Commentary Archive
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Fukuda seeks to lift popularity at G-8 summit
Commentary › 05:05 AM JST - 4th July
TOKYO — After spending a considerable amount of time and effort for preparation, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda now awaits the Group of Eight summit at which his…
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Getting rid of 'foreign' influences in Ogasawaras
Commentary › 07:00 AM JST - 2nd July
TOKYO — Recently, NHK ran a "News Watch 9" item on the eradication of goats and lizards on Chichijima Island in the Ogasawara group, far to the…
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Pre-empting air rage
Commentary › 06:55 AM JST - 30th June
We've all heard stories about air rage: Someone's flight is delayed by rotten weather elsewhere and he throws a tantrum, loudly berating the airline. Or…
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U.S.-N Korea thaw a blow to Japan
Commentary › 05:00 AM JST - 28th June
TOKYO — The U.S. action to remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism dealt a blow to Japan as the country counted on…
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A little praise can go a long way in the office
Commentary › 06:35 AM JST - 26th June
This feels so good. Emiko is amazingly skillful and obviously takes her profession very seriously. This is my second visit to this hairdresser and I…
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Everything spinning out of control
Commentary › 06:09 AM JST - 24th June
WASHINGTON — Midwestern levees are bursting. Polar bears are adrift. Gas prices are skyrocketing. Home values are abysmal. Air fares, college tuition and health care border on…
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Murder in lotus land
Commentary › 07:40 AM JST - 21st June
Tomohiro Kato was tired of life. That’s the explanation he gave police for driving a two-ton truck into Sunday shoppers before randomly stabbing people, slaying…
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Spats in the South China Sea
Commentary › 06:45 AM JST - 20th June
The Asia-Pacific has reason to pat itself on the back. The current peace in the region is indeed welcome news and marks a rare moment…
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U.S.-averse capital could be good for Japan
Commentary › 07:09 AM JST - 17th June
We've heard a lot in the news over the last six months about Middle Eastern and emerging country foreign sovereign funds. These are investment funds…
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Stereotypes ’R’ Us
Commentary › 06:02 AM JST - 16th June
TOKYO — Expats in Tokyo seem to believe that Japanese culture has few redeeming qualities. Not only are the men sexist and the women moronic, even their…
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Raiders of the lost SMAP
Commentary › 06:11 AM JST - 13th June
Did anyone see Harrison Ford being wined and dined by pop group SMAP on Fuji TV last Monday night? During the popular program, “SMAP x…
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Space planning for employees
Commentary › 07:57 AM JST - 11th June
Today’s column is for employers and managers who are tasked with starting a new operation or rapidly expanding an existing one, and who need to…
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Clinton loosens up — finally
Commentary › 05:49 AM JST - 9th June
WASHINGTON — This one's for the girls. That was Hillary Rodham Clinton's message Saturday as she ended her presidential bid -- a final, full-throated acknowledgment of what…
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Lost and found in Tokyo and London
Commentary › 06:15 AM JST - 8th June
The big lump of heavy metal was squatting there on the edge of the pavement. On an early morning in Azabu a fortnight ago, I…
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G-8 rookie Fukuda tries active diplomacy in Europe
Commentary › 06:27 AM JST - 5th June
ROME — Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda met four of his counterparts from the Group of Eight major industrialized nations during his trip to Europe and was able…
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Companies tap into growing unease over personal safety
Commentary › 06:44 AM JST - 3rd June
In mid-March, 2008, a company called Nihon Uni introduced a new T-shirt which is made of toughened polyethylene fibers to make it knife resistant. The…
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Washington's culture of deception
Commentary › 08:00 AM JST - 2nd June
A bomb exploded inside Washington, DC, last week, and, no, it was not the work of a Middle Eastern terrorist. It was the work of…
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For Japanese men, dysfunction starts in the cradle
Commentary › 07:03 AM JST - 31st May
I was lucky. I didn’t have a Japanese mother. My mother had four boys. She had a job. She had my father to deal with.…
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From war to peace - Japanese style
Commentary › 07:03 AM JST - 29th May
I've been speaking throughout Japan this month on issues of war and peace and the Japanese constitution. That constitution was imposed by the United States…
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Japan unlikely to follow U.S. on defense
Commentary › 06:59 AM JST - 27th May
When it comes to defense spending, Japan appears to be on strike. While all other states in northeast Asia have been churning out bigger and…
Recently Popular Posts
Getting rid of 'foreign' influences in Ogasawaras
Commentary › 07:00 AM JST - 2nd July
U.S.-N Korea thaw a blow to Japan
Commentary › 05:00 AM JST - 28th June
Pre-empting air rage
Commentary › 06:55 AM JST - 30th June
Fukuda seeks to lift popularity at G-8 summit
Commentary › 05:05 AM JST - 4th July
