Tag - asia

 
 

ASIA

Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 8, 2014
Poll: Americans split on Bergdahl prisoner swap with Taliban
Americans are deeply divided over whether the Obama administration did the right thing by swapping five Taliban leaders to win the freedom of prisoner of war Bowe Bergdahl in Afghanistan, according to Reuters/Ipsos survey released on Friday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 6, 2014
Bergdahl had left his unit before: reports
A U.S. military investigation of Bowe Bergdahl's capture by the Taliban found the army sergeant had slipped away from his unit on several known occasions but had always returned, raising questions about whether or not he was deserting when he disappeared in 2009, people familiar with the findings said...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 2, 2014
Conclude an East Asia FTA
Despite diplomatic problems among the three, business delegations from Japan, China and South Korea recently agreed that a free trade agreement should be concluded soon.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 2, 2014
Freed from captivity, Bergdahl's ordeal continues
In 2008, when he joined the army, he was a bookish athlete from rugged Idaho with a passion for fencing. A year later, he was a captive of the Afghan Taliban. Today, he is on the way home, a free man at last.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 29, 2014
Short-film festival offers flicks for free
Short films are today both everywhere but nowhere, even for many who consider themselves film fans.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 27, 2014
Recent events in Asia could be tipping points
Russia's struggle to conclude a long-term gas-supply deal with China seems to suggest that China is happy to see Russian President Vladimir Putin poke his finger into the West's eye but that China is more interested in turning Russia into the sort of vassal state that Putin seeks for Ukraine.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
May 20, 2014
Washington mixes signals about aims toward China
Even while reconfirming its 'pivot to Asia,' Washington tries to construct multifaceted bilateral ties with Beijing, raising questions about the ultimate fate of longtime alliances between the U.S. and a number of Asia-Pacific countries.
WORLD / Politics
May 12, 2014
Front-runner Abdullah wins key ally in Afghan presidential race
Former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah received a boost in the race for the Afghan presidency on Sunday when one of the pre-election favorites dropped out and backed his team ahead of next month's expected run-off.
COMMENTARY / World
May 8, 2014
Obama stakes his priorities
While President Barack Obama's recent Asian sojourn might have not been enough to dispel apprehensions of America's commitment to the region, it did signal that Washington has no intention of ceding its strategic space.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 4, 2014
Afghan villagers tell of landslide
One minute there was a hill behind his picturesque village, and the next Ataullah watched helplessly as tons of mud split away and tumbled down toward the home where his children were playing and his wife was preparing lunch.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
May 4, 2014
Don't count on bubbles, wage hikes for more Asian growth
Japanese companies should realize the potential danger in relying on the continued expansion of Asian consumer spending, as it appears the region is headed for a period of economic stagnation.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 3, 2014
Afghan poll may be headed for runoff
The two leading candidates in the race to become Afghanistan's next president rallied supporters and urged election officials to come clean on fraud on April 27 as the country readied for an expected grueling runoff in June.
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2014
Ending Asia's zero-sum games
Perhaps if Asia's leaders viewed East Asia's rapid economic transformation, geopolitical dynamics and historical animosities like a recenlty arrived space alien, they would see what they need to do to halt the dangerous trends.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 29, 2014
Alarm bells ringing in Asia
The deteriorating situation in Ukraine and rising tensions between Russia and the U.S. threaten to bury President Barack Obama's floundering 'pivot' toward Asia.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 22, 2014
U.S. troops in Afghanistan may fall below 10,000
The number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan may drop well below 10,000 — the minimum demanded by the U.S. military to train Afghan forces — as the longest war in American history winds down, Obama administration officials briefed on the matter say.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2014
GSDF to militarize remote Yonaguni
The government is sending 100 Ground Self-Defense Force members and radar to its western-most outpost, a tropical island off Taiwan, in a deployment that risks angering China with ties between Asia's biggest economies already hurt by a dispute over nearby islets they both claim.
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.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami