploit Russian suspicion of China
Military policy and maneuvers undertaken by Russia in recent months appear to indicate that Moscow has begun to feel threatened by China's growing military strength, according to experts on Russian affairs.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jan 18, 2011
Up the prosecutor's road
Public Prosecutor General Hiroshi Obayashi was forced to resign after being in office for only six months in the wake of a series of scandals involving the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office's special investigation squad, including the tampering of evidence by one of its prosecutors.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Dec 27, 2010
Computing set to bolster China's industrial prowess
China, having successfully developed the world's fastest supercomputer, now poses a more serious threat than ever to the United States militarily, and to Japan commercially.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Dec 14, 2010
Splits, rumors of splits, and the hole if Kan splits
With its rate of approval dwindling fast, the administration of Prime Minister Naoto Kan has fallen into a "lame-duck" status, and the resultant "political vacuum" is likely to linger on for some time to come, as there is no clear prospect as to what kind of political landscape will emerge in the event of his stepping down.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Nov 26, 2010
Highhanded prosecutors get judicial pat on the back
The arrogance and self-complacence of public prosecutors have been exposed with the acquittal of a high-ranking former welfare ministry official who had been indicted on a charge of forgery, and the subsequent arrest and indictment of two prosecutors accused of hiding evidence of data tampering. The case involved an alleged attempt to abuse the postage discount system for the disabled.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Nov 22, 2010
Japan shouldn't bet farm on China's 'middle class'
Many Japanese corporations are pinning their hopes on what they see as the expanding "middle class" in China, which they think will offer a huge potential market for their products. In reality, that class is a mirage created politically by the Chinese Communist Party and is on the verge of disintegrating.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Oct 25, 2010
Kan feeling Diet squeeze from three major groups
What occupies the mind of Prime Minister Naoto Kan more than anything else appears to be how to keep his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) free from the influence of his archrival, former party Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa. This could very well be the root of inconsistencies and blunders that have emanated from his handling of both diplomatic and domestic issues.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Oct 13, 2010
China's invaluable lesson
Japan has suffered a diplomatic humiliation by succumbing to China's demand for the release of a Chinese fishing boat captain who was arrested for operating in Japanese territorial waters and for ramming his boat into Japanese Coast Guard patrol ships.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Sep 20, 2010
ASEAN has come of age as a market and producer
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is regaining its economic clout to the extent that it is now time for Japanese corporations to think about the group's 10 members not only as huge markets for their products but also as production bases.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Sep 15, 2010
Seoul blundering on North
South Korea has committed a number of blunders in its efforts to gather intelligence on North Korea since President Lee Myun Bak took office in February 2008 with a tougher stand against Pyongyang than his predecessors.
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.
Ishin struggles to set itself apart from other parties
Nippon Ishin no Kai Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita (right) speaks beside Yui Kanazawa, the party's candidate in the Tokyo 15th district by-election on April 28. Nippon Ishin lost in this by-election as well as another in Nagasaki held on the same day.
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.
New Taiwan president to set tone for ties with China at inauguration
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te arrives at the CyberSec 2024 Exhibition in Taipei on Wednesday.
Ishin struggles to set itself apart from other parties
Nippon Ishin no Kai Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita (right) speaks beside Yui Kanazawa, the party's candidate in the Tokyo 15th district by-election on April 28. Nippon Ishin lost in this by-election as well as another in Nagasaki held on the same day.
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.
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.

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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