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November 22, 2024
 

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Ryuichiro Hosokawa
COMMENTARY
Dec 21, 2001
Public servants untouched by economic woes
On Dec. 10, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's winter bonus was 5,692,492 yen this year, and other Cabinet members received 4,155,717 yen. These are huge sums in these harsh economic times.
COMMENTARY
Dec 7, 2001
Koizumi takes aim at public corporations
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi believes the Japanese economy cannot recover without structural reform. As the first step in translating this political philosophy into action, he is working on reforming inefficient government-affiliated public corporations.
COMMENTARY
Nov 16, 2001
Failure to reform will doom the economy
We no longer hear about "automatic increases in tax revenue." Instead, over the past decade we have heard so much about "deficit-covering government bonds" and "bad debts" that they have almost become household words.
COMMENTARY
Aug 11, 2001
Path to Yasukuni is for the independent
On Aug. 15, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi plans to visit Yasukuni Shrine for the express purpose of paying homage to the souls of those who died during World War II and expressing his determination that Japan will never again seek to solve international disputes by military force.
COMMENTARY
Jul 30, 2001
Leaders must fight for a cleaner planet
For the past century, the world's great powers have pursued better living conditions, fought against each other and worked frantically to develop technologies useful for fighting wars, all in total disregard of the environment.
COMMENTARY
Jul 1, 2001
Tanaka should think twice before speaking
Calm does not seem to prevail in the words and deeds attributed to Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka. She caused a considerable controversy when she expressed the view that Japan should join hands with European countries to persuade the United States not to go ahead with the missile-defense initiative....
COMMENTARY
Jun 4, 2001
Respects due to those who died for Japan
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has repeatedly said he will go to Yasukuni Shrine to worship on Aug. 15. He will be going, he says, to pay his respects to the spirits of those who have given their lives for their country. Present-day Japan exists thanks to the sacrifices of these people, Koizumi says,...
COMMENTARY
May 21, 2001
Better a wooden chicken than a tornado
As soon as Diet member Makiko Tanaka was sworn in as foreign minister, a powerful "Tornado Makiko" rampaged throughout the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sending some of the officials way up in the air and forcing others to retreat to hospital. For onlookers, the greater the chaos the more fun it was to...
COMMENTARY
May 6, 2001
Koizumi: a balanced blend of silk and steel
Toward the end of last year I had an occasion to attend a gathering with Junichiro Koizumi. It was at a Japanese restaurant in Ginza. The master of the restaurant brought a couple of bottles of warmed sake to our table. One person in our group took a bottle and filled the cups of Koizumi and others....
COMMENTARY
Apr 22, 2001
LDP must reform for the nation's good
For the past decade, the Japanese political scene has remained extremely unstable. Things have gone from bad to worse since the Liberal Democratic Party formed a coalition government. The root cause of the instability was the LDP's loss of majority status in both Houses of the Diet.
COMMENTARY
Apr 13, 2001
Media guilty of hounding Mori from office
Since political parties by definition seek to attain control of government, it is only natural that the Democratic Party and other opposition groups should have demanded Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's resignation in unison. On the other hand, it is incumbent upon journalists to comment on government policies...
COMMENTARY
Mar 31, 2001
Lack of leaders is destroying the LDP
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori announced that the date for electing the next president of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party would be moved up. This was tantamount to him expressing his intention to resign.
COMMENTARY
Feb 17, 2001
Press is partly to blame for Mori's image
On Dec. 10, 1954, Ichiro Hatoyama became prime minister after a long and bitter political struggle with Shigeru Yoshida. In the immediate postwar period, Hatoyama had appeared to be the most promising of the candidates aspiring to head the government. But he was forced to leave the political arena after...
COMMENTARY
Feb 6, 2001
Why can't Russia be more reasonable?
I am fed up with Russia's unreasonable attitude on the reversion to Japan of the four Russian-occupied northern islands and on the conclusion of a Russo-Japanese peace treaty.
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2001
Mori's fate hangs on Upper House election
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori will face a moment of truth in the Upper House election scheduled for July. Results of the election could cause serious political turmoil.
COMMENTARY
Nov 23, 2000
Japanese politics come up short again
Politics in Britain is characterized by a confrontation between the Conservative Party and the Labor Party. Each has its own policy platform, and voters choose between them, forcing changes in government. Likewise in the United States, the Republican and Democratic Parties alternate in power, running...
COMMENTARY
Oct 5, 2000
No rush to grant foreigners voting rights
A major domestic political debate is brewing over whether non-Japanese permanent residents should be granted the right to vote in local elections of prefectural governors, prefectural legislators, and chiefs and council members of lower local administrative entities. Those foreigners will still be ineligible...
COMMENTARY
Sep 30, 2000
Russian contempt for Japan nothing new
I have never been able to feel any sense of affinity with the political leaders of Russia, let alone those of the former Soviet Union. The reason why may be illustrated by the following incident, which occurred when Nikita Khrushchev was the general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party and head of...
COMMENTARY
Sep 13, 2000
Fragile foundations for the nation's youth
Although the whole nation has been dismayed by the recent wave of reports of serious crimes committed by 17-year-olds, everyone must have been excited and impressed by the teenagers playing in the high-school baseball championship tournament held at Koshien Stadium, regardless of who won and who lost....
COMMENTARY
Aug 2, 2000
Hasten slowly on ties with Pyongyang
Japan is moving to expedite negotiations on a peace treaty with North Korea, but it should be in no hurry at all. Famine-stricken North Korea has often asked foreign countries for food aid, and Japan has obliged by supplying a large amount of rice. There is no way of knowing if the Japanese-supplied...
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

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