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Former environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi, a candidate for ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election, speaks during a debate in Tokyo on Sept. 14.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 23, 2024

Does Shinjiro Koizumi have what it takes to lead Japan?

The 43-year-old is determined to put his past missteps behind him, promising to be a leader who can steer the country through rough waters.
Bangladeshi army chief Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman gestures during an interview at his office in Dhaka on Monday. Zaman has outlined a pathway to rid the military of political influence.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 24, 2024

Bangladesh army chief vows support for interim government 'come what may'

Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman pledges to work toward the holding of elections within the next 18 months following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (left) and Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, during the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards in Manhattan on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2024

Musk calls Italy’s Meloni ‘authentic, honest’ at awards gala

Musk bestowed an award on Meloni during the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards in Manhattan on Monday.
Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai (left) meets with with Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, in Beijing, on Aug. 28.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 24, 2024

Form over substance: The contradictions in Japan-China relations

How Japan and other countries in Beijing’s periphery navigate the many incongruities in bilateral relations offers lessons for the U.S. and other Western nations.
CCP Committee Secretary and People's Bank of China head Pan Gongsheng in Beijing on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 25, 2024

Xi’s economic adrenaline shot is only buying China a little time

The measures include interest rate cuts, more cash for banks, bigger incentives to buy homes and plans to consider a stock stabilization fund.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Sazanami arrives in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean during a scheduled port visit in July. The Sazanami became the first Japanese warship to sail through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 26, 2024

Japan MSDF warship sails through Taiwan Strait for first time

The transit on Wednesday, which follows a spate of Chinese military moves near Japan, drew a strongly worded warning from Beijing.
Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian cities have been unsuccessful in breaking Ukraine's resolve and the strategic benefit of such attacks is questionable.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 26, 2024

Lessons from Ukraine and Gaza on humanitarian law

The conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza challenge, if not outright violate, humanitarian law, which seeks to balance military objectives with minimizing harm to civilians.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves after he was elected as the new head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party during a leadership vote on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 27, 2024

Fifth time's a charm: Shigeru Ishiba set to be Japan PM after LDP poll win

Ishiba, who has also served as party secretary-general, won the LDP presidential election on Friday, defeating economic security minister Sanae Takaichi in a runoff vote.
A photo of Chinese leader Xi Jinping is displayed at the National Security Exhibition Gallery in Hong Kong on Monday. The 24-man Politburo led by Xi has recently unveiled a series of pro-growth goodies to help the country's economy.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Sep 28, 2024

Xi’s big stimulus week aims to draw a line under China slowdown

A recent barrage of policy announcements marked a sea change in Xi’s approach to managing China’s $18 trillion economy.
Then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe celebrates in Tokyo with party rival Shigeru Ishiba after Abe won the Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership vote in September 2018.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 29, 2024

Shigeru Ishiba made his career as an anti-Abe

Over the years, Ishiba's opposition earned him few friends; indeed, he has a reputation for being a "traitor” due to his public criticism of party orthodoxy.
Shigeru Ishiba speaks at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo after being elected the party's new leader Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 30, 2024

Tokyo stocks fall 4.8% in first day of trading after Ishiba's victory

The surprise result in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election “contributed to meaningful volatility” in the markets.
The four remaining U.K. Conservative leadership contenders (from left): Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly, Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat
WORLD / Politics
Sep 30, 2024

Tories turn on each other in race to succeed low-key Sunak

The U.K. Conservatives' annual conference has kicked off with jibes between leadership contenders.
The former treasurer of the Liberal Democratic Party's former largest faction has been found guilty in a case tied to a major political funds scandal that the party has been mired in since late last year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 30, 2024

Former Abe faction treasurer given suspended three-year prison term

Junichiro Matsumoto underreported political funds totaling ¥670 million between 2018 and 2022.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on July 22. Marcos is bolstering his base by endorsing big local names for the Senate, including three former movie actors, the daughter of the country's richest man and two of his presidential election rivals.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 1, 2024

Marcos-Duterte battle looms as Philippines prepares for midterm election

The May 2025 election will give President Marcos a chance to consolidate power, which the influential Duterte family is determined to stop after a falling-out.
Cracked ground at a farm in Lincoln, U.K. Extreme weather worldwide is pushing up prices for food staples in ways that could eventually flow through to higher grocery bills.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Oct 1, 2024

Rising food costs due to extreme weather likely to drive up grocery bills

One index of nine major food products has recorded a monthly gain of more than 7% — the most since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent markets soaring in early 2022.
New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (front center) and other Cabinet ministers pose for a commemorative photo after an appointment and certification ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 1, 2024

New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba unveils Cabinet as LDP divide emerges

His Cabinet, made up of lawmakers largely untainted by an LDP political funds scandal, has appeared to open up a rift in the ruling party.
Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet appointments reveal deep fissures within the party resulting from his victory in the leadership race.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 1, 2024

The new prime minister puts together a ‘disunity Cabinet’

While Ishiba tries to promote his policy priorities, the Cabinet's composition may create challenges for his leadership.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrives for a photograph with his new Cabinet members at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 2, 2024

Number of women in Japan's Cabinet drops to two

The government and businesses have regularly missed a range of self-imposed targets and plans to increase the number of women in leadership positions.
Chinese People’s Liberation Army soldiers march in the Victory Day Parade in Moscow in 2020. China and Russia are working together to undermine the liberal international order through military means.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Oct 2, 2024

Tackling an international order in disarray

The liberal international order is fraying at the edges. A more assertive stance against leaders trying to undermine the status quo, Putin and Xi most notably, is needed.
A Russian submarine arrives at the port of Dagang, in Qingdao, Shandong province, China, in April 2019 for a joint Chinese-Russian naval exercise.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 2, 2024

The China-Russia relationship once derided, now looks to endure

Both China and Russia are concerned about U.S. alliances in the Indo-Pacific and are acting to counterbalance them.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi on Aug. 1. In a matter of three months, Vietnam's leadership engaged India, Russia and China while securing billions in U.S. and Western investments by positioning itself as a manufacturing alternative to China.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 2, 2024

Vietnam’s bamboo diplomacy has lessons for the Global South

In just months, Vietnam engaged India, Russia and China, securing billions in U.S. and Western investments by positioning itself as a manufacturing alternative to China.
Despite Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's serious and studious personality, he is by nature a nonconformist and is less socially inclined compared to other politicians.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 3, 2024

The Shigeru Ishiba I personally know

Ishiba takes pride in his mottos and interests, remains steadfast in his beliefs and stays true to his path.
Dul Saroth (left) and Soeum Samrach, deminers with the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, practice using the Advanced Landmine Imaging System in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province in August.
JAPAN / Longform
Oct 7, 2024

The Japanese tech that could one day make Southeast Asia landmine-free

The Advanced Landmine Imaging System being tested in Cambodia promises to speed up landmine clearance work and save lives.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his inaugural policy address to parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 5, 2024

LDP to endorse 'slush fund' lawmakers in general election

Opposition parties are turning up the heat on Ishiba, who had earlier signaled his intention to take action against those implicated in the scandal.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba inspects the area around a morning market, which was heavily damaged in the Jan. 1 earthquake, in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Oct 5, 2024

Torrential rain in Noto Peninsula to be designated a severe disaster, Ishiba says

Ishiba announced the plan during a visit to areas damaged heavily by the rain and the powerful Jan. 1 earthquake.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 6, 2024

Ishiba says LDP will not endorse some 'slush fund' lawmakers in general election

The new leader hinted that "a fair number of non-endorsements is likely" as the party looks to rebuild public trust that has eroded following the scandal.
A couple from Orlando walks along a street covered in sand as a result of Hurricane Helene in Clearwater, Florida, ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected midweek landfall.
WORLD / Society
Oct 7, 2024

FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation as Florida braces for Milton

The head of the U.S. disaster relief agency lashed out at a "dangerous" misinformation war being waged over the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
According to a recent survey, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leads in public sentiment, with a majority of voters preferring his previously defeated Conservative government. In another poll, half of voters disapprove of Labour leader Keir Starmer's performance after just three months in office.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 7, 2024

Tories remain the ‘party party.’ Time for a bouncer.

More of the same could doom Conservatives to a long stay in the wilderness or even organizational collapse. They better get this leadership contest right.
Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has a strong influence over the administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 8, 2024

LDP linchpin Moriyama has big influence over Ishiba

The newly elected president took his secretary-general's advice on several key matters, including party and Cabinet appointments as well as calling a snap election.
The Bank of Japan raised it economic assessments for the Hokuriku and Tokai regions in its quarterly regional report Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 8, 2024

BOJ signals it remains on rate hike path with regional report

The Bank of Japan indicated it remains on track to consider more interest rate hikes by upgrading its assessments for two regional economies.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years