Showing 1 - 10 of 79
Japan's crucial moments after Abe murder
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 18/07/2022
» It was a bullet that some people said would change Japan forever, and it certainly had people outside taking a closer look at the world's third largest economy. For me, hearing the news that Shinzo Abe had been shot on July 8 was a shock similar to the events of Sept 11, 2001, which most people agree changed the world.
New Asean-US era
Asia focus, Apiradee Treerutkuarkul, Published on 13/06/2022
» The special summit held last month in Washington between US President Joe Biden and nine Southeast Asian leaders clearly emphasised his administration's attempts to engage the region it sees as central to countering China's rising influence in Asia and beyond.
Biden needs to do better in Asia
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 30/05/2022
» When Joe Biden arrived in Asia last week for the first visit to the region of his presidency, he aimed to pick up where his predecessor left off. Landing in South Korea on May 20 as events in North Korea and the Ukraine crisis loomed large, Mr Biden then travelled to Tokyo for a meeting of an alliance of the US, Australia, Japan and India that aims to counter China's growing influence.
The Quad at a crossroads
Asia focus, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 23/05/2022
» When the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue was first conceived as a strategic coalition of the four leading democracies in the Indo-Pacific, many doubted it would amount to much. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi mocked it as a "headline-grabbing idea" that would dissipate "like the sea foam in the Pacific or Indian Ocean".
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.
Gold-medal viewing
Asia focus, Pattama Kuentak, Published on 04/04/2022
» The Covid-19 pandemic left Olympic sporting venues almost empty of fans, but the experience of watching the Games has become richer and more enjoyable than ever thanks to cloud-enabled broadcasting technology.
Transforming Japan
Asia focus, Apiradee Treerutkuarkul and Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 14/03/2022
» Japan has started to pursue a "new form of capitalism" as the flagship agenda of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida amid the challenges posed by the lingering pandemic and new shocks delivered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
'Out with man haters', cry Korean anti-feminists
Asia focus, Choe Sang-Hun of the New York Times, Published on 17/01/2022
» SEOUL: They have shown up whenever women rallied against sexual violence and gender bias in South Korea. Dozens of young men, mostly dressed in black, taunted the protesters, squealing and chanting, "Thud! Thud!" to imitate the noise they said the "ugly feminist pigs" made when they walked.
Trading up
Asia focus, Asia Focus, Published on 10/01/2022
» Ravaged by the fallout from Covid-19, countries in Asia and the Pacific are hoping to revitalise their pandemic-hit economies as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) takes effect to create the world's largest trade bloc.
Year of Turbulence
Asia focus, Asia Focus Team, Published on 27/12/2021
» Pandemic drags on recovery: In the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, many Asian countries had enviable success, avoiding large-scale outbreaks and mass deaths. But the arrival of the more transmissible Delta variant this year and sluggish vaccine rollouts compounded by low availability sent cases surging. Combined with poor monitoring and easy movement among countries, often unofficially, Southeast Asia became a virus hotspot. The ballooning health crisis collided with churning political discontent in the case of Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. Economically, the new wave of infections, and attendant restrictions imposed to curb the spread, stalled recoveries. After nearly two years of strict border controls, many countries started to loosen up and live with Covid. But the rise of the Omicron variant now threatens to scuttle those tentative reopening plans and usher in a third year of economic anxiety.