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Thursday, August 20, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
TRADE-JAPAN: Red Tape, Resistance Block Free Trade Accords
Correctly tweaked, the numbers make perfect sense - free trade agreements (FTAs) between Japan and South-east Asian countries could provide a much-needed fillip to the moribund Japanese economy, and will in turn give a boost to a region in which Japan is already the biggest investor.JAPAN: Gov’t Keen on Sending Troops to Back U.S. Forces in Iraq
Ebrahim Sawada, a Shiite Muslim and teacher of Islam, is anxious about the growing debate in Japan on beefing up U.S. occupying forces in Iraq.ENVIRONMENT-JAPAN: Consumers Worried by Twin Threats to Seafood
Local fish stocks contaminated with toxins and a perilous drop in shellfish catches are signalling to millions of Japanese that their favourite food is in danger.RIGHTS-JAPAN: Women Need Protection from Spousal Rape
In October 2002, Junko decided she would tolerate no more abuse from her live-in boyfriend. Scared and hurt, the 22-year-old mother relied on help from her friends to escape, but the fate of her infant daughter is now uppermost in her mind.JAPAN: In Post-retirement Jobs, Elderly Men Nurture Youngsters
Ask toddlers at Yachihiro Hoikuen, a public day care centre in Joetsu city in northern Japan, who their favourite teacher is, and they enthusiastically point to 64-year-old Kazuo Ojima, the first elderly male caregiver to work in the centre.SRI LANKA: Gov’t Gets 4.5 Billion Dollars in Pledges,Tied
Donors pledged 4.5 billion U.S. dollars for rebuilding efforts in Sri Lanka on Tuesday, but their tying the release of these funds to the resumption of peace talks highlights the fragility of the efforts to end the country's two-decade-old war.SRI LANKA: Gov’t Gets 4.5 Billion Dollars in Pledges,Tied to Peace
Donors pledged 4.5 billion U.S. dollars for rebuilding efforts in Sri Lanka on Tuesday, but their tying the release of these funds to the resumption of peace talks highlights both the fragility and the high stakes involved in efforts to end the country's two-decade-old war.JAPAN-SOUTH KOREA: Summit Won’t Bridge Gap over North Korea
Japan and South Korea are worried about the crisis over North Korea's nuclear programme, but the gap in their approaches to Pyongyang is unlikely to be bridged much in this week's visit to Tokyo by South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun.JAPAN: Widespread Personal Debt Forces Gov’t to Act
Maeda tumbled into the debt vortex with alarming swiftness. The 54-year-old, who asked that his full name not be revealed, worked for an apparel maker in Japan until he was laid off three years ago.JAPAN: Divorced Women Fight Financial Woes, Stigma
Sue Nagashima, 57, recalls her days as a single mother of two young sons as a "terrifying struggle for survival".POLITICS-JAPAN: Fujimori Case Mars Country’s Record – Activists
It is high time that Tokyo looks at the case of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori beyond the issue of his Japanese citizenship to the larger issues of human rights, corruption and accountability - and Japan's record on them, activists here say.POLITICS-JAPAN: Security Bills Reflect Growing Insecurity
The expected passage of a set of bills giving the state the power to respond to a foreign military attack is causing consternation among peace activists, who worry that the stage is being set for Japan to one day renounce its Peace Constitution.RIGHTS-JAPAN: Groups Using Access to Information Law to the Hilt
Tsunefuke Kurayama is a member of an unusual group in Japan - one that has taken 10 policemen to court for embezzling public funds to the tune of 4 million yen (about 35,000 U.S. dollars). It is not the first time either.RIGHTS-JAPAN: Groups Using Access to Information Law to the Hilt
Tsunefuke Kurayama is a member of an unusual group in Japan - one that has taken 10 policemen to court for embezzling public funds to the tune of 4 million yen (about 35,000 U.S. dollars). It is not the first time either.RIGHTS-JAPAN: Volunteers Taking on the Sex Industry
Jinaemon Sugawara is 80, feisty and still furious. It was 15 years ago that the spunky geriatric decided that enough was enough - he had seen the last smutty flier that he wanted to see, pasted inside a phone booth, carrying a young girl's picture and a telephone number.RIGHTS-JAPAN: Volunteers Taking on the Sex Industry
Jinaemon Sugawara is 80, feisty and still furious. It was 15 years ago that the spunky geriatric decided that enough was enough - he had seen the last smutty flier that he wanted to see, pasted inside a phone booth, carrying a young girl's picture and a telephone number.POLITICS: U.S. Occupation of Japan a Model – or Warning – for Iraq
Iraq and Japan are on opposite sides of the world, but analysts here see parallels between the U.S.-designed path that Japan took after its surrender in World War II - and the direction Iraq may be taking in under U.S.-led occupation.ENERGY-JAPAN: Threat of Power Cuts Likely to Shape Nuclear Debate
Tokyo, famous for its neon lights and shiny skyscrapers, is bracing for possible power cuts this summer after the shutdown of Japan's 17 nuclear reactors for safety checks, as well renewed debate over the country's reliance on nuclear power.ENERGY-JAPAN: Threat of Power Cuts Likely to Shape Nuclear Debate
Tokyo, famous for its neon lights and shiny skyscrapers, is bracing for possible power cuts this summer after the shutdown of Japan's 17 nuclear reactors for safety checks, as well renewed debate over the country's reliance on nuclear power./MAY DAY/LABOUR: Fortress Japan Warming to Foreign Workers
Mai is 32, lives in Tokyo with her daughter, and has come a long way from her days of selling chicken in Thailand. A Thai, she asks that her Japanese name, 'Mai', be used to refer to her.IRAQ: Japan Walks Tightrope on Pushing for U.S. or U.N. Role
Japan continues to walk a slippery political tightrope, this time in balancing its traditional support for the United Nations and multilateralism and the strategic value it puts on having Washington's backing during these tense times in the Korean peninsula.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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