Showing 1 - 10 of 26
PM's resignation opens the door to a chaotic era
News, Gearoid Reidy, Published on 16/08/2024
» In the end, Fumio Kishida could not escape the pull of gravity.
In defence of Tokyo 2020, the loneliest Olympics
News, Gearoid Reidy, Published on 24/07/2024
» The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were a "suicide mission", warned one of Japan's richest men. "Cursed", said a former prime minister. Even contemplating hosting them in the midst of Covid would be "simply beyond reason", said one sponsor.
Japan's post-Abe trust crisis under PM Kishida
Oped, Akira Kawamoto, Published on 20/10/2022
» No one could have foreseen that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's popularity would nosedive so soon after the Liberal Democratic Party triumphed in July's election to the Upper House of the Japanese Diet. Until recently, Mr Kishida's government received consistently high approval ratings. But the LDP's links to a controversial religious group, along with the costly state funeral of former prime minister Abe Shinzo, have shaken Mr Kishida's political base, endangering the country's fragile economic recovery.
Sado mines plan upsets Asia unity
News, Thanapat Pekanan, Published on 28/03/2022
» Japan's proposal that its Sado mines be added to the 2023 Unesco World Heritage List is more than just a cultural-driven effort. It is a showcase of the inward-looking politics of Japan's conservative establishment to use particular events from the past to fit a desired narrative for the present, to purify the record of Japan's imperialism.
Beware of Japan's 'new capitalism'
Oped, Takatoshi Ito, Published on 24/11/2021
» Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida survived the election on Oct 31, which came just weeks after his arrival in office as the new leader of the nation. Losing only 15 seats, the Liberal Democratic Party performed better than expected and will maintain a comfortable majority in the House of Representatives.
The four-horse race to be Yoshihide Suga's successor
Oped, Takatoshi Ito, Published on 25/09/2021
» Last month, I wrote, "Unless [Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide] Suga acts quickly, more lives will be lost, and his own political position may become yet another victim of the virus." This has now come to pass.
An Olympic-sized Covid-19 risk
Oped, Takatoshi Ito, Published on 18/06/2021
» In 2020, Asia -- especially East Asia -- was often touted as a model of effective pandemic response. While Western countries endured harsh lockdowns and soaring infection and death rates, Asian countries largely kept the coronavirus under control. But the tables have turned, with East Asia now lagging far behind the United States and Europe on vaccinations. This does not bode well for this summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Are the Olympics worth it?
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 24/05/2021
» In an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Japan from today is barring the entry of foreign nationals who have recently travelled to Thailand and six other countries: Cambodia, Sri Lanka, the Seychelles, Saint Lucia, East Timor and Mongolia. That brings to 159 the number of countries and regions under such restrictions by Tokyo.
US creates 3 new entrapments in Asia
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/04/2021
» With 90 days of the Biden Administration, three new entrapments have been on display by its foreign and security team dealing with China, Asean and the Mekong subregion. Future policies and the implementation of these three areas will have far reaching implications for the region. Notwithstanding the threats posed by Covid-19, they can further endanger and split the region into strategic jigsaw pieces that have the potential to dislocate the superpowers' endgames.
Nuclear tainted water a no-go
News, Editorial, Published on 18/04/2021
» Early last month, Japan honoured the victims of a triple disaster in which over 20,000 people lost their lives. The catastrophic chain of events began with a 9.0-magnitude earthquake -- the Great East Japan Earthquake as it came to be known -- which caused a tsunami with 38-metre high waves which crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.