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January 24, 2025

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EDITORIALS

Aug 5, 2007

A special relationship endures

The departure of British Prime Minister Tony Blair raised questions in London and Washington about the future of trans-Atlantic relations. At their summit last weekend, U.S. President George W. Bush and his new British counterpart, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, made it clear that the personnel change...

EDITORIALS

Aug 4, 2007

A grand champion is rebuked

The Japan Sumo Association has suspended yokozuna Asashoryu from the next two grand sumo tournaments for playing soccer in his home country Mongolia after he had notified the association that he would sit out the Aug. 3-20 summer regional tour in eastern Japan (not Tokyo) because of injuries.

EDITORIALS

Aug 4, 2007

Good intentions held hostage

The act of taking innocent people hostage and killing them to press demands is unpardonable. The Taliban should stop this atrocious behavior immediately. We extend our condolences to the souls and families of South Korean volunteers who have been killed since their group was kidnapped July 19 in Afghanistan....

EDITORIALS

Aug 3, 2007

The fight against gangs

The National Police Agency's 2007 white paper addresses the "fight against gangland activities designed to get funds." The white paper warns that a continuation of covert activities by gangs to raise money will damage the health of the Japanese economy and dispossess the whole nation of its interests....

EDITORIALS

Aug 3, 2007

Managing Japan's foreign reserves

Some government officials, including Financial Services Minister Yuji Yamamoto, are calling for more effective management of Japan's foreign-exchange reserves, the world's second largest at about $910 billion. During a recent visit to Singapore, Mr. Yamamoto proposed that Japan consider investing foreign-currency...

EDITORIALS

Aug 2, 2007

U.S. House urges clear apology

The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday passed by voice vote a resolution urging Japan to "formally acknowledge, apologize and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner for its Imperial Armed Forces' coercion of young (Asian) women into sexual slavery."

EDITORIALS

Aug 2, 2007

Mr. Abe's logic for staying on

His Liberal Democratic Party's massive defeat in Sunday's Upper House election notwithstanding, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared that he will not step down. His far-from-convincing explanations for staying on, even when cursorily examined, sound like a quibble. By clinging to power, Mr. Abe will...

EDITORIALS

Aug 1, 2007

Revise the personal information law

The Personal Information Protection Law, which went into effect in April 2005, in principle bars organizations that possess or handle personal information from providing it to third parties without the consent of the people concerned. Good intentions are behind the law.

EDITORIALS

Jul 31, 2007

A devastating defeat for Mr. Abe

In Sunday's Upper House election, Japanese voters expressed their dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party, which has been embroiled in a pension-records fiasco, political-funds scandals and gaffes by Cabinet ministers. The votes have made the opposition Democratic...

EDITORIALS

Jul 30, 2007

Suspicions that threaten ties

The standoff between Britain and Russia over the November 2006 murder of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko continues with no signs of compromise from either side. A failure to strike a mutually acceptable deal could not only damage relations between the two countries but also cause the overall relationship...

EDITORIALS

Jul 30, 2007

Focus on quake resistance

The July 16 earthquake off Niigata Prefecture pointed to the need to make homes quake-resistant. The quake flattened more than 300 houses, and most of the deaths occurred when people were pinned down by structures. School buildings, including gyms, also must be made quake-resistant, especially because...

EDITORIALS

Jul 29, 2007

Let the punishment fit the spam

Among life's many hassles, the most recently invented is e-mail spam. Nowadays every single e-mail arrives sandwiched between garbage that must be cleared away before getting to friends, family and business. Even those few foolish people who follow up on spam probably hate spam. However, restricting...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.

Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go

By Kazuaki Nagata and Richard Meyer

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