Japan
Japan and the United States should pool efforts to improve health in Pacific Island countries
Pacific Island countries see Japan differently than they do the United States and China. A 2023 Rand report captured this sentiment well, noting “Japan’s greatest advantage amid…
Japan in the shadow of China
On a trip to Japan last month, I was struck by the surreal combination of stubborn continuity and laboured change. Compared to all major Asian capitals, Tokyo seems broadly…
How to fix Japan
Book review: The Contest for Japan's Economic Future: Entrepreneurs vs Corporate Giants by Richard Katz (OUP, 2023)
There is no advanced economy more in need of fixing than…
“An awkward photo‑op”: Japan’s persistent gender problem
During a summer break, The Interpreter will feature selected articles each day from throughout the past year. Normal publishing will resume 15 January, 2024. This article first…
Power in Asia: Six surprising facts
During a summer break, The Interpreter will feature selected articles each day from throughout the past year. Normal publishing will resume 15 January, 2024. This article first…
Shifting Quad relief operations from theory to practice
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi likes to emphasise the “practical dimension” of the Quad grouping – working together in response to disasters, not only the four members, but…
Japan’s new golden age in Southeast Asia
During his keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last year, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a momentous shift in his country’s post-war foreign…
How can Australia get its commitments to reduce carbon emissions back on track?
Difficult choices
As the Albanese government is gearing up to explain to the world the likely rejection of an indigenous Voice to Parliament at the referendum vote this weekend…
Japan risks its reputation in Oceania with Fukushima discharge
Japan’s decision last month to begin discharging treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean from its destroyed Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is fairly unpopular…
The Camp David Agreement’s shallow foundations
On 18 August at Camp David, Japan, the United States and South Korea optimistically hailed “a new era of trilateral partnership”. Korean domestic politics and the vexed history of…