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November 27, 2024

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COMMENTARY / World

Nov 30, 2001

Mission Possible for Chen

By Susanne Ganz

TAIPEI -- Since Taiwan's long-ruling Nationalist Party (KMT) lost last year's presidential election to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the island has slid into its worst recession in decades.

COMMENTARY

Nov 30, 2001

Pyongyang's missed chances

By Ralph Cossa

HONOLULU -- North Korea never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. The latest example occurred last week when Pyongyang precipitated yet another breakdown in the North-South dialogue process, thus dealing a staggering blow to South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's beleaguered "sunshine policy"...

COMMENTARY

Nov 29, 2001

Japan's contradictory help

By Sam Jameson

Former Foreign Minister Koji Kakizawa faults Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's dispatch of Japanese troops to assist American forces in South Asia as nothing but a "parcel delivery service" that fails to confront contradictions bedeviling Japan's security policy.

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 29, 2001

Lee Teng-hui on a mission to save his vision of Taiwan

By Alexander K. Young

NEW YORK -- Taiwan will hold an election Saturday to choose members of the national Parliament, mayors and county magistrates. The outcome will have a lasting impact on Taiwan's future -- in particular on its relationship with China.

EDITORIALS

Nov 29, 2001

Banks come to grips with bad debts

After years of timid attempts to clear mountains of nonperforming loans, Japanese banks appear to be finally coming to grips with the bad-debt crisis. In the half-year business term to September, most of the 14 top lenders took larger-than-expected charges against their dud loans, even dipping into their...

EDITORIALS

Nov 28, 2001

A long-term budget helps reform

Six months into his economic reform campaign, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is doing a fairly good job. Determined to reduce public debt, he has kept his promise to limit new bond sales for the fiscal year 2001 to no more than 30 trillion yen. At the same time, in an urgent move to help the growing...

COMMENTARY

Nov 28, 2001

Expanding access to international trade

By Doug Bandow

WASHINGTON -- The United States has forced medieval totalitarianism into retreat in Afghanistan. Still necessary is expanding the access of countries like it to the global economy.

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 27, 2001

Beware quick fix for Japan

By Thomas G. Rawski

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania -- Beware of economists promising easy solutions for complex problems, in this case, Japan's painful and protracted slump following the collapse of inflated asset prices in 1989. Princeton economist Paul Krugman advises Japan's government to combat deflation by announcing official...

EDITORIALS

Nov 27, 2001

Belated Lower House reform

Much has been said about the need for parliamentary reform, but so far little effective action has been taken. The Diet -- the supreme organ of the state -- appears to stand aloof from the wave of restructuring sweeping the nation's economic and industrial society. The national legislature's apparent...

EDITORIALS

Nov 26, 2001

Don't rush revision of PKO law

The government, in a rather hasty move, is seeking parliamentary approval of a bill updating the 1992 legislation that allows the Self-Defense Forces to participate in U.N. peacekeeping operations. The bill, which was sent to the Lower House last Tuesday, would expand the SDF's role as international...

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Nov 26, 2001

Looking back on life in Stalinist Russia

By Hiroaki Sato

NEW YORK -- My friend Lenore Parker threw a party for Mary M. Leder, who has just published her first book, at age 86. The book is an autobiography, "My Life in Stalinist Russia: An American Woman Looks Back" (Indiana University Press).

COMMENTARY

Nov 26, 2001

Japan set to jump the gun with SDF

By Kiroku Hanai

Since the Diet enacted antiterrorism legislation enabling the Self-Defense Forces to provide logistic support to the U.S.-led war efforts in Afghanistan, there have been mounting calls in Japan for expansion of the SDF's activities abroad. These moves defy Japan's war-renouncing Constitution.

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.

Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat

By Greg Dvorak

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’

Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’

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