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January 27, 2025
 

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EDITORIALS
Sep 10, 2008
No reason to hide pacts
Invoking the Freedom of Information Law, 63 citizens, including researchers, authors and journalists, have asked the Foreign Ministry and the Finance Ministry to disclose three secret diplomatic documents related to the 1971 reversion of Okinawa to Japanese rule from the United States. The government...
EDITORIALS
Sep 9, 2008
On to November
The race is on. With the official selection of Arizona Sen. John McCain as the GOP contender on the November ballot, the campaign to be the next president of the United States gets down to business. With less than two months to go before the election, the two parties' strategy and tactics are clear,...
EDITORIALS
Sep 8, 2008
¥30 trillion in cash
The Bank of Japan estimated in late August that ¥30 trillion worth of ¥10,000 bills are tucked away inside households throughout the country. This staggering amount of money may not seem much compared to the financial asset total of Japanese households, estimated at ¥1,500 trillion, but it is a serious...
EDITORIALS
Sep 8, 2008
Con artists calling
Remittance scams ("furikome sagi") in which swindlers dupe people into sending them money, appear to be rapidly rising in number. The National Police Agency reported 11,755 cases of remittance fraud involving ¥16.69 billion from January to June, for the worst first half-year period since 2004, when...
EDITORIALS
Sep 7, 2008
Responding to Russia
The Russian government made two bets when it sent troops into South Ossetia and Georgia last month. The first — that Russian forces could crush any opposition — was a pretty safe bet. While the Russian military has deteriorated significantly since the Cold War, it has more than enough firepower to...
EDITORIALS
Sep 6, 2008
Democracy failing in Thailand
Enough already! Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundarvej has been virtually under siege since taking office. His political opponents charge that he is a proxy for deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and demand his resignation. Mr. Samak has refused to give in and appears increasingly isolated....
EDITORIALS
Sep 5, 2008
Undoing a recruitment knot
The Oita prefectural board of education, rocked by a corruption scandal centering on teacher recruitment, has decided to have 21 teachers quit "voluntarily" after their recruitment test scores were found to have been artificially boosted. While the decision appears to be a correct one, it leaves some...
EDITORIALS
Sep 5, 2008
The DPJ's kind of nation
The sudden decision and announcement by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to resign must have caused a headache for the Democratic Party of Japan, the No. 1 opposition party. The DPJ had worked out a strategy for future general elections on the assumption that Mr. Fukuda would remain in power. The DPJ thought...
EDITORIALS
Sep 4, 2008
Need for mandate
Japan and the rest of the world have seen two Japanese prime ministers in a row suddenly throw in the towel without giving convincing reasons for doing so. Mr. Shinzo Abe announced his resignation Sept. 12, 2007, and Mr. Yasuo Fukuda on Sept. 1. The manner in which the two prime ministers decided to...
EDITORIALS
Sep 3, 2008
Premier case of deja vu
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda announced his resignation in a news conference hastily called Monday night. It was like a replay of the resignation of his predecessor Mr. Shinzo Abe almost a year ago. Both Mr. Abe and Mr. Fukuda surrendered their Cabinet less than one year after they came to power.
EDITORIALS
Sep 3, 2008
Short-term economic fix
The government has announced an ¥11.7 trillion economic stimulus package to prevent a further slide of the Japanese economy. It represents a short-term approach to tide over current difficulties. Apparently the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito hoped the package would help...
EDITORIALS
Sep 2, 2008
Pension funding deadline
In 2004 the government decided to use additional tax money to cover part of the basic portion of national pensions. (At present, tax money covers 36.5 percent.) The decision called for tax money to start covering half the portion by the time the new fiscal year begins in April 2009.
Japan and South Korea were stable U.S. allies. Not anymore.
Supporters of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol protest in Seoul on Tuesday. The previous leaders of the U.S. and Japan, along with Yoon, focused on strengthening alliances and regional stability through cooperation whereas newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy may prioritize transactional relationships.
Police arrest suspect in deadly Nagano stabbings
A Nagano Prefectural Police official speaks during a news conference in the city of Nagano on Sunday following the arrest of a suspect in a deadly stabbing days earlier.
Hoshoryu overcomes rank-and-file wrestlers to put yokozuna promotion in sight
Hoshoryu dispatches Oho in a playoff to clinch the Emperor's Cup on the final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday in Tokyo.
Seoul court rejects second request to extend Yoon detention
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a hearing for his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Thursday.
Suspect says woman found dead on remote Tokyo island killed herself
The beach on Izu-Oshima island where Shizuka Takase's remains were found in October of last year.
How Japan is looking deep underground to solve its carbon problem
A pipe for transporting carbon dioxide to removal equipment at a carbon capture and storage (CCS) test site in Tomakomai, Hokkaido.
Hoshoryu overcomes rank-and-file wrestlers to put yokozuna promotion in sight
Hoshoryu dispatches Oho in a playoff to clinch the Emperor's Cup on the final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday in Tokyo.
Of sake and spirits: Indulging in Yamanashi’s best
With abundant rains and formidable humidity in summer, Japan does not seem to be an ideal land for wine, but winegrowers in Yamanashi Prefecture have gradually been able to adapt.
Japan’s love affair with Dragon Quest spreads worldwide
Upon the release of Dragon Quest VII in 2000, hundreds of customers lined up outside stores in Tokyo to secure a copy of the new game. With a remake of a 1988 title, the rest of the world is understanding why Japanese gamers love the series so much.
Why tatami is going from the floor to the dining table
At several high-end restaurants in Tokyo, tatami is becoming a part of the dining experience — not underfoot but as a tabletop place mat for phones.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

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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