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January 19, 2025

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EDITORIALS

Jun 14, 2003

Hope for Germany's recovery

The German economy, long the engine of Europe, has been sputtering of late. The nation's gross domestic product has registered little or no growth, the unemployment rate is climbing and, for the second consecutive year, the government budget deficit will top the 3 percent limit set by the European Union....

EDITORIALS

Jun 13, 2003

Cambodia gets its tribunal

At long last, the people of Cambodia entertain hope of justice. Nearly a quarter of a century after the Khmer Rouge were forced from power, the Phnom Penh government and the United Nations have agreed on a tribunal to try former Khmer Rouge leaders. Some claim that the court is a sham, designed to pick...

EDITORIALS

Jun 12, 2003

Preparing for the worst

Japan's efforts to update its security legislation reached a milestone last week when an overwhelming Diet majority passed three defense bills designed to deal with a military attack from abroad. The vote -- 202 in favor and 32 against -- would have been inconceivable during the Cold War. It is proof...

EDITORIALS

Jun 11, 2003

A new order of peace in East Asia

The state visit to Japan by South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun -- the first since he took office in February -- has produced a positive result: a mutual commitment to develop future-oriented relations. In a joint statement issued Saturday, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and President Roh also agreed...

EDITORIALS

Jun 10, 2003

Mr. Abbas in the hot seat

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is a brave man. He took his job knowing that his every move would be attacked from three sides: by Israelis, by Islamic militants and by the Palestinian leadership he replaced, in particular Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat. And within...

EDITORIALS

Jun 8, 2003

The case of the indignant diva

One of the odder human traits is our apparently inborn ambivalence toward celebrities. There would be no such thing as a celebrity if the rest of us did not, in some sense, celebrate certain people -- for their artistic gifts, their looks, their wealth, their charm, their brains or whatever else it is...

EDITORIALS

Jun 7, 2003

Economic anxieties ignored at Evian

The world economy remains mired in the doldrums. The outlook has hardly improved in spite of an optimistic economic assessment from the Group of Eight summit in Evian, France. Two specters loom over the horizon: global deflation and a weaker dollar. Leaders of the world's top industrialized nations,...

EDITORIALS

Jun 6, 2003

What can revive insurance firms?

Deflation in Japan is taking its toll on life insurance companies. Since they make profits by investing policyholders' premiums and bank-supplied funds in stocks, bonds, real estate and other assets, they are more susceptible to falling asset prices and near-zero interest rates than companies in other...

EDITORIALS

Jun 5, 2003

Politics prevail at the G8

Once upon a time, the heads of the world's seven leading industrial powers got together to discuss economics and ways to ensure growth. That focus made sense because there were other forums to talk about politics, and economic coordination was much lacking. Sadly, that time is long gone. Instead, the...

EDITORIALS

Jun 4, 2003

Myanmar shows its true colors

The arrest of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and other top officials of the National League for Democracy, or NLD, should shatter any illusions about the Myanmar government's commitment to reconciliation in that country. The widespread popularity of Ms. Suu Kyi and the prodemocracy forces is a threat to the State...

EDITORIALS

Jun 3, 2003

Russo-Chinese courtship continues

Moscow and Beijing's efforts to build stronger bilateral ties continued apace last week as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Chinese counterpart, Mr. Hu Jintao, in St. Petersburg. The two men had plenty to talk about. Their countries share common international interests and concerns. Yet it...

EDITORIALS

Jun 2, 2003

Keep political donations transparent

Stung by a series of corruption scandals since last year, the ruling-coalition parties have begun talks aimed at updating some of the rules governing the financing of political campaigns in Japan. The Liberal Democratic Party seeks to raise the legal limit on donations that do not require disclosure...

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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