• OPINION

  Japan ranks 'number four' as fortunes wane

  Oped, Published on 07/03/2024

  » Harvard Professor Ezra Vogel's 1979 book, Japan as Number One: Lessons for America, became an instant bestseller in Japan. The flattering title certainly helped sales, but it was the book's central argument -- that the Japanese approach to governance and business were superior to others -- that really made a splash.

• OPINION

  China and its self-inflicted economic woes

  Oped, Published on 02/12/2023

  » At their recent summit in San Francisco, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping made progress in a few key areas. Notably, they agreed to resume direct military-to-military communications in order to reduce the chances of accidental conflict. But neither leader was negotiating from a particularly strong position: as Mr Biden struggles with low approval ratings, Mr Xi is overseeing a rapidly weakening economy.

• OPINION

  Reshaping Japan research funding

  Oped, Published on 08/11/2023

  » Rightly concerned about a decline in Japanese universities' research capabilities, the Japanese government has created a ¥10 trillion (2.4 trillion baht) fund to address the problem. While cash accounts for around 11% of the new University Fund of Japan (UFJ), the remaining 89% takes the form of a 20-year "loan" from the government, which borrowed the money from the market at a very low interest rate.

• OPINION

  India's G20 presidency cast doubt on bloc

  News, Published on 25/09/2023

  » Following the latest G20 summit, held in New Delhi earlier this month, there is no longer any doubt about India's central position in global power politics. But questions about the G20 itself are gaining traction.

• OPINION

  No consensus on cash boost for Japan's military

  Oped, Published on 04/07/2023

  » Following Japan's defeat in World War II, the United States took pains to ensure that Japanese militarism could never again pose a threat to the Asia-Pacific or the world. As in Germany, these efforts were profoundly successful. For almost eight decades, Japan has eschewed foreign adventures and violent conflict. Pacifism was not only enshrined in its constitution; it also became deeply rooted in its political culture. By relying on America and its network of alliances and global partnerships, Japan could focus on itself, building economic strength rather than military, emerging as one of the world's largest and most advanced economies.

• OPINION

  What did the Hiroshima G7 summit accomplish?

  News, Published on 25/05/2023

  » Geopolitics dominated the just-concluded G7 summit in Hiroshima, where the most prominent participant was not a G7 leader, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

• OPINION

  The United Nations mustn't be powerless

  Oped, Published on 04/03/2023

  » The first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been a good opportunity to reflect on the war's global implications. In addition to untold human misery, Russia's aggression triggered a historic food and energy crisis and caused global inflation to spike, endangering the world's fragile economic recovery from Covid-19. But the war also highlighted the shaky foundations of the international security order that emerged after the end of World War II, sending shockwaves around the world and encouraging countries like Germany and Japan to rearm.

• OPINION

  Japan is facing a fiscal dilemma

  News, Published on 06/02/2023

  » Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently unveiled an ambitious plan to double the country's defence budget to ¥43 trillion, roughly 2% of Japan's GDP, over the next five years. Notably, the country's massive rearmament programme, its biggest since the end of World War II, has not triggered a political or public backlash. With Japan facing multiple security threats, including North Korean missile tests, Chinese coast-guard ships encroaching on its territorial waters and Russia's militarisation of the disputed Kuril Islands (known in Japan as the Northern Territories), polls show public support for the proposed increase.

• OPINION

  Is Japan now facing its own Liz Truss moment?

  Oped, Published on 25/11/2022

  » Former British PM Liz Truss's disastrous mini-budget, which crashed the pound and ended her tenure after just 44 days, has quickly become a cautionary tale for policymakers around the world as they debate how to spur economic growth and address rising inflation. But some national leaders, such as Japan's, have not heeded the warning.

• OPINION

  Down goes the yen, as Japan draws inflation

  Oped, Published on 05/11/2022

  » On Sept 22, Japan's government purchased yen on the foreign-exchange market for the first time since 1998. The finance ministry was attempting to stem the yen's rapid slide, and for a while, the US$20 billion intervention seemed to be working: the yen's value rose from nearly ¥146 (755 baht) per US dollar to slightly less than ¥141. But not long after the intervention ended, the yen began to backslide. The dollar-yen rate remained below ¥146, the intervention point, for almost three weeks, before falling to ¥150 on Oct 20.

1 2 3 Next Last