Showing 1 - 10 of 14
Time for Indo-Pacific unity is now
Oped, Akihisa Nagashima, Published on 26/12/2025
» We are living in an age of global disruption. Supply chains are being reconfigured to avoid dependence on any one producer or country. Trade ties are being upended by high and unpredictable tariffs (and the threat of more). Longstanding alliances are being strained by doubts about partners' reliability.
Ishiba's summit absence shows lack of Nato faith
Oped, Sayuri Romei and Alice Dell'Era, Published on 21/07/2025
» Since a Japanese prime minister first attended a Nato summit in 2022, Japan has sent its highest-level representative to the event for three consecutive years. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was a key catalyst for Tokyo's decision to attend that year, and the 2025 summit in The Hague would have marked the fourth consecutive appearance by a Japanese leader.
East Asia braces for Trump's second term
Oped, Takatoshi Ito, 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.
Myanmar's civil war after four years
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 31/01/2025
» Four years after its military coup and consequent civil war, Myanmar's spotlight in global headlines continues to dim as geostrategic reorientations and realignments among the major powers take centre stage. Dramatic and drastic foreign policy changes are afoot in the United States under the second administration of President Donald J Trump, while the European Union faces an existential threat from Russia's aggression in Ukraine, and Japan is mired in political sclerosis at home. Myanmar's fate and future will thus likely be determined by the course and outcome of its civil war, China's expanding influence in the country and Asean member states' manoeuvres to a lesser extent.
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.
Japan faces electoral stalemate as LDP bloc loses grip
Oped, Takatoshi Ito, 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.
Japan reawakens defence policies
Oped, John J. Metzler, Published on 25/01/2023
» There's a significant sea change affecting Japanese defence policy. Some would say it's the result of a political tsunami. Others would argue it's a long overdue wake-up call.
Private sector has key roles in climate action
Oped, Gita Sabharwal and Suphachai Chearavanont, Published on 18/02/2022
» The UN's Race to Zero campaign sets an ambitious target -- net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest, averting the most harmful impacts of climate change and building towards a more sustainable world. The global campaign rallies businesses, cities, regions and investors from across the world for a resilient carbon-zero recovery, but that goal is still far from being met and requires unprecedented economic and social transformation.
Guessing games
Oped, Postbag, Published on 06/01/2022
» Re: "Cambodia: Asean's spoiler or saviour?" (BP, Jan 4). Once again, Mr Kavi's forecast about Cambodia's role in Asean is like any horoscope.
Self-interest leads to climate push
Oped, Srikanya Yathip & Gita Sabharwal, Published on 04/01/2022
» In recent years, business risks linked to climate change have become increasingly clear, while the impact in other areas, such as biodiversity loss, are only now being recognised. Investment decisions can have a transformational effect on the economy and society, and following the COP26 climate conference in November, financial institutions will have a major role determining Thailand's development pathway going forward.