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COMMENTARY
Mar 19, 2010

Revising the art of defense

LONDON — How much should a nation spend on defense and its armed forces?
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2010

Afghanistan lost without better governance

NEW YORK — The United States and its Afghan and NATO allies have demonstrated unmistakable progress in Afghanistan this year. The ongoing Marjah campaign, the arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and two Taliban "shadow governors" in Pakistan, and the recent drone strike hitting top leaders of the...
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2010

LDP defection not likely to shift power balance

The Monday defection of Kunio Hatoyama from the Liberal Democratic Party has caused a stir in the former ruling party that for most of the postwar era was an electoral juggernaut. But experts and lawmakers say it is unlikely to create a fundamental power shift.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2010

White Beach base site said credible

OSAKA — The proposal to build a replacement base for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma off the Katsuren Peninsula in central Okinawa Island, stretching from the White Beach Naval Facility to a nearby small island, is the latest idea to be floated in the contentious relocation abyss.
EDITORIALS
Mar 16, 2010

First step for serious emission cuts

The Hatoyama Cabinet Friday endorsed a basic bill designed to combat global warming. Importantly, the bill specifies middle- and long-term numerical targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions: by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020, and by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. However, the...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Mar 15, 2010

Running against the wind

In the gubernatorial election of Nagasaki Prefecture on Feb. 21, the candidate backed by the ruling Democratic Party of Japan was roundly defeated by his opponent, who was supported by the No. 1 opposition Liberal Democratic Party. The winner, former Vice Gov. Hodo Nakamura, garnered 44.9 percent of...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 7, 2010

Don't just cut public spending — rethink it

LONDON, INTERNATIONAL POLICY NETWORK — The strikes in Greece against the government's austerity package must worry the leaders of any country running big budget deficits — which is most countries, including Japan. After all, the package was not particularly austere: minor trimming of Greece's notoriously...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 7, 2010

Emotionalized debate blurs valuable functions of Futenma

CAMP BUTLER, Okinawa Pref. — In recent months, the issue of the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma has gotten a great deal of attention in the news — so much so that it has almost overshadowed the significance of this year being the 50th anniversary of the revision of the U.S.-Japan...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 7, 2010

DPJ needs schooling on equality

When the Democratic Party of Japan swept to power last year, many people expected Japanese politics to become more rational. The Liberal Democratic Party had maintained a status quo that stifled meaningful change, and the DPJ supposedly won by promising to move forward.
EDITORIALS
Mar 5, 2010

Funding scandals keep coming

Another political funds scandal linked to a Democratic Party of Japan figure has come to light. On March 1, four trade union members were arrested on suspicion of violating the Political Funds Control Law with regard to donations allegedly received by the election campaign office of DPJ Lower House member...
COMMENTARY
Mar 3, 2010

Zero tolerance for bullying

The British media have given prominence recently to allegations that Prime Minister Gordon Brown is a bully who intimidates those who work for him. It has also been alleged that some of his staff have briefed against Cabinet ministers with whom Brown disagrees. The government has dismissed these charges...
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Mar 3, 2010

Decks cleared, DPJ focuses on poll

With Tuesday's Lower House passage of the fiscal 2010 budget securing the way for its enactment by the end of March, the ruling Democratic Party of Japan will now focus on passing as many key policies as it can to bring visible results to voters before the summer Upper House election.
JAPAN
Mar 3, 2010

Dispatch of medical team to Chile called off

The government abruptly called off sending an emergency medical team to earthquake-hit Chile on Tuesday after Santiago declined the offer of assistance.
JAPAN
Mar 3, 2010

DPJ-led bloc's vote passes 2010 budget

The Democratic Party of Japan-led coalition passed the fiscal 2010 budget in the Lower House on Tuesday evening, having survived relentless grilling from the opposition over a series of political funding scandals.

Longform

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