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COMMENTARY

Feb 15, 2009

Immorality of bushfires

By Gregory Clark

Australia will recover from its recent bushfire tragedy damage. But can it recover from the shock of discovering how much of the damage was due to arson? Japan could provide some answers, though not all optimistic.

COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT

Feb 15, 2009

Do Japanese yet realize that culture's acquired, not in the blood?

By Roger Pulvers

There's no doubt that Japanese people's attitudes toward foreigners, and the ways they relate to them, have changed markedly in the 40-odd years since I first arrived here. But is this change we can believe in?

COMMENTARY

Feb 14, 2009

When it's wrong to protect

By David Howell

LONDON — A government's first duty is to protect its citizens. So say all the authorities and experts. It sounds simple, but in practice and in real life it is a very complex and problematic matter.

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 14, 2009

Israel votes for firmer hand with Palestinians

By Daoud Kuttab

PRINCETON, N.J. — War and violence always have a direct effect on elections. Wars account for dramatic shifts in voter preferences, and radical leaders and parties often poll much higher after a round of sharp violence than in normal times. Minority ethnic groups are therefore often able to sway the...

COMMENTARY

Feb 13, 2009

Blaming bankers' bonuses

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON — U.S. President Barack Obama has called for an annual salary cap of $500,000 for directors of banks receiving government funds. (It is worth noting that this sum is $100,000 more than the president's salary.)

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 12, 2009

Japan as the catalyst for improving global public health

By M. James Kondo

What place should Japan occupy in the world? This existential question has troubled Japan's leaders for the past two decades. Military leadership is restricted by the Constitution. Economic might has lost its glimmer. Cultural influence, epitomized by "cool Japan," has yet to take center stage.

COMMENTARY

Feb 12, 2009

Secretary Clinton's No. 1 mission is to reassure allies

By Brad Glosserman

HONOLULU — We welcome the news that Hillary Clinton's first overseas trip as U.S. secretary of state will be to Japan, Korea, Indonesia and China. While her visit to Beijing will likely garner the lion's share of attention and her visit to Indonesia will generate the most speculation (can a visit by...

COMMENTARY

Feb 12, 2009

Dalai Lama's very existence frays relations between China, Europe

By Frank Ching

HONG KONG — At the core of Chairman Mao Zedong's revolutionary theory was the strategy of the united front: Identify the main enemy and then isolate it by forming a united front with as many other classes, groups or elements as possible. Once that is done, the process can be continued with the identification...

COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE

Feb 11, 2009

Breaking the U.S.-Japan jinx

Prime Minister Taro Aso seems eager to meet the new president of the United States, Barack Obama, as the initial step toward accomplishing something big in the field of diplomacy, and in an effort to put the brakes on the downward spiral of his popularity at home.

COMMENTARY

Feb 11, 2009

Casualties of mixing culture with politics

By Gautaman Bhaskaran

CHENNAI, India — Even in the best of times, politically, it is difficult to interpret Indian culture, which encompasses an ocean of thoughts and ideas and a river of traditions and beliefs. Yet, some rightwing political organizations have prepared their own treatises, or just about, on what the nation's...

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 10, 2009

Getting Obama to focus on Pacific diplomacy

MANILA — Unlike his predecessor, U.S. President Barack Obama is popular from the Atlantic to the Pacific. He has reached out to the Muslim world and pledged to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without delay. The nations of Asia have a particular affection for him, owing to the years he spent...

COMMENTARY

Feb 10, 2009

Consumption amid constraints

By Takamitsu Sawa

During the period of Japan's rapid economic growth — from 1958 to 1973 — the three items that households yearned for most were a black-and-white TV set, washing machine and refrigerator. By 1965, when more than 80 percent of households had these items, the next targets for purchase were a color TV,...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Wealthier women in the prewar era had been the targets of various media-related health campaigns that mistakenly encouraged them to avoid everything from riding bicycles to reading novels when their monthly cycles came around.

Menstruation in Japan: Breaking the silence, slowly

By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Challenging spirit and teamwork keep ANA flying high

Challenging spirit and teamwork keep ANA flying high

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