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January 16, 2025

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COMMENTARY

Sep 7, 1999

Merge -- and then to work

By Yukio Suzuki

The blockbuster deal to combine Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, Fuji Bank and the Industrial Bank of Japan may be compared to an epic drama. Act one has opened with fanfare. But what if discord develops between the director and playwright? What if the actors turn out to be hams? What if the stage settings are...

COMMENTARY / World

Sep 5, 1999

California squares off on apology issue

By Edward Neilan

SAN FRANCISCO -- "Apology diplomacy," a staple of politics in Asia, has made its way to the California State Assembly. Taking action on an issue that has divided Japanese Americans, the state assembly in the capital at Sacramento recently passed a resolution asking Japan to apologize for World War II...

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW

Sep 5, 1999

Yeltsin's would-be successors

By Constantine Pleshakov

In December, Russia's Parliament will hold elections. Deprived by the constitution of any true political authority, the Duma is still important as a collective opinion-maker. In 1993-1999, it became an ongoing anti-Yeltsin show, the most prominent podium for any sharp criticism of the president. As a...

COMMENTARY / World

Sep 5, 1999

The politics of love and hate

By Sarah Benton

LONDON -- Here we are on the second anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, and neither her life nor her death seems as momentous as it did this time last year. Does this mean she really was just a media phenomenon, ephemeral, superficial, appearing and disappearing in our lives without consequence?...

COMMENTARY

Aug 31, 1999

ODA helps Japan, the world

By Keizo Nabeshima

Medium-term policy guidelines for Official Development Assistance, announced by the government Aug. 10, set the standards for implementing Japan's ODA between 1999 and 2003. The guidelines place emphasis on aid to Asian countries to help them implement structural reforms aimed at solving their economic...

COMMENTARY

Aug 30, 1999

The social safety net tightens

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON -- The moral obligation to help the poor and ensure that they have adequate food and shelter is recognized and promoted by the main religions of the world. The obligation has been assumed by civilized governments worldwide, but implementation varies hugely and there are no easy answers to the...

COMMENTARY

Aug 28, 1999

Politicians go head to head

By Minoru Tada

Political chaos in August ended when the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, the Liberal Party, agreed to form an alliance with New Komeito, despite widespread fears that the tripartite negotiations would fail because of policy differences. By successfully playing a political...

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 28, 1999

Aid that gets 'lost' en route to the poor

By Cesar Chelala

NEW YORK — Recent reports indicate a massive diversion of funds from international donors providing aid to Bosnia. According to officials from the antifraud unit set up by the Office of the High Rep- resentative, the international agency responsible for carrying out the civilian aspects of the Dayton...

COMMENTARY

Aug 24, 1999

Japan's false sense of security

By Ryuichiro Hosokawa

During a recent TV talk show, in which high school- and university-age people were participating, the coordinator asked, "Do you love Japan or do you hate Japan?" Most participants answered they love Japan. If I remember correctly, only a few said they hate this country.

COMMENTARY

Aug 21, 1999

Mr. Robertson's agenda

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON -- The appointment of George Robertson, formerly the British secretary of state for defense, as secretary general of NATO has rekindled discussion on a number of important defense issues facing Europe. Robertson should be able to influence the outcome, but decisions will largely rest with the...

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 21, 1999

South Asia's dwindling hopes for peace

By Farhan Bokhari

ISLAMABAD -- Weeks of lingering hopes for a limited improvement in relations between South Asia's two large nuclear-armed neighbors, India and Pakistan, were shattered in less than two minutes when an Indian fighter jet shot down a Pakistani naval patrol aircraft.

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 21, 1999

No mystery to doing business in China

By Christopher Lingle

It seems that many so-called China experts try to enhance the value of their services by attributing a certain amount of "inscrutability" to the Chinese that only they can decipher. Besides being a patently offensive assertion, this is also grossly misleading.

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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

SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’

SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’

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