2022/02/14 |
Civic Rights for Foreign Residents Sparks Backlash in Japan
Voting rights for foreigners wasn’t an issue in Japan’s general elections last year, yet conservative mass media latched onto a proposal by the city assembly of Musashino in suburban Tokyo, making it an issue of national security.
2022/01/26 |
Myanmar Tumbles Into the Abyss
The Myanmar army’s capacity to consolidate its rule appears more fragile than ever, with so many new armed groups now taking up to the fight to the military regime and its representatives.
2022/01/22 |
Vietnam’s Covid-19 Testing Scandal Goes Viral
Overpriced testing kits are an extremely sensitive issue that feeds into the long-standing problem of cronyism and backdoor politics in the medical equipment trade.
2022/01/17 |
South Korea’s Transgender Community Pushes for Recognition and Acceptance
The issue of transgender discrimination was once again brought into the spotlight earlier in 2021, following the suicide of a soldier who was forcibly discharged from the military after a gender reassignment surgery.
2022/01/05 |
Challenges Abound for Japan’s Kishida in 2022
Kishida’s new initiative called the “new form of capitalism” has been disappointing so far.
2021/12/21 |
Succession Vacuum Looms Over Singapore Politics
This is a remarkable lapse granted the importance that Singaporean political culture places on predictable and smooth transitions of leadership.
2021/12/16 |
All I Want for Christmas Is Supply Chain Resilience
The higher costs and lower reliability of international freight transport have been a problem since the start of the pandemic. Now, there are some signs that the worst is over.
2021/12/08 |
Coal Versus Money in Asia
China’s announcement that it will no longer support foreign coal-fired power plants will have little impact.
2021/11/29 |
Why There Are No Grand Alliances in Asia
A regional order that excludes one great power over the other may make sense geostrategically, but be unpalatable politically.
2021/11/24 |
The Ongoing Battle for Historical Memory in Okinawa
Reflecting on the Battle of Okinawa sheds light on the ongoing exclusion of Okinawan voices in Japan.
2021/11/19 |
The CPTPP Isn’t Just a Trade Deal for Taiwan, It’s a Survival Plan
The CPTPP is at the heart of mapping out Taiwan’s long-term survival, not just a means to remain competitive in global markets.
2021/11/16 |
Why APEC Still Matters — More Than Ever
The architecture of regional cooperation and engagement through APEC has been deliberately framed to complement and strengthen the rules-based global order, not to serve as a substitute for it.
2021/10/28 |
Japan’s Intensifying Refugee Debate
In Japan, the death of a Sri Lankan migrant highlighted the importance of thorough discussion on the provision of impartial treatment to detainees and asylum seekers.
2021/10/07 |
Hong Kong and the Future of Chinese-language Journalism
Young people are still joining journalism programs in Hong Kong despite the decline of press freedom. But will there be space for critical journalism when they are ready to publish?
2021/10/01 |
Myanmar’s Military Junta Has Long-Term Power Plans
The Myanmar military has extended its emergency rule until 2023. What does it plan to do in the next two years?
2021/09/27 |
Taiwan’s Covid-19 Vaccine Struggles
Two lessons emerge from Taiwan’s experience with Covid-19 — even the best measures get eroded over time by complacency and fatigue, and it is nearly impossible to be safe from the virus without adequate vaccine deployment.
2021/07/07 |
Taiwan’s China Dependency Is a Double-Edged Sword
As a major hub in global supply chains, Taiwan’s trade relationship with China depends on U.S. policy towards China and supply chain reform.
2021/05/18 |
Asia Pacific Travel Bubbles and the Covid-19 ‘Diseasescape’
New arrangements like travel bubbles have re-arranged the globe into spheres of mobility.