Shinzo Abe is so obsessed with China eclipsing Japan on the global stage that he’s adopting some of his neighbor’s policies. What else can we say about the secrecy law the prime minister’s cabinet approved on Oct. 25, an act that would do so much to undermine and constrain his people’s right to know?Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party says the move ― which gives ministries the authority to classify as state secrets information on counterintelligence, counterterrorism, defense and diplomacy ― is neces

Viewpoints Nov. 4, 2013

The uproar in Europe over spying by the U.S. National Security Agency has led to calls for a treaty or code of conduct to limit espionage. To understand why this is naive, imagine a treaty to ban sex. It would be honored in the breach. States, too, have an overwhelming natural impulse: to spy.Spying is (or was until Edward Snowden) largely covert; no one freely admits to doing it. It is also one of the last preserves of the absolute sovereign, unconstrained by law ― think Louis XIV in a trench c

Viewpoints Nov. 4, 2013

PARIS ― So-called “transparency advocates” who believe that splaying out all the intelligence activities of America and its allies will result in increased oversight, regulation and accountability have failed to learn the recent lesson of warfare: Whining about what you can’t handle just leads to more secrecy. That’s how we ended up with drones.When the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, broadcast on cable news 24/7, became too much for a majority of the American public to bear, two viable options em

Viewpoints Nov. 3, 2013

When the powerful antimicrobial medicine quinine came to Europe in the 1600s, it changed history. Religious leaders, royalty and the fortunate few who could obtain it often recovered from the mysterious bone-shaking chills and fever of the little-understood affliction called malaria. The bitter powder gained popularity after it was credited with saving the life of England’s King Charles II and was later mixed with sweet water to form tonic and topped off with gin. The quinine-laced gin and tonic

Viewpoints Nov. 3, 2013

Many Americans have forgotten, or never learned about, the Alger Hiss case. One of the most dramatic trials of the 20th century, it helps explain not only the rise of McCarthyism in the early 1950s and the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, but also the contemporary roles of Rush Limbaugh, Ted Cruz and the Tea Party.The Hiss case casts light on why conservatives and liberals are suspicious of each other, on their different attitudes toward elitism, on their understandings of patrio

Viewpoints Nov. 3, 2013

Smartphones and other mobile devices make it possible for post-surgery outpatients to get routine medical advice from their doctors without visiting the hospital. But they have been denied this convenience because a special interest group representing doctors has scuttled the government’s plan to introduce telemedicine ― the use of information and communication technology in the provision of health care.Post-surgery outpatients are not the only potential beneficiaries. In many countries in the w

Editorial Nov. 1, 2013

Breaking a long silence, President Park Geun-hye promised on Thursday to look closely into an allegation that the National Intelligence Service engaged in an online smear campaign against the opposition candidate during the run-up to the presidential election last year.She also promised that her administration would take steps to ensure that there will be no such lawbreaking after the court comes up with a ruling on the case.Now the question is why she has waited until now. She could have avoide

Editorial Nov. 1, 2013

Tech companies have been pleading with Congress for years to crack down on abusive lawsuits by patent “trolls,” or firms that use obscure patents to extract exorbitant licensing fees. The companies may finally get some real relief, thanks to an unintentional assist from the trolls themselves.These lawsuit-happy patent holders have made reform a Main Street business priority by threatening to sue scores of retailers and small businesses for selling or using off-the-shelf products that allegedly i

Viewpoints Nov. 1, 2013

Korea introduced jury trials in 2008 to promote citizen participation in the judicial process. Under the system, lay citizens serve as jurors in criminal trials. They are given the power to decide on the facts, deliver a guilty or not-guilty verdict, and present opinions on what the punishment should be.In the Korean system, a defendant is given the choice over whether to request a jury trial. In 2008, 233 defendants chose to be tried through the new procedure. The figure rose to 437 in 2010 and

Editorial Oct. 31, 2013

It is encouraging that Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has come forward to support the propagation of Korea’s culture and arts, especially its unique writing system, “Hangeul.” Google has concluded an agreement with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to promote the Korean alphabet, which Schmidt praised as the world’s most intuitive writing system. Worth noting is Google’s plan to assist Korea in developing software to help foreigners learn the basic principles of the Korean alph

Editorial Oct. 31, 2013

If the Gravina Island Bridge in Alaska is the “bridge to nowhere” ― a symbol of wasteful government spending on an unneeded project ― the Pentagon equivalent is the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS).The Gravina Island Bridge was supposed to cost $398 million to connect the town of Ketchikan (population 8,250) with its airport on the Island of Gravina (population 50) ― even though ferry service already connected the two locations. But $398 million is a drop in the bucket compared to the

Viewpoints Oct. 31, 2013