APAC Insider – The Diplomat

Goodbye (and Hello)

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:00:00 +0900

Well, as educational and informative as it has been for me (and I hope at least some of our readers) to try and cover the whole of the Asia-Pacific area in one blog, it’s time for me to move on to something a little different, so this will be my last

Kim Ready to Talk?

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:45:00 +0900

There’s been a flurry of reports the past couple of weeks suggesting that North Korea is finally ready to return to the Six-party talks on its denuclearisation. According to the Korea Herald this ‘willingness’ to reconsider is based largely on the co

Deadly Year for Journalists

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:15:00 +0900

The Committee to Protect Journalists has just released its report for 2009, and noted last year was the deadliest so far for members of the media, with 71 deaths in cases where the motive has been confirmed.This was largely due to the single attack i

Keeping India Together

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:45:00 +0900

As I’ve mentioned before, managing a country the size of India from the centre is no easy task. But one of the main ongoing challenges to central government authority took a particularly troubling turn with an incident Monday.Indian authorities have

Decisive Victory?

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:00:00 +0900

The major US-led offensive in Afghanistan against militants in Helmand Province is, according to reports, going well–military at least. This probably shouldn’t come as a surprise–militants were never going to offer much resistance in a stand-up fig

The Limits of Soft Power

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:45:00 +0900

The newly-launched offensive in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province has raised some interesting issues about the importance of soft power, something that the coalition forces still need to master in the fight against the Taliban.The BBC has an interesting

Bad Winner?

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0900

How do you reassure supporters of your beaten electoral opponent, especially if many of them hail from a minority that you have vowed to help reintegrate into society, that their voice will get a sympathetic hearing? Presumably not by having the army

China's Free (and Easy) Speech

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:45:00 +0900

An interesting piece in The Times newspaper yesterday about the apparent deterioration in US-China relations.’Now almost 55% of those questioned for Global Times, a state-run newspaper, agree that “a cold war will break out between the US and China”.

Vietnam Digs Heels In

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:30:00 +0900

As the New York Times reports:’Tensions crept up another notch last month, after China announced plans to develop tourism in the Paracels [Islands], which the Chinese military has controlled since 1974. It was an inauspicious start to what the two go

A Tale of Two (Potential) Coups

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:45:00 +0900

It seems irresistible for some defeated candidates to cry foul when an election doesn’t go their way, and Sri Lanka’s main opposition candidate is no exception.As Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe, who wrote an election preview piece for The Diplomat last we

Money Talks

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:35:00 +0900

In the meantime, though, the presidential race is shaping up to be a battle between big money and big name recognition, with the country’s wealthiest politician running just behind the son of its beloved late former leader Corazon Aquino, who helped

Middle Kingdom? Or Hermit?

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:45:00 +0900

Reuters reports that South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has ruled out giving any handouts to entice North Korea to a summit in the middle of this year, for what would be only the third such meeting between the two technically at war nations.He’s ab

China, China, China

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:45:00 +0900

The BBC’s three top Asia-Pacific stories this morning were all about the country, and all addressed themes that will undoubtedly be recurring for the foreseeable future – media restrictions, defence and human rights.A report by the International Fede

Moderate Taliban. Really?

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:15:00 +0900

The most interesting discussions prompted by the summit on Afghanistan’s future held in London yesterday were centred around suggestions of negotiating with the Taliban. Although both sides are understandably wary about discussing details, a UN offic

Rocket Envy

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:30:00 +0900

We have an interesting piece coming up tomorrow by ‘War is Boring’ blogger and defence analyst David Axe who looks at China’s recent missile exo-atmospheric test and what it could mean for the region (China is only the second country to succeed in su

Time to Dance?

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:30:00 +0900

Having talked a couple of days ago about military restraint between prickly neighbours (in that case Cambodia and Thailand), and a day after we flagged the west coast of the Korean Peninsula as a possible flashpoint, North and South Korea have exchan

DPJ's Futenma Blues

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:00:00 +0900

Japan’s ruling Democratic Party of Japan saw a potential door close on one possible way out of the problems it’s having over the relocation of a US Marine base in Okinawa.The DPJ is having a real headache deciding whether to follow through with a 200

Clash

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:35:00 +0900

as has our Southeast Asia correspondent Luke Hunt. The potential dangers were made clear in a clash between the two countries’ militaries early Sunday near the disputed site of Preah Vihar Temple.Thai Prime Minister Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva p

Victory at all Costs?

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:30:00 +0900

The Diplomat contributor Sergei DeSilva is finishing up a piece for us on the aftermath of the Sri Lankan government’s victory over the Tamil Tigers ahead of the election taking place next week.But in the meantime, it seems, the government is still s

Kabul Aftermath

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:15:00 +0900

Following the militant attacks on Kabul earlier this week, I asked Animesh Roul, Executive Director (Research) of the Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict in New Delhi and a regular contributor to Counterterrorism Blog what kind of impact the

What's a Superpower?

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:00:00 +0900

One of the debates that’s been going on among readers of Minxin Pei’s piece ‘China’s not a Superpower’ over on our APAC 2020 feature has been how exactly to define a superpower. Is it just about military or economic strength, for example, or do you n

Wishful Thinking

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:25:00 +0900

The audacious attacks claimed by the Taliban yesterday in Kabul, targeting shopping centres, government buildings and a hotel, claimed several lives, with several dozen more people injured. But the psychological impact is likely to be far more powerf

Out of Sight.

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:30:00 +0900

I talked at the time about the massacre that claimed dozens of lives in the southern Philippines in November. One of the inevitable consequences of the 24-hour news cycle is that once the horrific pictures have been screened and the death toll finali

Saint Google?

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:45:00 +0900

China’s Internet is open. Except when it isn’t. China’s foreign ministry made the first claim Thursday following Google’s suggestion this week that it might pull out of China. But as I’ve said previously, the conflicting reality to these statem

Jakarta: Not Here Thanks!

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:35:00 +0900

In a footnote to my entry Tuesday I mentioned that China had overtaken Germany to become the world’s largest exporter. The news comes on the back of the implementation of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area agreement, which went into effect January 1.But

BJP Blues

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:45:00 +0900

I wrote a couple of months back about how it was going to be interesting watching India’s Bharatiya Janata Party try and bounce back from its electoral thumping at the hands of the Congress Party last May. Well, since then, the BJP has selected a new

JAL's Hard Landing

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:30:00 +0900

It’s always big news when a national airline goes bankrupt, and especially so in an economy the size of Japan’s. But one of the interesting things in the case of Japan Airlines is what it might be saying about a shift in the government’s strategy.As

Dragon's Smile Slips

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:45:00 +0900

Two interesting, related articles I came across today–one an analysis one a news item. The first was a piece’ >a piece in the Economist’s Banyan column, looking at how China’s smiling diplomacy is starting to look a little strained. It essentially m

The A Word

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:15:00 +0900

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak may profess to have a vision of ‘One Malaysia,’ but it’s looking like an increasingly strange interpretation of harmony and unity. Supposedly (depending on who you listen to) secular Malaysia has a majority Muslim

Border Tensions

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:15:00 +0900

I mentioned late last month the importance of China-Pakistan ties and their implications for India. So it’s worth also mentioning growing defence ties between India and Russia. Asian Defence has an interesting post on an Indian delegation to Siberia

New Year's Resolutions

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:45:00 +0900

First of all, a Happy New Year to all of our readers. We have some exciting plans for The Diplomat this year, including changes to the site to better accommodate our growing network of correspondents and contributors, as well two blogs on APAC’s two

Getting Closer

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:45:00 +0900

One of the most interesting relationships in the Asia-Pacific is that between China and Pakistan. Ties between the two tend to get overlooked, with much of the focus of Pakistan-related commentary falling on its ties with the United States. But a rep

Economics First

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 18:00:00 +0900

Trying to think of something Christmas appropriate that didn’t have a painfully tenuous link to Asia-Pacific news was a little difficult, but I think I’ve managed.Actually the story underscores a more general point that numerous commentators and anal

Copenhagen, Round 2

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:15:00 +0900

It’s always struck me that the danger for governments with too compliant a media is that when they try to bring their message to the international stage, they’re unprepared for the critical thinking they’re likely to be exposed to by the internationa

The Long Haul

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:15:00 +0900

Having yesterday lambasted poor media coverage of Asia overseas, I’m also happy to say there’s still some very good, thoughtful and informative stuff out there as well.A few pieces caught my eye on Afghanistan today. One is the second part of a serie

Media Double Standards

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:25:00 +0900

the photo that accompanies it and you see a collapsed apartment block.It’s a striking picture. Unfortunately it was taken 10 years ago, when Taipei was hit by a devastating earthquake that claimed more than 2400 lives. I appreciate editors are under

Poor Japan

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:45:00 +0900

(Disclaimer: This information was to the best of my knowledge accurate last time I looked on the respective websites, but may have changed now)Poor Japan–even on issues where it can validly claim to be a global leader its efforts get overlooked.In S

The Nationalism Card

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:45:00 +0900

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit VejjajivaA temptation for governments, and Asia is no exception, is to start bashing (rhetorically) a neighbour to drum up domestic support, or at least to distract from problems at home. The trouble is, the passions that

Long Way to Go.

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:45:00 +0900

As our contributor in Copenhagen, Stephen Minas, suggests in his latest dispatch from the climate change conference, there’s still an awful lot to do if any kind of deal is to be reached.Meanwhile, though, Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europ

Slap in the Face

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:30:00 +0900

Reports about the discovery of more than 30 tonnes of weapons (including rockets, explosives and missile components) on a plane inspected in Thailand, believed to have just come from North Korea, underscore the point I made recently about Pyongyang’s

We the People

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:05:00 +0900

Having mentioned last week the challenges facing a country the size of India in ensuring its integrity, it’s worth mentioning the challenges facing that other regional giant, China.As reported in the China Daily newspaper today, Chinese President Hu

Ma in Trouble?

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:20:00 +0900

Taiwan is an interesting island — despite its small size, it has the tenth-largest economy in Asia (26th in the world) and plays an outsized role in regional strategic reckoning because of its uncertain status. So polls here, even local ones, can be

India's Next State

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:20:00 +0900

An interesting piece of news out today about India’s plans to carve out a new state from Andhra Pradesh and create a new one called Telangana. The move for the underdeveloped region follows 50 years of sometimes violent demands for a separate state.G

Doubters Vindicated?

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:00:00 +0900

The climate summit in Copenhagen already looks like it’s running into trouble with some leaked emails in the first couple of days outraging African nations (who worry a discussed goal of limiting warming to two degrees isn’t enough) and Saudi Arabia,

Will he or won't he?

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:40:00 +0900

Image by Rich Lees(Contact: rich@richleedraws.com)The US has often stated that it wants Japan to be a more independent ally, though as is often the case with US policymakers the hope is that independent positions will always just happen to coincide w

Grand Ambitions

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:30:00 +0900

Australia Prime Minister Kevin Rudd hosted an interesting meeting over the weekend aimed at fleshing out his vision of a more integrated Asia community. Speaking at the gathering of regional media, think tank and government officials, Rudd said count

Where's bin Laden?

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:30:00 +0900

The dearth of information on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden was underscored in the starkest terms in an interview aired over the weekend by George Stephanopoulos with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates. Asked when the last time was the Unite

Friend or Foe?

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:30:00 +0900

A survey out yesterday conducted by the Pew Research Center on public and Council on Foreign Relations members’ opinions makes for interesting reading. Perhaps not unsurprisingly, the US public is turning inward and is increasingly of the mind that i

Climate Countdown

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:20:00 +0900

With the Copenhagen
climate summit ready to kick-off this week, the World Bank has released an
interesting report stating that developing economies including The Philippines
will bear about 80 percent of the potential cost of climate

Obama Doubles Down

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:10:00 +0900

The big news today is obviously the Obama administration’s
decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. The news has been
greeted soberly, as Taegen Goddard notes
on his Political Wire blog:

‘Unlike most of President Obama’s

Us Too!

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:23:00 +0900

Well, seems like Australia’s Liberal Party is determined to follow in Britain’s Conservative Party’s footsteps down the path of self-disruption, if not self-destruction. Following opposition to a deal made with the government over an emissions tradin

Spoke too soon...

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:01:00 +0900

Well, looks like I may have jumped the gun in citing Australia as an example of why there might be some hope for the Copenhagen climate summit next month after the government there reached a deal Friday with the opposition over an emissions trading s

Asian Dynasties

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:21:00 +0900

The Philippine Daily Inquirer ran a powerful op-ed today on the dangers posed by dynastic politics. It argues:A political dynasty requires no membership initiation, no formation programmes; membership is, quite literally, a matter of DNA.’In a politi

Showmanship & Substance

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:18:00 +0900

As I mentioned earlier this week, I wanted to get an Indian perspective on the Obama-Singh talks in Washington. Our India contributor Madhav Nalapat gave me his take on the visit:In a party still filled with Cold Warriors nostalgic for the US-bashing

Philippines Toll Rises

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:10:00 +0900

Driving home my point about the dangers of small arms, it seems the death toll in this week’s massacre in the southern Philippines has risen to 57.Murder charges have been filed against Datu Unsayalso Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., who handed himself in f

Mumbai Remembered

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:38:00 +0900

Today marks the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Mumbai, in which 166 people were killed and hundreds more injured.Interestingly, much of the commentary is focusing on a sense that the Indian government has failed to make adequate progre

Who's Hot in DC

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:45:00 +0900

Perhaps I’ve just got food on the brain with Associate Editor Ulara Nakagawa blogging today about the implications of South Korea’s wayward coverage of Obama’s eating habits on his recent trip to Korea. But Steve Clemons has an interesting angle over

Every Cloud...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:55:00 +0900

Seems like there’s a bright spot in the clouds that had been forming over next month’s Copenhagen climate summit, with the Australian government apparently having struck a deal with the opposition over a revised carbon trading scheme aimed at reducin

Singh in DC

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:12:00 +0900

Image contact: jason.pruett@gmail.comIndian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may be the beneficiary of all the fanfare that comes with Barack Obama’s first state dinner in Washington today, but the spectacle marks the first time in a while India has bee

Tantrum Time Again?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:10:00 +0900

Looks like the next round of ‘Make a pledge, break a pledge’ is set to start with North Korea, with news that Barack Obama is sending his special envoy to Pyongyang in an effort to get the country back to the table for six-way talks.One of the most i

Trip to Forget?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:44:00 +0900

US President Barack Obama is in South Korea today as part of his nine-day swing through Asia. But most of the commentary is understandably still focused on his visit to China earlier this week. And the emerging consensus seems to be it wasn’t a parti

Bangkok Showdown

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:27:00 +0900

An interesting bit of news coming in today from Thailand about a ‘showdown’ planned for Bangkok, organised by the country’s so-called Red Shirts, who support ousted former Premier Thaksin ShinawatraAccording to Thailand’s ‘The Nation’ newspaper:’The

Obama-No I Can't (Twitter)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:30:00 +0900

Well, I’m glad to know I’m in good company in not Twittering–US President Barack Obama told a town hall style meeting of students in Shanghai yesterday that he doesn’t either (though I’d like to quickly point out that The Diplomat, or more precisely

APEC's Mixed Results

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:37:00 +0900

This weekend saw the annual APEC leaders meeting, and, as expected, trade and climate issues were high on the agenda. Leaders looked to be moving to limit the political damage of any failure to agree a binding climate deal in Copenhagen next month, w

PR - - China style

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:29:00 +0900

When I talked before about China polishing up its message to the international community, I really didn’t have this in mind:’Invoking Obama’s African heritage and Civil War president Abraham Lincoln, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said T

Peshawar in Crosshairs

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:34:00 +0900

I got some on-the-ground insights yesterday from one of our contributors in Afghanistan and today I heard from our Pakistan correspondent, Mustafa Qadri, about the mood in Pakistan since the military there launched its offensive in Waziristan. Since

What next?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:24:00 +0900

A surprising–and unusual–intervention by the US ambassador to Afghanistan was leaked today, with him apparently warning against sending more US troops to the country over fears of corruption in the Afghan government. The revelation has come as US P

Thaksin's New Family

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:20:00 +0900

A somewhat bizarre (I don’t think that’s too strong a word here) and certainly provocative photo released by the Cambodian government today. Apparently it’s all happy families on the Cambodian side of the border. Thailand, meanwhile, issued an extrad

Welcome to Asia!

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:17:00 +0900

I think it’s also worth mentioning US President Barack Obama’s nine-day Asian trip, which starts tomorrow. Frankly, I think US officials need to be careful about overplaying the ‘Obama lived in Asia so he understands it’ card. Yes, he did–for about

Clash

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:22:00 +0900

The maritime security post proved very timely with news out this afternoon that a South Korean warship has exchanged fire with a North Korean naval vessel. Phil Deans, professor of international affairs at Tokyo’s Temple University and an expert on N

Asia Goes Blue

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:22:00 +0900

One of the most interesting security issues in Asia over the next decade is going to be maritime security. As our defence correspondent Toshi Yoshihara has written, US analysts seriously underestimated the development of China’s Navy over the past de

Thaksin on Economics?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:41:00 +0900

Received an email today from the contributor I mentioned last week who is in Cambodia putting together a piece on recent (and he suggests growing) Thai-Cambodian tensions. Or at least that’s where the story is heading now, with Cambodian Prime Minist

Shadow over Sino-India Ties

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:30:00 +0900

Looks like Indian officials are still trying to tamp down some of the more fiery media speculation over the ongoing border dispute with China. As I mentioned last week, the Dalai Lama’s visit to the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh is expected to st

Testy Thai Ties

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:20:00 +0900

An interesting spat developing between Thailand and Cambodia took another twist today with Thailand announcing it was recalling its ambassador from neighbouring Cambodia.The recall follows the announcement this week that former Thai Prime Minister Th

Japan, Meet the Net

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:58:00 +0900

Our Japan correspondent, Takehiko Kambayashi, tells me the country’s electoral rules are finally being dragged into the 21st (or at least 20th) century. Despite its tech-savvy image, a long-standing law has until now been interpreted to mean tha

Fighting Space Talk

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:32:00 +0900

China’s somewhat schizophrenic diplomatic PR efforts took an interesting turn yesterday when a top military commander indicated for the first time publicly that the country planned to put weapons in space.The comments came as China prepares for a maj

More Afghan gloom

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:50:00 +0900

US President Barack Obama’s Afghanistan strategy was further complicated over the weekend by the decision of Abdullah Abdullah–Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s challenger in the presidential run-off election–to withdraw from the contest.The decision

Eyes on Ball, Not Navels

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:45:00 +0900

The news today that Malaysian authorities have seized more than 15,000 bibles in recent months again highlights some of the simmering religious tensions in the country, with many from minority faiths arguing the government is pandering to the Muslim

The Monk in the Room

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:30:00 +0900

Recent chilly relations between China-India are set to be taken a degree or two cooler, our India correspondent Madhav Nalapat tells me.The problem is an impending visit by the Dalai Lama, who is set to spend much of November in India’s Arunachal Pra

Civil War in Pakistan?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:35:00 +0900

Understandable gloom all round today after a major bomb blast at a market in Peshawar in Pakistan yesterday. The blast, which came as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was visiting Islamabad, claimed more than 100 lives, and has sparked renewed w

DPRK? We haven't a clue.

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:25:00 +0900

According to reports yesterday, a Korean farmer has just defected north of the border. Yes, that’s right-north. The BBC says the report by North Korea’s state news agency has yet to be confirmed by South Korean authorities, who are now looking into i

Japan's Revolutionary PM

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:45:00 +0900

Yukio Hatoyama delivered his first policy speech to the Diet as Japanese prime minister yesterday, marking the official start of parliamentary business for the recently elected Democratic Party of Japan. The speech was big on rhetoric and

Rights to bite?

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:50:00 +0900

East Asian leaders met in Thailand over the weekend to discuss regional issues including free trade, human rights and further integration. These kinds of meetings are often (and, it has to be said, sometimes fairly) dismissed as talking shops. But th

From our Correspondent

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:50:00 +0900

I managed to catch up by e-mail last night with our Pakistan correspondent, Mustafa Qadri, who’s been trying to find a way into the Waziristan region to cover the big military offensive by Pakistani forces that started last weekend. He says he hasn’t

Kerry Back in the Headlines

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:06:00 +0900

Some interesting post election news today. First up is Afghanistan, where President Hamid Karzai has agreed to a run-off following the controversial August election. This seems like the only credible thing to do with a UN-backed commission having sai

India Plays Catch-up on Middle East

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:20:00 +0900

An interesting piece in The Hindu newspaper this week about the perils of tying your policy toward a country (in this case India toward Iran) too closely to a close ally (the United States). The writer argues that India should have seen wh

Careless vs Inflammatory

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0900

One of India’s leading commentators on its regional relations has an interesting piece out on Rediff.com, looking at recent tensions between India and China over the disputed border area that I mentioned last month. I felt, and still do, t

Palin Wades Into Afghanistan Debate

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:06:00 +0900

As Barack Obama kicks off a reconsideration of US policy in Afghanistan, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has waded into the debate on troop numbers. On Facebook. Unsurprisingly, she called on the US to stay the course and, again perhap

Deadlock in Bangkok

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:15:00 +0900

The climate change talks going on in Bangkok close tomorrow. But so far there’s little sign of a breakthrough in negotiations ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference being held in Copenhagen in December, where a successor to the Kyoto Protocol is s

Japan's Fourth Estate - MIA

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:24:00 +0900

Before (and since) coming to power, the Democratic Party of Japan promised that policymaking would become more transparent. This was a welcome pledge, and shining a light on the cosy ties between politicians, bureaucrats and business should have myri

Opposition Blues

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:36:00 +0900

Following on from my post yesterday on the apparently gloomy prospects for the Liberal Democratic Party in Japan following their recent thumping at the polls, I asked our India correspondent Madhav Nalapat about how things are shaping up for the main