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January 19, 2025

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EDITORIALS

Sep 8, 2002

Bye-bye, Betamax

A t the tail end of August, a brief obituary ran in business pages around the world: The Betamax VCR format was dead. Sony had just announced that it would stop manufacturing its Betamax video-recording machines by year's end and concentrate instead on DVD and other new technologies.

EDITORIALS

Sep 7, 2002

A 'disappointing' success

Ten days of haggling about the Earth's future in Johannesburg, South Africa, have yielded an action plan and a political declaration, though both are less ambitious that they might have been.

EDITORIALS

Sep 6, 2002

A blip on the economic screen?

Japan's latest GDP figures appear to support the government's view in last month's economic report that "signs of recovery are discernible in some sectors." In the April-June quarter, total output of goods and services increased 0.5 percent from the previous quarter, or 1.9 percent annually. It is the...

EDITORIALS

Sep 5, 2002

Psychiatric abuse in China

The abuse of psychiatry for political purposes has a long and sad history. Defining dissidents as "mentally ill" allows political authorities to evade many of the legal protections built into criminal codes, and oppressive governments have rarely hesitated to use that shortcut when convenient. Such abuses...

EDITORIALS

Sep 4, 2002

Safeguarding nuclear materials

The successful extraction of nearly one ton of nuclear material from Serbia last month is a prime example of the type of international cooperation that is needed in the post-Cold War world. The U.S.-Russian program responsible for performing the operation is vital to prevent terrorists from procuring...

EDITORIALS

Sep 3, 2002

Mr. Tanaka's work begins anew

In Sunday's much-heralded gubernatorial election in Nagano Prefecture, former reformist Gov. Yasuo Tanaka made a triumphant comeback, dealing a heavy blow to anti-Tanaka forces and other conservative hardliners who have vehemently opposed his popular campaign against dam construction and other pork-barrel...

EDITORIALS

Sep 2, 2002

A welcome surprise

It came as a big surprise when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced Friday he will visit North Korea on Sept. 17 for face-to-face talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. "A summit meeting is essential to further progress," Mr. Koizumi told reporters. "I want to find clues for resolving outstanding...

EDITORIALS

Sep 1, 2002

The quest for the greatest Briton

It's the end of summer (even though it may not feel like it) and holidaymakers are returning home in droves, reminding us that it's time to turn our heat-addled brains once again to Serious and Important Matters. In this regard, Britain's BBC may serve as an inspiration to us all. Last week, in the depths...

EDITORIALS

Aug 31, 2002

Failure is not an option

Aside from its size, the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg is a touchstone that indicates how serious the international community is about reconciling its needs with the world's limited resources. It is billed as the largest United Nations gathering in history.

EDITORIALS

Aug 30, 2002

Feast or famine?

The debate over genetically modified foods has taken on new urgency. As millions of people in southern Africa face the prospect of famine, their governments are unwilling to accept food aid that includes genetically modified corn. Worries about the environmental impact of such foods are genuine, but...

EDITORIALS

Aug 29, 2002

Inching toward normalization talks

Japan and North Korea are moving toward resuming the long-stalled talks to normalize relations. Foreign ministry officials from the two nations met in Pyongyang for two days earlier this week and agreed to continue consultations to explore the possibilities for restarting the negotiations. Also, Prime...

EDITORIALS

Aug 28, 2002

Perils of attacking Iraq

The debate on the pros and cons of a U.S. attack on Iraq is heating up in the United States and elsewhere. Whether Iraq is a member of the "axis of evil" or not, there is no doubt that President George W. Bush sees its continuing development of weapons of mass destruction as a serious threat to U.S....

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

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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