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COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2003

China dreads contagion of unrest

SINGAPORE -- The heavy losses suffered by proadministration and pro-Beijing parties in Hong Kong's Nov. 23 municipal elections clearly bore out a prodemocracy message.
COMMENTARY
Dec 4, 2003

Ethnic cleansing on the Jordan River

WASHINGTON -- Israel can push even U.S. President George W. Bush too far. The Bush administration says it will cut $290 million of $3 billion in promised loan guarantees because Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government continues to construct settlements and a security fence in the West Bank,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Dec 3, 2003

Take a closer look

Contemporary art sure can be divisive. Every year, the British press fills with angry opinion pieces lambasting the finalists for that nation's Turner Prize. In the United States and elsewhere, citizens' groups regularly mobilize against the controversial in art exhibitions -- be it Robert Mapplethorpe's...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2003

Digital broadcasts mark fledgling debut

With signs that say "Digital is coming!" hanging in stores packed with new TV models promising dazzling imagery, Tokyo's bustling electronics shopping district in Akihabara is one place in Japan that's gung-ho about digital television broadcasting that began Monday.
EDITORIALS
Nov 30, 2003

Mr. Bush and the Almighty

It is not often that U.S. President George W. Bush finds himself in trouble with his evangelical Christian base. On the whole, the president, an avowed Christian of a fundamentalist bent, has won praise from that community for his policies on everything from the Middle East to abortion and gay marriage....
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 30, 2003

Japan is not sending the 'right stuff' to Iraq

If ever there was a time to discuss the constitutional legality of Japan's Self-Defense Forces, it's now. The SDF has done peacekeeping work, but it's never been placed in a country like Iraq, which for all intents and purposes is still at war.
COMMENTARY
Nov 27, 2003

Across the Bush-Briton gap

LONDON -- U.S. President George W. Bush's state visit to Britain ended Nov. 21 with a carefully stage-managed call on British Prime Minister Tony Blair's constituency in the North East of England. The visit went well despite generally peaceful protests. Although there was some of the usual pageantry,...
JAPAN
Nov 24, 2003

SOFA talks' collapse pinpointed

The United States asked Japan during talks in July and August to allow U.S. officials to be present during all interrogations of military personnel suspected of committing crimes in Japan, including those arrested at the crime scene, Japanese and U.S. government sources said Sunday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Nov 21, 2003

Lowdown on the Top End

One interesting thing about Darwin is how often this city in the so-called Top End of north tropical Australia has been destroyed. Indeed there are those who contend that this is the only interesting thing about Darwin.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2003

Security key factor in future Japan-ASEAN tieup

Although the relationship between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has largely been an economic affair until now, it will cover political and security concerns in the years to come, according to ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 19, 2003

Old man, take a look at yourself

If you thought that Neil Young was turning into a cranky old coot, his new album, "Greendale," is proof that he already is one. There are many who think he was cranky as far back as 1969, when he shot his baby down by the river. And in one of his two (count 'em!) hit singles, he identifies fully with...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 19, 2003

Islamic scholars: America's natural allies

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Since the tragic events of 9/11, millions of words have been written attempting to understand and explain the causes of Muslim terrorism and the extremist ideologies that underpin it. Many have suggested that terrorism is simply a reaction to social injustice, whereas others have...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Nov 18, 2003

Unusual election full of promise

It may be difficult to take an interest in Japan's election last week, since many readers cannot vote. But results this time may be critically important for Japan's future as a democracy.
COMMENTARY
Nov 17, 2003

Japan's milestone election

Japan took a major step toward a two-party system when the opposition Democratic Party of Japan made big gains in the Nov. 9 Lower House election. The poll will be remembered as a milestone in Japanese political history for this reason and because it was the first Japanese election to be fought over...
EDITORIALS
Nov 15, 2003

SDF dispatch plan needs a review

The worsening security situation in Iraq is raising serious doubts about Japan's plan to send troops for humanitarian and reconstruction aid. It looks as if the whole country is slipping into a new "war," with terrorists and guerrillas stepping up attacks on occupation troops as well as civilians. Reinforcing...
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2003

Future pension benefits, premiums depend on who does the calculating

Four government entities are bracing for a policy showdown that could dictate the financial state of future generations and could influence the country's economic vitality for years to come.
EDITORIALS
Nov 12, 2003

Mr. Koizumi's postelection challenges

Continuity and unity underscored Monday's meeting of the heads of the three ruling coalition parties, which gained a solid majority in Sunday's Lower House election. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, president of the Liberal Democratic Party, is certain to be re-elected at the outset of a special Diet...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2003

North Korean agent loses bid for asylum in Japan

The Justice Ministry turned down Tuesday a request for refugee status by a former North Korean agent, judging he does not face the threat of persecution because he already has Chinese and South Korean citizenship, ministry officials said.
EDITORIALS
Nov 10, 2003

Being prepared for SARS

We must fully prepared for any new outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome this winter. Four months have passed since the World Health Organization declared that SARS was under control. The WHO is of the opinion that even if SARS flares up again, infection will not spread as long as countries take...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2003

China can learn from Japan

China faces mounting pressure to revalue its allegedly undervalued yuan. I am concerned that China could repeat the mistakes that Japan made in exchange-rate policy. China can learn much from Japanese experiences in economic management and currency diplomacy.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Nov 6, 2003

Kobe a loner who still has much to learn

NEW YORK -- As a self-trained psychoanalyst, I'm greatly tempted to explore the alcoves of Kobe Bryant's innermost thoughts regarding loneliness, ruthless words about Shaquille O'Neal and dirty deed with a stranger whose allegation will stain him forever even if found innocent (bad choice of words),...
COMMENTARY
Nov 3, 2003

Britain's institutions fall on hard times

LONDON -- The world I grew up in was dominated by the Tory Party, which had governed for as long as any child could remember, by its icon the royal family, which smiled serenely from every magazine, and by the Church of England, which hosted every major national occasion and ritually adjured us to respect...
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2003

32.4% of Japanese oppose increase in foreign tourists

Nearly one in three Japanese -- 32.4 percent -- say they do not want to see more foreign tourists visiting Japan, with 90.2 percent of them citing a rise in crimes allegedly committed by foreign nationals as the reason, according to a government poll released Saturday.
EDITORIALS
Nov 1, 2003

Last man standing

The arrest of the richest man in any country is always an earthshaking event, and the jailing of Mr. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the premier among Russia's oligarchs, is no exception. There are a number of explanations for Mr. Khodorkovsky's arrest, but there is no mistaking the chief beneficiary of the move:...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2003

Dirty nails, bad breath, dandruff a sure way to lose election: DPJ

The Democratic Party of Japan, trailing in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 9 general election of the House of Representatives, is telling its candidates to court female voters.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2003

Appeal a given if Asahara gets death

After a 7 1/2-year trial, the chief lawyer defending doomsday cult guru Shoko Asahara, charged with masterminding the 1995 nerve gas attack on Tokyo's subway, is about to wrap up his case and await a verdict, which may come in February.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 29, 2003

Mediation is the medium

"It's a transmission station," says David Elliott of the Mori Art Museum, which opened to the public Oct. 18. "It's a beacon beaming things out to the rest of the city, intimately connected with it."
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

Panel says trials should have four 'citizen judges'

The head of a government panel on judicial reform submitted a draft proposal Tuesday advocating the appointment of four "citizen judges" to work alongside three professional judges at trials.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 28, 2003

Coaxing Iran, North Korea

EDMONTON, Canada -- Since no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq, some critics of the Bush administration are suggesting that the use of the military option was premature or even unwarranted unless, of course, the goal all along was to overthrow a dangerous despot -- Saddam Hussein. Certainly,...

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?