In this dog-eat-dog world, publisher Rokuro Haraguchi is trying to make a difference.

He'll give you a political point of view, but perhaps not quite what you would expect.

Haraguchi, 65, is editor of Neko Shimbun, or Cat Journal, a monthly eight-page newspaper he started in 1994 to offer insights different from those seen in other pet magazines.

You could say he offers a distinctly feline point of view.

The Cat Journal doesn't talk about kitty litter and cat toys. Far from it. Instead, it examines the human condition with thought-provoking statements like: ``The Iraq war has affected not just the country's human population-cats and other animals have died, too. I want our readers to keep that view in mind.''

Its many famous contributors attract devoted readers, both among cat lovers as well as those who can't abide the furry, four-legged creatures.

Haraguchi has tried to put out an issue monthly. But a year after he started, he was incapacitated by a stroke. It would be six years before he made his comeback. This month, his 60th issue was published.

The colorful front page opens to reveal noted drawings and literary works on the subject of cats. The 60th issue features a woodblock print-of a cat and the moon-by Tamio Utagawa called ``One Night's Knight,'' along with a poem by Misuzu Kaneko called ``Kinema Town.''

Yoji Yamada, director of 2004's international hit ``Tasogare Seibei'' (The Twilight Samurai), also contributed an essay.

``Cats are interesting. They appear to be cynical, always making a fool out of us,'' Haraguchi said. ``Their behavior evokes both satire and a feeling of melancholy. I aim to make a serious, adult newspaper that satisfies our readers.''

Although his left side remains paralyzed and he uses a wheelchair, Haraguchi produces the newspaper from his home in Tokyo's Ota Ward with the help of his wife, Michiyo, and another staff member.

The Cat Journal's motto, which appears on Page One under the nameplate, is fukoku kyoneko (rich country, strong cats), a catty pun on fukoku kyohei (rich country, strong military), the government's nationalist rallying cry in the Meiji Era (1868-1912).

Rather than incite nationalism, however, Haraguchi hopes to encourage a nation in which cats can sleep perfectly at ease and humans can prosper.

Current events give him pause, however. ``I feel that Japan today is returning to fukoku kyohei,'' Haraguchi said.

Celebrities such as actress Yaeko Mizutani, writer Wahei Tatematsu and comic storyteller Kikuzo Hayashiya are among big names who have contributed cat-related stories.

Haraguchi has always included a column called ``Animals in the News,'' featuring topics gleaned from other publications. Headlines have included ``Saitama offers subsidies to spay stray cats,'' and ``In Osaka, scientific dissection of raccoons is halted due to protests.''

Born in Kobe and fluent in English, Haraguchi spent his 30s and 40s running a trading company in Beirut, Lebanon.

Back in Japan in his 50s, he started The Cat Journal. He focused on opinions, politics, philosophy and art from a cat perspective because ``I wanted to do something that makes us feel good, but something that had never been done before.''

Annual subscriptions cost 5,280 yen. Call Nekoshinbunsya Co. at 03-5742-2828 (on weekdays).(IHT/Asahi: February 12,2005)