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January 24, 2025

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EDITORIALS

Jul 20, 2007

Mr. Bush's next Mideast gamble

The United States is gambling that the time is right for a new peace initiative between Israel and Palestinians and that a two-state solution to the seemingly intractable conflict can finally be realized. Earlier this week, U.S. President George W. Bush called for a Middle East peace conference of nations...

EDITORIALS

Jul 19, 2007

A dash of insecurity from Moscow

Russia continues to up the ante in its relations with the West. Last week, Moscow announced that it will suspend its obligations under a key arms control treaty in Europe. The move underscores rising tensions with the United States and is another attempt to drive a wedge into the Atlantic Alliance. ...

EDITORIALS

Jul 19, 2007

Tremors spotlight nuclear plants

The earthquake that hit Niigata and Nagano prefectures on Monday brought to light safety problems that could arise at nuclear-power plants during a powerful earthquake. The magnitude-6.8 quake occurred in the Sea of Japan, only 9 km north of Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear-power...

EDITORIALS

Jul 18, 2007

Pulling the plug on Yongbyon

North Korea has shut down its plutonium-producing reactor at Yongbyon and other facilities and accepted inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Although this is a welcome development, little optimism is warranted. The shutdown means only that North Korea has stopped producing any more...

EDITORIALS

Jul 18, 2007

Flagging quake resistance

The fierce earthquake that struck Niigata and Nagano prefectures Monday reminded both the government and the public of the need to make Japan more resilient toward earthquakes. The magnitude-6.8 quake was focused about 60 km southwest of the city of Niigata and some 17 km below the bottom of the Sea...

EDITORIALS

Jul 17, 2007

Women remain in the background

The fiscal 2007 government white paper on gender equality shows a low level of advancement by Japanese women in politics, government and business compared with other countries. The situation won't change unless political, business and labor leaders get serious about the issue.

EDITORIALS

Jul 17, 2007

Restoration of human bonds

This year's government white paper on people's lives, the 50th such report since 1956, focuses on the importance (or rather the weakening) of human bonds in Japanese society at home, in local communities and in the workplace. It points out that long working hours, children's attendance at cram schools,...

EDITORIALS

Jul 16, 2007

Unsettling yen trend

The Bank for International Settlements has issued a warning against the current trend of yen undervaluation. Its annual report states, "There is clearly something anomalous in the ongoing decline in the external rate of the yen." This is a warning against complacency prevalent among some company executives...

EDITORIALS

Jul 16, 2007

Smoother trade in East Asia

The trade ministry's fiscal 2007 white paper calls for creation of an "open and seamless" economic system in East Asia where Japanese companies have already established strong business networks. Behind the call is recognition that a dynamic East Asian economy is indispensable for Japan's economic growth....

EDITORIALS

Jul 15, 2007

The wonder of wonders

The votes, 100 million of them, are all in. The most wondrous human constructions in the history of the world have been determined by an elaborate and multilingual online voting system. The results for these new Seven Wonders of the World, splashed across newspaper headlines worldwide, reveal a great...

EDITORIALS

Jul 14, 2007

Zeal to expand 'defense' missions

The 2007 white paper on defense, the first such government report since the Defense Agency was upgraded to the Defense Ministry, stresses that the Self-Defense Forces must become an organization that can better cope with crises and contribute to world peace, saying the days are gone in which the SDF...

EDITORIALS

Jul 13, 2007

Fair repair of the pension fiasco

A government panel of experts has established the basic criteria for determining pension benefits for people whose premium-payment records have been lost by the Social Insurance Agency and who lack receipts to prove they made the payments. The Central Committee of Disinterested Parties for Confirmation...

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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SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’

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