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January 16, 2025
 

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COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2000
Filling in the gaps of a Japan-North Korea deal
By Nobuo Asai
Suspense is growing over whether the first North-South Korea summit will be held in June as scheduled. It has obscured ongoing Japan-North Korea talks on diplomatic normalization. Japanese public attention is focused on the alleged abduction of a dozen Japanese by North Korean agents. It is anybody's...
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2000
Opportunity amid South Asia's troubles
By Farhan Bokhari
ISLAMABAD -- While press photographers scrambled inside a hospital in Delhi recently to catch a glimpse of baby Astha, India's 1 billionth citizen, in other parts of India officials continued to battle this year's drought, which has been drying up water supplies and causing crop losses. Just last month,...
COMMENTARY
May 22, 2000
Tough challenges for the LDP
By Keizo Nabeshima
The death of former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, coming in the wake of the retirement of his mentor, former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita, marks the end of the "Takeshita politics" that wielded considerable clout within the Liberal Democratic Party.
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2000
Making mountains out of molehills
By Christopher Lingle
SYDNEY -- China's opening to the world amid its economic reform and modernization has brought immeasurable benefits to many of its citizens who are being enriched through growing trade linkages. Trading with the rest of the world and even the lukewarm welcoming of foreign investment capital have improved...
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2000
The tragedy of another senseless war
By Cesar Chelala
NEW YORK -- The arms embargo on Eritrea and Ethiopia just imposed unanimously by the U.N. Security Council is a much needed measure that brings hope for an end to an irrational conflict between the two neighboring countries. The U.S.-initiated measure, later co-sponsored by Britain and the Netherlands,...
COMMENTARY
May 21, 2000
Much ado about nothing?
By Gregory Clark
Claims that Tokyo's governor, Shintaro Ishihara, is racist because he recently described Asians here as "sankoku-jin" (third-country nationals) -- a fairly neutral Occupation-era term used to distinguish resident Koreans and Taiwanese from Westerners -- were a bit far-fetched.
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2000
The limits of peacekeeping
By Robert A. Manning
There is a troubling sense of deja vu in the tragedy befalling the U.N. peacekeeping effort in Sierra Leone (it is really peace enforcement, a euphemism for getting sucked into someone else's war). And more than just putting at risk future U.N. operations, recent events pose vexing questions about how...
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2000
Sri Lanka's violence threatens India
By Abul Kalam
For a number of years after it achieved independence, Sri Lanka was viewed as the most promising country in South Asia. It had the highest literacy rate, the highest GNP per capita and was the most favorable destination in the region for tourists and investors alike. That all ended with an upsurge of...
COMMENTARY
May 20, 2000
Bigger isn't always better
By Hugh Cortazzi
The failure of the proposed merger between Deutsche Bank and Dresdner Bank ought to have signaled the end of the merger mania among the world's major banks and to have cautioned banks and other enterprises that big does not mean best. But the message does not seem to have seeped through to some people...
COMMENTARY
May 19, 2000
The right leader for Japan?
By Kenzo Uchida
Former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi died last Sunday, 42 days after suffering a stroke and falling into a coma. He was 62.
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2000
Populist bloc sends UMNO strong message
By David Chew
KUALA LUMPUR-- Delegates to the recently-concluded triennial elections of Malaysia's top political party have voted according to their conscience, sending a strong signal to party president, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, that they prefer their leaders who can reach out to the grassroots of the politically-dominant...
COMMENTARY
May 18, 2000
Hypocrisy is the only standard
By Doug Bandow
When white Europeans are dying, the Clinton administration acts. When black Africans are dying, Washington talks. Such is the hypocritical cynicism that passes for U.S. foreign policy today.
Japan avoids commenting on Cleveland-Cliffs CEO's provocative comment
Cleveland-Cliffs is reportedly in talks with North Carolina-based steelmaker Nucor to acquire U.S. Steel.
Miyazaki quake falls short of triggering Nankai Trough megaquake advisory
A mirror reflects a collapsed house in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Dec. 10, nearly one year after a major earthquake struck nearby on New Year's Day in 2024.
South Korean investigators question arrested President Yoon in insurrection probe
A screen displays a news report on the arrest of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Wednesday. Investigators arrested Yoon after launching a pre-dawn operation to bring the impeached leader in for questioning over his short-lived martial law declaration.
BlackRock quits climate group as Wall Street lowers environmental profile
In November, BlackRock and rivals were sued by Texas and 10 other Republican-led states that claimed their activism cut coal production and boosted energy prices.
Crashed Jeju jet’s black box failure shows decadeslong gap in power rules
The flight data recorder retrieved from Jeju Air flight 2216, which crashed killing 179 people in December. Black boxes holding the flight data and cockpit voice recorders for the flight stopped recording four minutes before the disaster, South Korea's transport ministry said Saturday.
Japanese companies rush to up English-language disclosures in 2025
The Tokyo Stock Exchange will soon require some companies to publish their financials in English in addition to Japanese.
From wrath to radiance: Why the 'Manyoshu' feels like paradise lost
The entrance gate to Arakura Sengen Shrine in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, with Mount Fuji in the distance.
Tokyo plans to subsidize epidurals, but are hospitals ready?
Epidurals during childbirth have long been uncommon in Japan, though they have been growing more popular in recent years.
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
Lantoko, a company operated by Taiwan native Ping-Fang Lan, offers drift ice walking tours and other exhilarating experiences in and around Shiretoko National Park.
30 minutes with Yuzuru Hanyu
Yuzuru Hanyu smiles during an interview in his hometown of Sendai in between performances of his latest tour, Ice Story.

Podcast

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

Longform

It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?
By Tomoko Otake

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