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January 28, 2025

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EDITORIALS

Sep 26, 2008

Mr. Aso has his Cabinet

Mr. Taro Aso was chosen as the nation's 92nd prime minister by the Diet and immediately formed his Cabinet on Wednesday. For Mr. Aso, a grandson of the late former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida and a son-in-law of the late former Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki, this should be an auspicious occasion.

EDITORIALS

Sep 25, 2008

Testing for what?

The education ministry has made public the results of nationwide scholastic tests conducted for sixth graders and third-year middle school students in April. Depending on the problems, the percentage of correct answers was eight to 16 points lower than in April 2007, when similar tests were held for...

EDITORIALS

Sep 25, 2008

Alternatives to a dam

Once a large public works project is decided on, it is very hard to stop it because of political and bureaucratic inertia. But Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima has called on the central government to cancel its plan to build a dam on the Kawabe River, a tributary of the Kuma River, known for its rapid and...

EDITORIALS

Sep 24, 2008

Setting up for a showdown

The Liberal Democratic Party on Monday elected Mr. Taro Aso as its new leader, after the opposition Democratic Party of Japan approved Mr. Ichiro Ozawa as party leader for a third term Sunday. Mr. Aso, as a new prime minister, will have a showdown with Mr. Ozawa in general elections expected in late...

EDITORIALS

Sep 24, 2008

Secretive mission to wind down

The government has decided to terminate the Air Self-Defense Force's aerial transportation mission in Iraq by yearend, citing the expiration of the United Nations resolution authorizing multinational forces' deployment in Iraq as well as the improved security situation there. Fortunately, the ASDF has...

EDITORIALS

Sep 23, 2008

A new face for Israel

While global attention has been focused on U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, another woman has quietly climbed to the top politics, in Israel. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has been elected leader of the Kadima party — the main party in that country's ruling coalition — and...

EDITORIALS

Sep 22, 2008

Trail of tainted rice

Although the scandal in which tainted rice was resold to some 380 companies in 24 prefectures highlights outrageous behavior on the part of an Osaka rice-flour processor, the resignation of farm minister Mr. Seiichi Ota indicates that the farm ministry was also to blame. The ministry should determine...

EDITORIALS

Sep 22, 2008

A nuclear-powered presence

The George Washington, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the U.S. Navy, will arrive at Yokosuka on Thursday to replace the oil-powered Kitty Hawk. This will be the first time that a Japanese port serves as a home port for a nuclear-powered carrier. As the situation will be equivalent to installing...

EDITORIALS

Sep 21, 2008

New, centenarian society

This year's Respect for the Aged Day, last Monday, found a lot more aged to respect than ever before. According to Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry statistics, over 36,000 people in Japan are now over 100 years old. Many others are close behind. Over 28 million people were aged 65 and over, one-quarter...

EDITORIALS

Sep 21, 2008

The struggling majority

When the white gloves and over-amplified speeches come out for the general-election campaigns this fall, one widely shared anxiety should not be ignored — the worsening financial condition of households. Over 57 percent of households, the highest ever, reported struggling with finances, according to...

EDITORIALS

Sep 20, 2008

Pakistan ensnared

In a sign of growing concern over the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and a renewed commitment to kill or capture al-Qaida's top leadership, the United States has launched military strikes across the border into Pakistan. These attacks signal U.S. frustration with Pakistan's efforts to battle...

EDITORIALS

Sep 19, 2008

Turning point for Zimbabwe

In what could be a historic moment for Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe and Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai, head of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), have signed a power-sharing agreement.

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

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SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’

SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’

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