More Opinion Articles - The Japan Times

Today's print edition

Subscribe for more access

COMMENTARY

Mar 13, 1999

GOP backs off as taxpayers' champions

By Doug Bandow

The Republican Party may be the majority political party, in control of Congress and the vast majority of state governorships. But U.S. President Bill Clinton controls U.S.' political agenda.

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 13, 1999

To cure Asia's ills, get the diagnosis right

By Christopher Lingle

On a recent whirlwind tour of Asian capitals, peripatetic U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Larry Summers offered some advice on how to cure the region's economic ills. Despite his stature as an economist, he sounded more like a politician spouting protectionist platitudes. Implicit in his commentary was...

EDITORIALS

Mar 12, 1999

Defensive about missile defense

China's relations with the United States are at their lowest point since the Taiwan Strait crisis of 1996. Beijing has a lengthening list of grievances against Washington: harsh criticism in the State Department's annual human-rights report and the prospect of a resolution censoring Chinese behavior...

EDITORIALS

Mar 11, 1999

Kochi tests nation's nuclear principles

The long-standing controversy over whether U.S. warships calling at Japanese ports carry nuclear weapons is taking a new twist. The Kochi prefectural government is seeking to obtain "certificates" from the central government showing that U.S. naval vessels visiting ports in the prefecture are not nuclear-armed....

EDITORIALS

Mar 10, 1999

Mr. Obuchi, captive of the system

Ostensibly, Mr. Shozaburo Nakamura was let go as justice minister because a censure motion in the Upper House looked imminent and New Komeito was adding its weight to the opposition demand that Mr. Nakamura resign, or else. Fundamentally, however, Mr. Nakamura is a casualty of his own loose tongue, questionable...

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 10, 1999

Taiwan's strategic options

By Gary Klintworth

Following the return of Hong Kong in July 1997 and the return of Macau in December 1999, Beijing's attention will logically turn to Taiwan. The island's survival depends on preserving its technically advanced air force and enlisting the help of the United States.

COMMENTARY

Mar 10, 1999

Clouds looming on the Diet's horizon

By Kenzo Uchida

The situation in the Diet looks calm for now. The debate on the fiscal 1999 government budget, the most important item before the Diet, is proceeding smoothly. The budget bill has already cleared the Lower House and is expected to pass the Upper House around March 20, well before the start of the new...

EDITORIALS

Mar 9, 1999

The limits of Hun Sen's power

Ta Mok, the infamous one-legged military leader of the Khmer Rouge, was arrested last weekend in Cambodia. "The Butcher," as he is known, was one of the last holdouts from the guerrilla group. An unrepentant hardliner, Ta Mok commanded the loyalty of a dwindling band of insurgents, who were troublesome,...

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 7, 1999

Violence: The Americas' new pandemic

By Cesar Chelala

NEW YORK -- From Argentina in the south to Canada in the north, violence is becoming an increasingly serious problem in the Americas, affecting all nations in the hemisphere. What makes this phenomenon especially worrisome is that children and adolescents are among its main actors, and victims. Violence...

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW

Mar 7, 1999

Is patience a Russian virtue?

By Constantine Pleshakov

Amid the apocalyptic news about Russian pensioners being unable to afford any medicines beyond traditional folk remedies, Russian workers not paid salaries for months and Russian children in the on the verge of starvation, one piece of news is conspicuously missing: reports of mass protests. It is true...

EDITORIALS

Mar 6, 1999

Old men and bad dreams

Two unrelated news stories that have been gathering momentum in the United States in the past few weeks have focused attention all over again on the touchy issue of old crimes and delayed punishments. The conflicts involved are not novel -- they surfaced as recently as last year, when Spain attempted...

EDITORIALS

Mar 5, 1999

Dispel illusions in Sino-U.S. relations

The last few weeks have been difficult ones for Sino-U.S. relations. The U.S. canceled the planned sale of a satellite to a Chinese-led consortium, the annual State Department human-rights report released last week slammed Beijing's policies and the Pentagon has warned of an ominous Chinese missile buildup...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Wealthier women in the prewar era had been the targets of various media-related health campaigns that mistakenly encouraged them to avoid everything from riding bicycles to reading novels when their monthly cycles came around.

Menstruation in Japan: Breaking the silence, slowly

By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Challenging spirit and teamwork keep ANA flying high

Challenging spirit and teamwork keep ANA flying high

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

international-reports