Business Jul 14, 2021
The ¥28 increase to ¥930 per hour represents the biggest rise since Japan started measuring minimum wages on an hourly basis in fiscal 2002.
Commentary / World Apr 20, 2021
Hong Kong is giving itself another identity crisis
by Matthew Brooker
In general, transparency is the friend of honesty, accountability and good governance. As in the political realm, Hong Kong is marching in the opposite direction
Commentary / World Feb 22, 2021
How the big COVID-19 rebound keeps getting delayed, a bit
by Daniel Moss
The next couple of months are going to be tough. The rosy prognosis for things to really get better has been shunted to the middle of the year.
Commentary / World Jan 27, 2021
North Korea’s new economic plan looks a lot like the old one
by Jonathan Corrado
International sanctions and coronavirus lockdowns have resulted in an unprecedented level of isolation that is quickly becoming an existential issue for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
Asia Pacific Dec 5, 2020
North Korean trade hit more by COVID-19 than sanctions
by Jiyeun Lee
Trade with China, by far the country's largest economic partner, shrank 73% through September and is on course to plunge 80% for the whole year, a trade body says.
Commentary / Japan Nov 18, 2020
What happens when Singapore runs out of sand for construction?
by Daniel Moss
Singapore’s appetite for sand has become controversial. Some neighbors that used to sell it have objected, citing concerns about environmental degradation.
Commentary / World Nov 17, 2020
Trumponomics won’t outlive Trump
by Michael R. Strain
Trump did put the working class at the center of his rhetoric, and GOP politicians noticed. Now, the party needs to translate this rhetorical emphasis into a policy agenda.
Commentary / Japan Nov 11, 2020
What will it take to make Suga’s agricultural export policy succeed?
by Kazuhito Yamashita
Today, Japan's rice yield per hectare is 40% lower than that of California. It has also been surpassed by China, whose yield per hectare was only half that of Japan 50 years ago.
Commentary / World Nov 6, 2020
Biden may be winning, but America’s future isn’t
by Francis Wilkinson
Places where politics were all consuming and all important are invariably places with big problems. America is now such a place.
Commentary / Japan Nov 5, 2020
Shenzhen’s game-changing reform
by Andrew Sheng and Xiao Geng
What was once a poor fishing village now has the highest per capita GDP on the mainland, and a total GDP on par with Hong Kong.
Commentary / World | API Geoeconomic Briefing Nov 3, 2020
What China’s 'dual circulation' strategy means for the world
by Shin Oya
With little having been revealed about China's latest economic move, experts are split as to its significance.
Commentary / Japan Nov 1, 2020
Rethinking the nation's dependence on Tokyo
by Yoko Ishikura
As living with COVID-19 becomes more normal and with the risks of other pandemics growing, Japan needs to disperse important agencies and facilities around the country.