COVER

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

ESSAY

GLOBAL ADVISER

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

ASIA

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

VIEWPOINT

BRIEFING

A New Avian Flu Fight (Notebook)

Indonesia is keeping its H5N1 samples to itself until a better way to distribute vaccines is found