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Thursday, August 6, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
RIGHTS-JAPAN: Battle Over Okinawa History Rages On
A short walk through the rice and sugarcane fields that dot Yomitan village, 20 km north of Naha, capital of Okinawa prefecture, leads to dark, dank caves where hundreds of civilians took refuge as the United States troops invaded the island during World War ll.JAPAN: A Reawakening of Neglected Island Cultures
After decades of cold neglect, the distinct and intricate cultures of the tiny islands that surround the archipelago of Japan's four main islands have recently begun to gain public attention.POLITICS-JAPAN: Poll Defeat for Abe Puts Brake on Global Player Plan
Hiroshi Yoda, 60, hopes the stunning defeat for Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Sunday's House of Councillors election will be a wake-up call for influential politicians who he says have lost touch with the public.ENVIRONMENT-JAPAN: Quake Devastates Nuclear Power Plans
Reports of radiation leakages at a nuclear power plant, following the Niigata earthquake on Monday, have raised widespread public alarm and dealt a devastating blow to the government’s plans to boost the nuclear power industry, both domestically and abroad.ENVIRONMENT-JAPAN: Moving Towards Sustainable Forestry
Tighter forest regulations and rising consumption of wood in the world are forcing Japan to depend less on timber imports and concentrate on sustainable harvesting its own forests - a long awaited change, point out experts here.JAPAN: Nuclear Bombing Gaffe May Hit Conservatives
Nationalists and pacifists alike have welcomed the resignation this week of Japan’s high profile defence minister, Fumio Kyuma, in the wake of uproar over his reference to the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as events that "couldn’t be helped".JAPAN: Shrinking Aid Budget Spells Trouble for Poor Countries
Heavy cuts in public spending continue to dig a deep hole in Japan’s influential aid budget, which latest figures say has already reduced Tokyo from being the world’s leading donor at one point to third place among the top 22 major international lenders.POLITICS-JAPAN: Views on Changing Constitution Remain Divided
From a vehement no to a qualitative yes – those are the views of Myoko Watanabe's family on a national referendum due in 2010 on amending the post-war, Peace Constitution of Japan.ENVIRONMENT-JAPAN: Eels Off Menus
A revered tradition during Japan's hot and humid summer is eating broiled eel, a dish believed to induce energy. But this year, the item has been elusive on menus following a decision by the European Union to slash eel exportsDEATH PENALTY-JAPAN: Deposing Survivors May Hit Abolition Campaign
A proposal under discussion in the Japanese Diet (parliament) to allow survivors of murder victims to address the courts is being watched with growing dread by death penalty opponents in this country.ENVIRONMENT-JAPAN: Sealing the Elephant’s Fate With ‘Hanko’
Even as the world awaits a global ban on trade in elephant ivory, activists are fighting hard to stop a new shipment of ivory to Japan and the introduction of tougher domestic controls.LABOUR-JAPAN: Working Women Set Their Sights Higher
When Manami Sato's mother started work at a large trading company almost three decades ago, she was hired as one of several female assistants, a job that included serving tea and copying files for male managers and was the norm those daysBIODIVERSITY-JAPAN: Climate Change Fosters Coral-Eating Starfish
At the Kushimoto marine park, 640 km southwest of the national capital, divers proudly display the coral-eating starfish they pluck away from the famed table coral formations that attract tourists for their sheer beauty.LABOUR-JAPAN: Xenophobia May Hamper Economic Growth
Junko Nakayama, 56, refuses to believe that the number of foreigners arrested for crimes is decreasing as per statistics released by the National Policy Agency.JAPAN: Abe’s US Visit – One More Step to a Formal Military
More than half-a-year after he took office, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will pay his first visit to the United States on Thursday - a much delayed trip considering that Japan-U.S. ties are top priority.JAPAN: Gender Biased Divorce Law Under Review
The birth of her baby four years ago was supposed to be a happy occasion for Masae Ito, 41. But she and her second husband were in for a nasty surprise at the registry office.JAPAN/CHINA: Economically Close, Politically Wide Apart
The smiling photographs of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe by his side, suggest serious rapprochement during last week's landmark visit to this country. But the common expression used to define the complex relationship between Asia's two key players remains the same - ‘economically close, politically wide apart'.POPULATION-JAPAN: Obstetric Care Hits Crisis Levels
Mayu Sasaki, 32, is expecting her second baby in May, but rather than making happy preparations the former economics researcher is filled with anxiety.JAPAN: Avoiding Tough Topics as Wen Comes Calling
Marking the first visit to Japan by a Chinese premier in almost seven years, Wen Jiabao will land in Tokyo Wednesday on a visit that is expected to further thaw frosty relations between the neighbours - although analysts expect few concrete results from the summit.JAPAN: Signs of Lowered Xenophobia
A record number of applicants for refugee status in Japan coupled with softer conditions for recognition are being seen by activists as signs that this country's stringent policies towards foreigners are undergoing change.TRADE-JAPAN: No More Big Brother Approach in Asia
Japan's new free trade agreements (FTAs) with South-east Asian countries symbolise a new era in regional economic ties - a move from the old big brother relationship to a series of partnerships that could be the first step towards a single market in the future, say analysts here.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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