Commentary Archive

It's all about energy

Commentary › 07:04 AM JST - 22nd November

As the world’s policymakers are gearing up for the year’s (or even this generation’s) very important deliberations in Copenhagen in December, people especially the non-specialists…
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Building blues

Commentary › 06:23 AM JST - 20th November

In a moment of morbid humor that’s been lost with each subsequent retelling, earth scientist and professional doom-monger Bill McGuire once described Tokyo as “the…
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The Okinawan problem isn't about to disappear in a hurry

Commentary › 07:35 AM JST - 19th November

The announcement by President Barack Obama of a high-level task force on Okinawa is a bid to defuse long-smoldering issues surrounding U.S. force deployment on…
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Obama's China trip shows power shifting

Commentary › 04:53 AM JST - 18th November

President Barack Obama's first visit to China underscored a shifting balance of power: two giants moving closer to being equals. In this week's choreographed show…
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Japan has chance to be good mediator for Asia

Commentary › 03:37 AM JST - 17th November

For many Japanese, closeness to other Asian countries may mean eating Chinese food at Tokyo restaurants or swooning over good-looking Korean film stars. But for…
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Is chivalry dead on Tokyo trains?

Commentary › 11:08 AM JST - 15th November

Often people comment on the civility of Japanese train stations: people queuing on the platform in two lines before splitting down the middle into single…
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Anti-base Okinawans expect Hatoyama to end carrot and stick policy

Commentary › 04:45 AM JST - 13th November

Anti-base protesters in Okinawa, which hosts about 75% of the land area used for U.S. military facilities in Japan and half of the around 50,000…
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U.S. risks following Japan's example of stagnancy

Commentary › 04:40 AM JST - 12th November

Heavy government stimulus spending and near-zero interest rates did little to end a "lost decade" of stagnation and mushrooming debt in Japan. Some economists and…
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Obama confronts an Asia reshaped by China's rise

Commentary › 04:04 AM JST - 10th November

Days after coming to power in September, Japan's new prime minister broached forming a new East Asian trading bloc with rival China -- one that…
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U.S. has misused its position as superpower

Commentary › 03:34 AM JST - 9th November

Twenty years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the accepted end of the Cold War, the United States has misused its position as…
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10% jobless is Obama's new world

Commentary › 06:57 AM JST - 7th November

For months he had warned it was coming but that did not ease the political shockwaves for President Barack Obama when U.S. unemployment topped 10%.…
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Waiting for Obama to decide on Afghanistan

Commentary › 05:20 AM JST - 6th November

The entire international community is anxiously waiting for U.S. President Barack Obama to make his much delayed decision on expanding U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan.…
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DPJ fumbles JAL issue

Commentary › 04:24 AM JST - 5th November

When the Democratic Party of Japan deposed a party that had enjoyed a half-century of almost unbroken rule, how it would deal with the financial…
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The rules of hostessing

Commentary › 05:13 AM JST - 3rd November

As a hostess (and the only foreigner) at one very highly respected club in Kitashinchi, Osaka’s hostess club hot spot in Umeda, I am fortunate…
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Australia ponders place in Japan's East Asian Community

Commentary › 03:34 AM JST - 1st November

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's recently unveiled vision for an ''East Asian community'' has been welcomed by an unusual ally, Richard Woolcott, the ambassador responsible for…
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Engage and criticize: Obama's split media strategy

Commentary › 05:43 AM JST - 30th October

The same president who aggressively harnesses the power of the press to promote his agenda has taken to lacing his comments with criticisms of the…
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The wackiest Japanese beauty products ever

Commentary › 06:22 AM JST - 29th October

Have you ever wandered the aisles of your local Japanese drugstore chain wondering what most of the stuff is? Well, me too. And once I…
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Concern mounting in U.S. over Japan's foreign policy

Commentary › 05:26 AM JST - 28th October

The United States appears increasingly concerned about the new course of Japan's foreign policy, raising the specter of a showdown between Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama…
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Hatoyama's 'fraternity' policy lacks substance

Commentary › 04:23 AM JST - 27th October

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has enjoyed high public support ratings since the Sept 16 launch of his government, but analysts say his policy which is…
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Last train blues

Commentary › 05:31 AM JST - 26th October

I just got back from a trip to New York and Seoul, both huge cities with extensive train systems and world-class nightlife. Whenever I visit…
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- 52 Comments