Showing 1 - 10 of 48
ONE Championship: Fighter of the Year 2025 – Top 15 across all disciplines
Published on 31/12/2025
» ONE Championship’s 2025 calendar spanned Muay Thai, kickboxing, MMA and submission grappling – and while star power remains a constant, this year was defined less by reputation and more by delivery.
Is Takaichi Sanae the 'Iron Lady' of Japan?
Oped, Koichi Hamada, Published on 10/11/2025
» For the first time in its history, Japan's parliament has selected a woman, Takaichi Sanae of the Liberal Democratic Party, to be prime minister. In this sense, Ms Takaichi has already followed in the footsteps of her political idol, Margaret Thatcher -- the UK's first female PM. But whether she is remembered as Japan's own "Iron Lady" will depend on her ability to manage three key challenges: inflation, low female labour-force participation and a fraught geopolitical environment.
Lifetime strategy transforms heart valve disease management
Published on 11/09/2025
» Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent an increasingly significant health concern, especially among individuals under the age of 60. Although CVDs have traditionally been prevalent in older populations due to age-related degeneration, modern lifestyle factors are contributing to earlier onset. Notable risk factors include high-fat diets, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption, all of which promote the development of obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, and hypertension at younger ages. Additionally, congenital abnormalities and post-infectious complications play roles in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disorders. According to the World Heart Federation, cardiovascular diseases, including heart valve disease, constitute the leading cause of global mortality, accounting for more than 20.5 million deaths annually.
Harrowing docu-drama gives ‘voice’ to Gaza victims
AFP, Published on 03/09/2025
» VENICE - A gut-wrenching film premiering at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday about a five-year-old girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza last year gives a “voice” to Palestinian victims of the war, its director says.
How to try and negotiate with Donald Trump
Oped, Koichi Hamada, Published on 16/07/2025
» Since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, it has been virtually impossible to keep up with all the extreme measures, incendiary rhetoric, personnel changes, policy reversals, and breaches of rules and norms, from intelligence leaks to defiance of court orders. That is by design: like European fascists in the twentieth century, Mr Trump knows that it is far easier to manipulate and suppress an overwhelmed, divided, and disoriented public than an informed, engaged, and assured one.
How nations can counter Trump's trade trickery
Oped, Koichi Hamada, Published on 10/05/2025
» Much has been written about US President Donald Trump's disastrous "reciprocal" tariffs, which, despite having remained in effect for less than 24 hours, roiled the stock market, drove up Treasury yields, and caused the dollar to depreciate. In fact, the tariffs that have so badly undermined markets' faith in the US were never reciprocal at all: they were entirely unilateral actions betraying a fundamental misunderstanding of economics.
Economy reeling
Oped, Postbag, Published on 26/03/2025
» Re: "Doom or data", (PostBag, March 21) & "The economy is waiting to hit an iceberg", (Opinion, March 20).
Trump's tariffs will end in tears all round
News, Koichi Hamada, Published on 24/03/2025
» If US President Donald Trump is skilled at anything, it is demagoguery. By stoking voters' fears and prejudices, he manages to win support for, or distract from, extreme policies that benefit himself, his family, and his (mostly ultra-rich) cronies, and cause serious harm to virtually everyone else. The key to his success is knowing which buttons to push.
Lan Kwai Fong joins Phuket deal
Business, Molpasorn Shoowong, Published on 12/03/2025
» Robust long-stay demand in Phuket has attracted Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong Group to invest in a project worth 4.5 billion baht via joint ventures with a local developer, while a legal consultant suggested Thailand amend the hotel laws to permit the renting out of condo units on a daily basis.
Monetary policy really needs to tighten in Japan
Oped, Koichi Hamada, Published on 12/11/2024
» Last month, returning to Japan for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, I was struck by how significantly prices had increased. In February 2020, a simple lunch in downtown Tokyo cost about JP¥1,000, then the equivalent of about $10 (324 baht); today, it costs more like JP¥2,000. To some extent, this mirrors the experience in the US, where, even as inflation moderates, prices remain well above their pre-pandemic levels. The difference is that Japan has also experienced a sharp currency depreciation, which benefits foreign visitors: that JP¥2,000 bill translated to just $13.