Can Shinzo Abe Find His Way? (Cover Story)
Yes, the economy is recovering, but Japan's new Prime Minister has been unable to allay fears that the country is in decline, threatened by everything from stagnant wages to an aging workforce to the rising power of China


How An Escape Artist Became Aceh's Governor (Asia)
After surviving war and the tsunami, Aceh's new governor faces the next challenge


The Road Less Traveled (TIME Traveler)
The ancient Incan ruins of Maccu Picchu are a marvel, but how you get there is what counts

Northern Highlight (On Show)
Arctic travelers are warming up to the Museum of the North in Fairbanks, Alaska

Peking Redux (Check In)
The Chinese capital's oldest hotel reopens as the elegantly restored Raffles Beijing

"Waiter, There's a Herb in my Beer" (Grapevine)
Singapore's Archipelago Brewery adds a new Asian twist to the Western microbrewery tradition

North Korea Takes the Bait
Lured by rich offers of economic aid, Kim Jong Il's regime agrees to shut a key nuclear reactor. But it would take a whole lot more to defang the North and defuse the nuclear crisis


North Korea: A Deal is Better Than Nothing (Asia)
The new agreement won't denuclearize North Korea, but it's a start


China's Unhealthy Taste for Toxins
From the unhygienic to the carcinogenic, an alarming number of contaminants is showing up in Chinese comestibles

A New Avian Flu Fight
Indonesia is keeping its H5N1 samples to itself until a better way to distribute vaccines is found

Letters