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January 16, 2025
 

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COMMENTARY / World
Feb 19, 2000
China probes U.S.' other Asian alliances
By Robyn Lim
China's deepening alignment with Russia, and the sales of advanced weapons that accompany it, risk fueling China's ambition of strategic dominance in East Asia. After the "recovery" of Taiwan, or so the scenario goes, China will concentrate on making the South China Sea a Chinese lake. In its path, however,...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 18, 2000
Free trade with U.S. comes at a cost to India
By Gautaman Bhaskaran
NEW DELHI -- A few weeks ago, India and the United States agreed to remove quantitative restrictions on imports between the two countries. New Delhi will do away with curbs on 714 items this April and on another 715 a year later.
COMMENTARY
Feb 18, 2000
Aftermath of Diet debacle
By Minoru Tada
The Diet returned to normal last week, after the opposition forces ended their boycott of the ordinary session over the tripartite ruling bloc's handling of a controversial bill for reducing the number of Diet seats.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2000
Overhaul Japan's space program to save it
By Akira Ogawa
A Japanese rocket carrying an astronomical observation satellite, designed to check X-rays in outer space, failed to reach its scheduled orbit after liftoff from Kagoshima Space Center last Thursday. Coming on the heels of the crash last November of a rocket that carried a multipurpose satellite, the...
COMMENTARY
Feb 17, 2000
Japan sets the pace again
By David Howell
LONDON -- The report commissioned by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, "The Frontier Within," makes fascinating reading for Western eyes. Parts of it may be specific to the Japanese internal situation, but the key insights are highly relevant to every modern democracy, old and new, and especially to Britain....
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2000
Challenging the 'Washington consensus'
By Brad Glosserman
We live in an era of unparalleled affluence. More people enjoy better lives than at any time in human history. High priests of economic orthodoxy credit the diffusion of market capitalism for this bounty. Poverty persists, but the conventional wisdom is that time and the right policies will spread the...
COMMENTARY
Feb 15, 2000
Stop the public-works fiasco
By Ryuichiro Hosokawa
In a Jan. 23 plebiscite, voters in Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture, gave a thumbs down to a government project to build a gatelock dam on the Yoshino River. My opinion is that the project should be halted because residents do not want it. It's as simple as that.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2000
Brinkmanship in the Mideast
By David Hirst
BEIRUT -- When the Israeli-Syrian peace negotiations resumed in December, it was widely recognized that perhaps the greatest hazard they faced was the war of attrition between Hezbollah guerrillas and Israelis in occupied South Lebanon. The United States joined Israel in entreating Syrian President Hafez...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2000
Theft runs rampant in Russian military
By Russell Working and Nonna Chernyakova
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia -- Weeks after the theft of radioactive material from a nuclear submarine, military prosecutors in the remote Kamchatka region have admitted the theft and added that theft of army equipment is an increasingly serious problem.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2000
The right kind of justice for East Timor
By Susan Lynne Tillou
The quest for justice in East Timor gathered momentum last week with the submission of reports from two separate investigations into the rampage that occurred last September after the province voted for independence. But the stir raises profound questions of how to deal with transitional justice, pitting...
COMMENTARY
Feb 11, 2000
Diet imbroglio over at last
By Keizo Nabeshima
The Diet returned to normal Feb. 9, two weeks after the opposition forces started boycotting all proceedings to protest against the ruling bloc's handling of a controversial bill to reduce Diet seats. The turmoil started when the three-party governing coalition passed the bill for cutting Lower House...
COMMENTARY
Feb 10, 2000
Democracy under attack
By Hugh Cortazzi
When I first read that the Japanese coalition government had decided to force through a bill to reduce the number of seats elected by proportional representation, my first thought was, since they had a majority of votes in both Houses for this measure and as democracy generally implies majority rules,...
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.
Antioxidant found in broccoli, celery suppresses gray hair in mice
A research team from Nagoya University and other institutions hopes that further testing on humans involving the antioxidant luteolin will lead to the development of a drug for preventing or reducing gray hair.
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.
Japan business failures top 10,000 in 2024, worst in 11 years
The number of corporate bankruptcies with liabilities of ¥10 million or more in Japan last year marked the third consecutive year of increases as rising prices due to the yen's weakening and labor shortages caused business failures in a wide range of industries.
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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Challenging spirit and teamwork keep ANA flying high
Challenging spirit and teamwork keep ANA flying high

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