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Thursday, September 10, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
ENVIRONMENT-JAPAN: Activists Raise Alarm Over PVC Toys
Toys are much the talk of the town these days in Japan, but the discussions are eliciting not smiles but angry words.NORTH-EAST ASIA: Security Picture Shifts as Japan Asserts Self
Reports of North Korean spy ships trying to infiltrate Japan last week are fueling potentially dramatic changes in the security and diplomatic picture in Asia, according to analysts here.DEVELOPMENT-JAPAN: Humanitarian Aid Policy Under Question
Japan may be the world's top donor nation, but development experts say the effectiveness of its grant and humanitarian assistance programmes needs to be improved.RIGHTS-JAPAN: Stress, Old Notions Lead to Child Maltreatment
The number of children murdered by their own parents has risen dramatically in Japan in the last year, and indications are the Asian financial crisis is partly to blame.POLITICS-JAPAN: Legalisation of Flag, Anthem Stokes Wartime Past
They evoke nationalist pride in other countries, but here in Japan the flag and the national anthem are eliciting less than positive emotions.WEEKLY SELECTION-JAPAN: Women Lead Unemployment Queues
Noriko Maeda, 35, lost her job as a flight attendant at one of Japan's leading airlines five years ago. Today, she teaches conversational English part-time to children in the neighborhood.JAPAN-ASIA: Bigger Security Role Nears Confirmation
The Japanese Diet is in the throes of legalising a set of new defense guidelines that will enable the country's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to play a more active role in Asia.LABOUR-JAPAN: Women Lead Unemployment Queues
Noriko Maeda, 35, lost her job as a flight attendant at one of Japan's leading airlines five years ago. Today, she teaches conversational English part-time to children in the neighborhood.JAPAN: New Initiative Bridges Asian Businesses with Africa
It opens this April Fool's Day, but Asia's first official information centre on investment in Africa means serious business.//CORRECTED REPEAT//POPULATION-JAPAN: More Couples Try Artificial Conception
Joy is almost always the reaction of parents upon seeing their newborn child, but for Nobuko and Seiji Okuda (not their real names), the sight of their infant son soon after his birth last November made them nothing short of ecstatic.POPULATION-JAPAN: More Couples Try Artificial Contraception
Joy is almost always the reaction of parents upon seeing their newborn child, but for Nobuko and Seiji Okuda (not their real names), the sight of their infant son soon after his birth last November made them nothing short of ecstatic.WEEKLY SELECTION/DEVELOPMENT-CAMBODIA: Hun Sen Gets Aid — and New Chance
Japan led international donors Friday in pledging a total of 470 million U.S. dollars in aid this year to Cambodia, aiming to give the troubled country yet another new start.DEVELOPMENT-RIGHTS: Tokyo Too Quick to Aid Cambodia, Critic Says
Japan sees Cambodian premier Hun Sen's government as the country's best bet for stability after the political strife of recent years, but a Cambodian opposition leader says its eagerness to resume aid is "destroying" his nation.JAPAN: Tired of Silence, Consumers Speak Up for Rights
On any given day, Maika Suzuki answers the telephone at least five times, only to hear someone badgering her to get a new house, try a different cosmetic, bank or insurance policy, or even sign up for a graveyard plot for her husband and herself.FINANCE-ASIA: Japan Serious About Setting Up ‘Asian IMF’
Japan is moving ahead with plans to initiate the establishment of an Asian-style International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it hopes will better serve the needs of the region.POPULATION-JAPAN: Too Quick on Viagra, Too Slow on the Pill
Women's groups are up in arms over what they call a "gender biased" decision by the government to approve the sale in Japan of the anti-impotence drug Viagra, while dragging its feet on contraceptive pills.JAPAN: With Economy Down, Soul-searching on the Rise
They are suffering their country's worst post- war recession yet, but the Japanese say economic reforms are no longer enough for them to make things right again.WEEKLY SELECTION: Environmental Risks Trigger Wave of Fear in Japan
Keiko Matsudo, 39, eats only organic food and cooks only with bottled water.JAPAN: Environmental Risks Trigger Wave of Fear
Keiko Matsudo, 39, eats only organic food and cooks only with bottled water.POLITICS-JAPAN: Premier Takes Aim at Economic Gloom
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi is trying to give Japan a much-needed pep talk after forming a coalition government this week, managing this time to get more than the usual yawn from a public tired of empty promises from their politicians.EDUCATION-JAPAN: Students Cram For Their Future
Tadayoshi Sasaki and his parents usually spend the New Year holidays with his grandparents, but the family tradition was broken this year.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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