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January 29, 2025

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EDITORIALS

Nov 13, 2008

Enabling decentralization

Prime Minister Taro Aso has instructed Cabinet ministers to push for the abolition and integration of their ministries' regional offices. His instruction is in line with the call by the government's devolution panel for drastic reform of such regional offices. Since the reform is a main pillar of overall...

EDITORIALS

Nov 12, 2008

Financial crisis hits home

The global financial crisis is hitting Japanese companies hard. Symbolic is Toyota Motor Co.'s prediction of its own business performance for the full year to March 2009. The rise of the yen's value and the slowing down of the world economy as seen in decreased auto sales in the United States and Europe...

EDITORIALS

Nov 12, 2008

Keeping sex offenders close

In late September, South Korea joined a group of nations where the movements of released sex-crime offenders are electronically monitored. Such offenders have to wear electronic anklets and additional communication devices all the time. Fifty-three convicted offenders have become the first group to wear...

EDITORIALS

Nov 11, 2008

Historic visit to Taiwan

The Taiwan Strait continues to narrow. Last week witnessed the highest-level contacts between Taiwan and mainland China since the 1949 civil war. The visit of Mr. Chen Yunlin to Taipei continues the bridge-building between the two sides and is a step forward in the eyes of all who seek peace and stability...

EDITORIALS

Nov 9, 2008

Need for reality checks

The line between real and virtual worlds has become more confused than ever. Two weeks ago, a woman was arrested after "killing" her virtual husband who had divorced her in an online game called "Maple Story." She was arrested not on charges of murder, but on charges of illegally accessing a computer...

EDITORIALS

Nov 9, 2008

Urban economic inequality

A recent report from the U.N. Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) reveals that inequality is increasing around the world in major cities. The generally accepted measure of income inequality, the Gini coefficient (where 1.0 signifies complete inequality and 0.0, complete equality) has been rising in...

EDITORIALS

Nov 8, 2008

Shoring up social security

A group of experts appointed in January 2008 by then Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to advise the government on the future shape of the nation's social security system has presented its final report. It states that people must directly shoulder a larger financial burden if they want a stable social security...

EDITORIALS

Nov 8, 2008

Boost civilian control of SDF

The Tokyo District Court on Wednesday sentenced former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya, who served as the Self-Defense Forces' top nonuniformed official from August 2003 through August 2007, to 2 1/2 years in prison for taking bribes worth some ¥12.5 million and ordered him to pay the same amount...

EDITORIALS

Nov 7, 2008

A healthy insurance system

The health insurance system for people aged 75 or over, introduced in April 2008, has proved unpopular because aged people covered by the system feel that they have been herded into a certain category separated from younger generations. They are also angry about the practice of withholding insurance...

EDITORIALS

Nov 7, 2008

Taxi industry in trouble

Japan's taxi industry was deregulated in 2002. But in July 2008, the transport ministry started reviving some regulations, saying that that an oversupply of taxis has led to lower profits for taxi companies and poorer working conditions for taxi drivers. In about 80 percent of the nation's taxi operation...

EDITORIALS

Nov 6, 2008

The senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, made history Tuesday when he was elected the 44th president of the United States. The scale and sweep of his victory are nothing short of breathtaking: Not only did he win a landslide in the electoral college, but he rode a Democratic wave into Congress. He should...

EDITORIALS

Nov 5, 2008

Retrial to find wartime truth

The Yokohama District Court on Oct. 31 decided to retry a case related to the worst example of Japan's wartime repression of freedom of speech — the Yokohama Incident. In the retrial, the court should delve into what actually happened, including what the police, prosecution and court did during and...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Ayumi Matsuki, a priestess at Yoshiwara Shrine, shows off some "o-mamori" charms. She says visitors to the shrine have increased since the NHK drama “Unbound” began airing this month.

Tracing Tsutaya Juzaburo, Edo’s media maverick

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

mission sustainability vol.14 : Unicharm Corp.Unicharm recycles diapers back into diapers

mission sustainability vol.14 : Unicharm Corp.Unicharm recycles diapers back into diapers

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