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November 26, 2024

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COMMENTARY

Apr 22, 2002

Defense bills only a first step

By Keizo Nabeshima

Japan has moved a step closer to enacting emergency security legislation to deal with direct military attacks on the nation. Last Wednesday, the government introduced in the Diet a package of three bills for such emergencies.

COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA

Apr 22, 2002

Gerontocracy and its perks sap resources

By Jean-pierre Lehmann

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- In 1999 I was invited to participate at a conference held in Tokyo under the title of "Management Challenges for the 21st Century." The first and keynote speaker was Jack Welch, former chief executive officer of General Electric, followed by about a dozen CEOs of major Japanese...

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 21, 2002

ASEAN's time to strengthen Indian ties

By George Sioris

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- In a series of previous articles on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, a certain vacuum has been noted: Although this regional organization has managed through the years to establish meaningful connections with various countries of the world, its links with...

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 21, 2002

Koizumi trade pitch misses

By David Wall

CAMBRIDGE, England -- At the Baoa Forum for Asia that met on Hainan Island in China earlier this month, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made yet another proposal for a greater economic cooperation agreement for East Asia. This time Japan's focus is on an ASEAN-plus-five formula, as announced...

COMMENTARY

Apr 20, 2002

Comedy on the heels of traged

By Kenzo Uchida

As the saying goes, "tragedy at first, followed by comedy." Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's dismissal of Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka on Jan. 29 was a tragic event in the political world. The collapse of the Koizumi-Tanaka team, at the forefront of the government that emerged in April 2001 to tremendous...

COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE

Apr 20, 2002

Gore begins long march to election 2004

By Bob Keefe

WASHINGTON -- The Florida Democratic Convention provided the platform for the return of former Vice President Albert Gore to the national political scene last weekend. He jumped in with both feet in Florida, accusing President George W. Bush of a litany of misconceived policies, from the economy to the...

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 19, 2002

Top Tiger shifts position barely an inch

By Gautaman Bhaskaran

NEW DELHI -- When Velupillai Prabhakaran, the rebel leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), held his first press conference after a gap of 12 years, he generated some optimism that was no sooner overshadowed by pessimism.

COMMENTARY

Apr 19, 2002

China puts growth before 'reunification'

By Frank Ching

HONG KONG -- The launching of the U.S. Congressional Taiwan Caucus on April 9, which already includes 85 members of the House of Representatives, is but the latest sign of Washington's moving inexorably closer to Taiwan, 30 years after the signing of the Shanghai communique. So far, China has shown remarkable...

COMMENTARY

Apr 19, 2002

West's terror goes unpunished

By Gregory Clark

Call me old-fashioned, but was not the deliberate use of force by one nation against another nation once labeled as aggression? And was not aggression once seen as a war crime? Certainly a large number of Japanese and German leaders once were hanged for just that kind of behavior. Yet today's U.S. and...

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 18, 2002

Israeli offensive shakes Jordanian society

By Russell Working

GAZA REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan -- Gloom hung over the house where Amin's adult daughter had died of an unknown disease. Rain was leaking through the tarpaulin that served as a roof in half of the two-room structure of mud brick and cinder blocks where 15 people live.

COMMENTARY

Apr 18, 2002

Turkey's Mideast peace role

By David Howell

LONDON/ISTANBUL -- The only possible way of exerting outside influence on the ever-worsening conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians is through a visibly balanced approach.

COMMENTARY

Apr 17, 2002

Politicization of charity

By Doug Bandow

WASHINGTON -- There seems to be no bill for which U.S. taxpayers are not responsible. Charity as well as welfare has become a government responsibility.

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.

Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat

By Greg Dvorak

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

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