Hugh Cortazzi - The Japan Times

November 23, 2024

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Hugh Cortazzi

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Hugh Cortazzi

Hugh Cortazzi was posted to British Commonwealth Air Forces in Japan in 1946, and he joined the British Foreign (later diplomatic) service in 1949. After retiring, he worked in the city of London and was an adviser to a number of Japanese companies. He was chairman of the council of the Japan Society from 1985-1995. Since 1983 he has researched and written a number of books about Japanese culture and history and has edited and compiled a series of books on personalities active in Anglo-Japanese relations.

COMMENTARY

Nov 18, 2001

War's stakes lost on critics

LONDON -- The murmurings against the bombing of Afghanistan are growing louder. Opponents argue that the bombing is cruel, unjustified and pointless. Its only effect, they say, is to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis caused by famine and the huge exodus of refugees. The raids should at the very least...

COMMENTARY

Nov 2, 2001

Removing blinkers on trade

LONDON -- The tragic events of Sept. 11 have exacerbated the economic position of every country. New stimulus measures have been instituted in the United States and interest rates have been cut elsewhere. But these are not enough to put growth back on track. An expansion in world trade would bring major...

COMMENTARY

Aug 24, 2001

The time for talking is over

LONDON -- Too much has been expected from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, but that is partly his own fault. There seems to have been too much "spin" and too little action. Time is not on his side as the Japanese economy splutters.

COMMENTARY

Aug 20, 2001

No place for arrogant science

LONDON -- Scientific and technological research and development have contributed significantly, particularly in the last century, to our understanding, health and general well-being.

COMMENTARY

Aug 7, 2001

Loner behavior vexes allies

LONDON -- For Europe and for Japan the maintenance of good relations with the United States is vital. The U.S. commitments to NATO and to the defense of Japan are so important that Europe and Japan may often have to make concessions to U.S. views with which they have good reasons to disagree. The U.S....

COMMENTARY

Jul 30, 2001

Foreign policy falls short

LONDON -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi cannot afford to let Japanese foreign policy become a hostage to nationalist agitation and populist pressures. Japan needs friends in Asia as well as in the rest of the world. Its relationship with the United States remains crucial. Koizumi has worked hard to...

COMMENTARY

Jul 23, 2001

'Fair' easier said than done

LONDON -- The term "fair competition" is a word like "motherhood." We all regard it as desirable and a good thing. But it is an economic proposition that is not easily attainable, and if it is achieved can only be maintained by constant vigilance. Some of those who pay lip service to the concept show...

COMMENTARY

Jul 16, 2001

Just concerns over jurisdiction

LONDON -- In the light of the recent rape case in Okinawa, I have some sympathy for the Japanese wish to extend further their rights to exercise full criminal jurisdiction in cases involving American forces in Japan. The American authorities need to understand the historical background to Japanese sensitivities...

COMMENTARY

Jul 3, 2001

Focus on function, not form

LONDON -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair's new government involves a series of changes in the responsibilities of government departments, some of which have been given new names. This will mean reorganizations of offices involving a great deal of aggravation for those concerned. It seems inevitable...

COMMENTARY

Jun 23, 2001

Past still weighs heavily today

LONDON -- Those of us who were involved in the Pacific War look with suspicion and a tinge of fear at manifestations of Japanese nationalism, especially if it has ethnic or militarist overtones.

COMMENTARY

May 28, 2001

British conservatives fighting an uphill battle

LONDON -- The campaign leading up to the June 7 election has been dominating the news in Britain. The Labor government is described as center left, but its policies are generally more conservative than those of the Liberal Democrats, who are really social democrats. The Conservative opposition have been...

COMMENTARY

May 22, 2001

Politics slides as style prevails

LONDON -- The British general-election campaign has started. The "spin doctors" are working overtime to show the party leaders and party policies in the best possible light and to provide good photo opportunities to illustrate their leaders' popular appeal. At the same time, the party leaders themselves...

COMMENTARY

May 10, 2001

No case for direct election

LONDON -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is reported to have said that the only change he wants to make in the Japanese Constitution is to insert an article providing that the Japanese prime minister be elected by the people of Japan rather than by the Diet. In this he is endorsing a proposal originally...

COMMENTARY

Apr 30, 2001

A real chance for change?

LONDON -- Is Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi so different from other Japanese politicians that he can succeed in enforcing radical change in the political and economic system of the country?

COMMENTARY

Apr 22, 2001

Overlooking the real victims of foot-and-mouth disease

LONDON -- Americans and Japanese have been shunning Britain because of the stories and images of burning animals in the foot-and-mouth-disease scare. One Japanese, I hope in jest, asked if we had enough to eat. We responded that we did not need food parcels just yet! Another group to whom I had promised...

COMMENTARY

Apr 16, 2001

The curse of 'shikata ga nai'

"The Japanese phrase that I particularly hate is 'shikata ga nai,' (it can't be helped)" said a friend who had spent some years teaching in Japan. I responded that it was surely appropriate if you were driving a car and the traffic lights turned red just when you got to them. She accepted that in such...

COMMENTARY

Apr 7, 2001

Animal rights, terrorist tactics

LONDON -- Some animal-rights activists in Britain have committed violent crimes against people and companies they dislike. In so doing, they have shown not only that they have lost a sense of proportion, but that they have no rational ethical code. Animal-rights terrorists need to be confronted as firmly...

COMMENTARY

Mar 27, 2001

The limits of public opinion

LONDON -- Speaking to the House of Commons on Nov. 11, 1947, Winston Churchill said, "No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."

COMMENTARY

Mar 20, 2001

Japan wasting its top resource

LONDON -- In Britain, the Equal Opportunities Commission is a powerful body that has been working hard to ensure that there is no discrimination in the workplace, particularly on grounds of gender. Women have still not achieved complete equality in pay and conditions, but much progress has been made....

COMMENTARY

Mar 14, 2001

Agriculture policies gone wild

LONDON -- An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain has caused a panic among farmers here and in the rest of Europe. Farms have been isolated and large numbers of animals, slaughtered on suspicion of harboring the disease, have been incinerated on the spot. Parks, where deer may be found, have...

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.

A boom for business tourism in Japan?

By Kathryn Wortley

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