Morearticles

 
Menu
Search
 
January 27, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

More Commentary stories

COMMENTARY
May 30, 2005
Western lies blackened Beijing's image
By Gregory Clark
China's successful moves to improve ties with India have done more than sabotage Tokyo's hopes for an anti-China alliance with New Delhi. They have also put an end to the myth that China's alleged aggressions against India since the 1960s would prevent any rapprochement between the two countries.
COMMENTARY / World
May 30, 2005
A tale of two constitutions
By Glyn Ford
BRUSSELS -- On Sunday the world watched as the French electorate voted on whether to approve the new European constitution, and it will watch once again Wednesday when Holland holds a similar referendum. Both results will help determine the future direction and role of the European Union in the world....
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
May 30, 2005
China wasn't always so critical of Japan
By Hiroaki Sato
NEW YORK -- Yet another round of Chinese and Korean protests against Japan for allegedly downplaying its past deeds in historical reconstruction came and went (or almost). This time, though, I was reminded of one thing I should have remembered from four decades ago: China used to turn a completely different...
COMMENTARY
May 30, 2005
Japan's paradox of wealth
By Takamitsu Sawa
On his first visit to Japan in 1995, French sociologist Jean Baudrillard came up with a paradoxical hypothesis that Japan was affluent because Japanese were poor. Acknowledging that he was not an expert on Japanese affairs, Baudrillard made the suggestion in an interview with the Asahi Shimbun after...
COMMENTARY / World
May 29, 2005
Peer review of human rights
By Ramesh Thakur
The spread of human rights norms and conventions, and the extension and diffusion of international humanitarian law, were among the truly great achievements of the last century. The United Nations was at the center of that effort.
COMMENTARY
May 28, 2005
The serious side of Britain
By Hugh Cortazzi
LONDON -- The takeover of the Manchester United soccer (ManU) club by American businessman Malcolm Glazer dominated the news in Britain for some days this month. By May 16, Glazer had managed to purchase more than 75 percent of the shares by paying £3 (£1 equals approximately 200 yen) per share, a...
COMMENTARY / World
May 28, 2005
Jakarta and Beijing cozy up
By Eric Teo Chu Cheow
SINGAPORE -- During Chinese President Hu Jintao's recent visit to Jakarta and Bandung for the Golden Jubilee Commemoration of the 1955 Bandung Conference, Indonesian organizers underscored China's place at the conference and Hu stayed an extra day to sign a Strategic Partnership Agreement between Indonesia...
COMMENTARY / World
May 28, 2005
Leaders, not geography, decide destiny
By Michael Penn
During their recent visits to Washington some prominent Japanese lawmakers were promoting an uncomfortable message: China is a long-term threat to Japanese security, and a future conflict between Japan and China is virtually inevitable.
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2005
Too soon to let computers replace university libraries
By Michael R. Czinkota
at Houston has announced that it is removing almost all the books from its undergraduate library to provide space for a digital learning center, where students can use computers to access a wide variety of information. University officials are proud to be leading a trend. It is good to see academia catching...
COMMENTARY
May 24, 2005
Power politics ensnare reform
By Brahma Chellaney
NEW DELHI — Sixty years after its establishment, the United Nations is at a crossroads, its future direction and authority uncertain, even as it struggles with the diminution of its role in world affairs. Reforms are essential to revitalize the U.N.'s role, shore up its legitimacy and make it politically...
COMMENTARY
May 23, 2005
Getting doctors off the habit
By Kiroku Hanai
In February, the framework convention on tobacco control came into force, marking another milestone in the international antismoking movement. Japan has ratified the convention but is making only halfhearted efforts at tobacco control, frustrating antismoking activists ahead of No Tobacco Day on May...
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2005
Chinese protests stiffen Japanese resolve
By Richard Halloran
The Law of Unintended Consequences has been at work again, this time in the intense Japanese reaction to the Chinese demonstrations last month against Japan, some of them violent. In a word, the eruption in China has backfired in Japan.
Japan and South Korea were stable U.S. allies. Not anymore.
Supporters of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol protest in Seoul on Tuesday. The previous leaders of the U.S. and Japan, along with Yoon, focused on strengthening alliances and regional stability through cooperation whereas newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy may prioritize transactional relationships.
Police arrest suspect in deadly Nagano stabbings
A Nagano Prefectural Police official speaks during a news conference in the city of Nagano on Sunday following the arrest of a suspect in a deadly stabbing days earlier.
Hoshoryu overcomes rank-and-file wrestlers to put yokozuna promotion in sight
Hoshoryu dispatches Oho in a playoff to clinch the Emperor's Cup on the final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday in Tokyo.
Seoul court rejects second request to extend Yoon detention
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a hearing for his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Thursday.
Suspect says woman found dead on remote Tokyo island killed herself
The beach on Izu-Oshima island where Shizuka Takase's remains were found in October of last year.
How Japan is looking deep underground to solve its carbon problem
A pipe for transporting carbon dioxide to removal equipment at a carbon capture and storage (CCS) test site in Tomakomai, Hokkaido.
Hoshoryu overcomes rank-and-file wrestlers to put yokozuna promotion in sight
Hoshoryu dispatches Oho in a playoff to clinch the Emperor's Cup on the final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday in Tokyo.
Of sake and spirits: Indulging in Yamanashi’s best
With abundant rains and formidable humidity in summer, Japan does not seem to be an ideal land for wine, but winegrowers in Yamanashi Prefecture have gradually been able to adapt.
Japan’s love affair with Dragon Quest spreads worldwide
Upon the release of Dragon Quest VII in 2000, hundreds of customers lined up outside stores in Tokyo to secure a copy of the new game. With a remake of a 1988 title, the rest of the world is understanding why Japanese gamers love the series so much.
Why tatami is going from the floor to the dining table
At several high-end restaurants in Tokyo, tatami is becoming a part of the dining experience — not underfoot but as a tabletop place mat for phones.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Ayumi Matsuki, a priestess at Yoshiwara Shrine, shows off some "o-mamori" charms. She says visitors to the shrine have increased since the NHK drama “Unbound” began airing this month.
Tracing Tsutaya Juzaburo, Edo’s media maverick
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Site designer on why expos matter more than ever
Site designer on why expos matter more than ever

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER