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COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2010

The IMF to Greece's rescue?

WASHINGTON — Traditionally "you should go to the IMF" was not something you would say to friendly neighbors and close allies. Over the past few decades, the International Monetary Fund became associated with excessive fiscal austerity, extreme political insensitivity, and — since the Asian financial...
EDITORIALS
Feb 20, 2010

The battle to save the euro

The European Union is facing one of the worst economic crises of its life. The immediate trigger is Greece, which has been living well beyond its means. As the prospect of a default looms, the Athens government has pledged to embrace austerity measures, but public resistance is high. The Greek government...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2010

Stop turning cheap food into expensive fuel

LONDON — U.S. Department of Agriculture figures reveal that a quarter of U.S. cereals grown in 2009 went to biofuel, turning cheap food into expensive fuel. This pushes up food prices and damages the environment, yet President Barack Obama promised "continued investment in advanced biofuels" in his...
COMMENTARY
Feb 16, 2010

China's reaction raises doubt about its intent

HONG KONG — China's reaction to the announcement by Washington of a large arms sales package to Taiwan suggests that, 20 months after Taiwan replaced hostility with cooperation in its dealings with the mainland, Beijing still believes it will ultimately need to use force to bring about unification....
EDITORIALS
Feb 15, 2010

Golden 20 for McDonald's Russia

Twenty years ago, McDonald's opened its first store in Russia. The appearance of the Golden Arches in Moscow's Pushkin Square predated the collapse of the Soviet Union, but it should have been seen as a harbinger of the end of the autarkic Soviet economic model. The company marked the landmark event...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Feb 14, 2010

An 'eroduction' to Japan's saucy cinema

The Nikkatsu studio is the Japanese film industry's oldest — it will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012. In the 1950s and early 1960s it was also a box-office leader, turning out hit after hit with Japan's biggest postwar star, Yujiro Ishihara. By the 1970s, however, Nikkatsu and the rest of the...
COMMENTARY
Feb 7, 2010

U.S. Afpak path comes full circle

NEW DELHI — What U.S. President Barack Obama's administration has been pursuing in Afghanistan for the past one year has now received international imprimatur, thanks to the well-scripted London conference. Four words sum up that strategy: Surge, bribe and run.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Feb 6, 2010

Appointing Terry captain a mistake from the start

LONDON — Fabio Capello will soon announce whether John Terry, England captain and alleged adulterer, will retain the armband.
BUSINESS
Feb 5, 2010

Sony's quarterly profit jumps to ¥79 billion

Sony's quarterly earnings surged more than sevenfold, boosted by blockbuster movie releases, cost cuts and its mainstay consumer electronics business returning to the black.
COMMENTARY
Feb 1, 2010

Nuclear plant construction up; South Korea challenging market

SINGAPORE — Recent startups hardly provide much evidence of the vaunted "renaissance" in civilian nuclear power that promises reliable supplies of electricity without the pollution and greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil fuels, especially coal.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 31, 2010

Checkmates and imbalances are derailing Obama's bid for change

When historians look back on the Obama administration, they may deem the senatorial election in Massachusetts on Jan. 19, 2010, to have been the pivotal event determining its destiny.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2010

Boeing discloses more JAL orders

Boeing Co. has orders for 71 planes worth about $10 billion from Japan Airlines Corp., which filed for bankruptcy Tuesday. That's 21 more than the U.S. company had previously disclosed.
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2010

Squeezing the merchants

On Nov. 30, North Korea redenominated its currency, the won, without prior announcements, and reportedly banned the use and circulation of foreign currencies after Jan. 1.
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2010

Panasonic plotting green tack

Panasonic Corp. said Friday it plans to boost sales and domestic and international competitiveness by expanding green technology products.
COMMENTARY
Jan 7, 2010

Obama on track in Asia

With one exception, U.S. relations with East Asian countries are better today than when the Obama administration took office. This is no small accomplishment since the Bush administration left Asia in good shape.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2010

Snack maker Lotte to open first Japan hotel

Snack maker Lotte Co. has announced it is opening a hotel in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 6, including rooms featuring its Koara no Maachi (Koala's March) cookie snack mascot.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake