Showing 1 - 10 of 12
Making Japan productive again
Asia focus, Koichi Hamada, Published on 11/04/2022
» When I was teaching at the University of Tokyo in the 1970s, my daily commute lasted three and a half hours. But, one day, it threatened to last twice as long: with labour strikes having shut down public transport, my only option was a much longer route using private trains and subways.
How to get more women working
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 14/02/2022
» Shrinking populations are becoming a major demographic challenge for several countries. East Asia, in particular, has been seeing an alarming fall in fertility rates. The figure in Japan averaged just 1.31 from 2015 to 2020, but Taiwan (1.15) and South Korea (1.11) fared even worse.
Women's work
Asia focus, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 18/10/2021
» Amid wave after wave of Covid-19 in Japan, Mariko, a college lecturer and mother, has been working and raising her four-year-old daughter in an apartment shared by a family of four in Tokyo.
Can we stop the baby bust?
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 07/06/2021
» Raising three children might not have been so difficult in the old days when most people lived in extended families. Take my mother and my aunt for example. Mom raised her three kids -- me and two brothers -- at home while she made desserts for sale with the help of grandma, while my auntie did so with a helping hand from her mother-in-law.
Closing the gap
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 12/04/2021
» Events of the past 12 months have permanently changed both the nature of the workplace and women's opportunities within it. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to more flexible working practices, new leadership traits are coming to the fore, and the need for a diverse workforce and inclusive culture has never been more apparent.
Empowering women for a resilient recovery
Asia focus, Victoria Kwakwa, Published on 12/04/2021
» The recent celebration of International Women's Day came about a year into an unprecedented health and economic crisis that has destroyed lives and livelihoods globally. This has been a difficult period particularly for women as they have been hit much harder than men. Covid-19 is exposing and exacerbating gender inequalities in East Asia and the Pacific and across the world.
Japanese women speak up
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 21/09/2020
» I'm not a mother and certainly not a good cook, but I can certainly identify with all the women who reacted to the "potato salad tweet" that went viral in Japan recently.
Building South Korea's post-pandemic economy
Asia focus, Lee Jong-wha, Published on 15/06/2020
» South Korea seems to be winning the battle against Covid-19. It has been recording little more than a handful of new cases per day for weeks, and though the relaxation of social-distancing guidelines has led to some fresh outbreaks, the situation appears likely to remain under control. The bigger question is whether it can contain the economic fallout.
Out of work
Asia focus, Published on 30/03/2020
» The economic crisis triggered by continuing coronavirus pandemic could cause 24.7 million job losses worldwide, resulting in the total income losses of nearly US$3.45 billion, according to the International Labour Organization.
How to prevent economic Japanification
Asia focus, Lee Jong-wha, Published on 10/02/2020
» At the annual meeting of the American Economic Association last month, eminent economists warned that Western economies risked "Japanification": a future of sluggish growth, low inflation and perpetually low interest rates. Surprising as it may seem, this malaise also threatens East Asia.