Showing 1 - 10 of 28
Oped, Published on 08/02/2025
» The first two weeks of US President Donald Trump's second term were marked by a flurry of directives and executive orders.
Oped, Published on 21/12/2024
» US president-elect Donald Trump appears committed to imposing high tariffs on imports to the United States -- or, at least, using the threat of tariffs to bend US trading partners to his will. Mr Trump now says he will enact a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico on his first day in office and raise tariffs on goods from China by 10%. And he has previously advocated 60–100% tariffs on imports from China and 10–20% tariffs on imports from all other countries.
Oped, Published on 20/12/2024
» When South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol abruptly declared martial law late on Dec 3, claiming that it was necessary to enable him to eliminate "anti-state" forces, street protests erupted almost immediately.
Oped, Published on 01/11/2024
» Japan's general election has dealt a major blow to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, whose ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner, Komei, lost their parliamentary majority for the first time since 2009, plunging the country into political uncertainty.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.