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Curtis S. Chin
For Curtis S. Chin's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2016
How to make U.S.-Vietnam relations great again
America's enduring commitment to Asia includes not just defense ties but also support for human rights, religious and press freedoms, and commercial engagement.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2016
A slow-growing China brokers little dissent
It is no longer only pollution from China that Hong Kong citizens have to worry about.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2016
The lunar year that was — from bad to good
Entrenched economic interests and a 'little bric' of bureaucracy, regulation, interventionism and corruption continue to impede the structural changes needed to attract more foreign direct investment and drive long-term job creation in Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2016
ASEAN goes missing from Obama's speech
The U.S. president's final State of the Union address captured an overly cautious approach to Asia amid a rising China.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2016
Social engineering backfires on graying China
China's powerful bureaucrats are finding that human behavior cannot be fully controlled or predicted.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 3, 2015
California's lessons for Japan
Japan would benefit greatly by learning three key lessons from California's tech industry.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 8, 2015
ASEAN: moving beyond terrorism fears
A focus on strengthened security and basic law and order will be fundamental to the sustained growth of any ASEAN member- state's tourism sector.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 2, 2015
Olympian effort needed to save Tokyo's, Asia's heritage
The Hotel Okura is just the latest victim of Tokyo's penchant for tearing down its storied past to make way for a generic future.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2015
Fear of a currency war grows
The Chinese central bank's major devaluation of the yuan this week has large parts of Asia now worried about the prospects of a currency war.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2015
What's next for the AIIB?
Is the AIIB a Chinese wolf in a multilateral sheep's clothing, or simply an institution whose time has come given China's economic rise?
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2015
How to succeed in business on the frontiers after China
So how should investors conduct business in Asia's frontier markets beyond China — in countries with limited rule of law and transparency?
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 29, 2015
Obama misses big chance to prop his 'pivot' to Asia
In his 70-minute State of the Union Address to the U.S. Congress and a watching nation and world, U.S. President Barack Obama missed giving a shout-out to treaty allies Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2015
Asia's bad to good for 2014
Find out who or what in Asia were honored for having the worst, bad, good and best year in 2014.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2014
A world beset by divisions
Whether once divided by physical walls or currently split by political ones, today's leaders in Asia, the U.S. and Europe — including newly elected members of the U.S. Congress — should think about how much has been and can be achieved when the barriers of economic inequality come down.
COMMENTARY
Oct 21, 2014
Alibaba and a missing tale of market reforms
Just eight minutes after Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba made history recently with its blockbuster Initial Public Offering, New York equity markets seemingly hit their peak and have been trending downward ever since. This kind of volatility shows the need for continued capital market reforms.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 18, 2014
Corruption exists; it's the response that matters
Contrasting approaches to fighting recent cases of political corruption in the U.S. and China underscore how China remains more a nation ruled by one party than by law.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 15, 2014
Race- and religion-based politics slows Asia's progress
How fitting it would be if, on his next return visit to Asia, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry — on behalf of America's first African-American president — helped to push the region, including China, to move beyond the racial and ethnic stereotypes that are constraining economic growth.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2014
Is new China the old Japan?
Does China risk becoming the Japan of some seven decades past, namely a rising nation that sparks conflict and then war under the guise of 'Asia for Asians'?
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 15, 2014
Immigration reform will benefit both U.S. and Asia
If there was bipartisan support in Washington to focus first on immigrant integration — rather than immigrant admissions — it would at least address the brain waste of America's underutilized college-educated immigrants.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 17, 2014
Asia's tourism campaigns could benefit from a little cleaning up
As Asia welcomes more and more visitors, its leaders and policymakers must take steps toward a more sustainable tourism industry and supporting infrastructure. That includes cleaning up the beaches.

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree