17 Sep 2020 Suga steps in, at least for now Donna Weeks Japan’s new prime minister has kept the Abe cabinet largely intact, but he’ll need to prove he’s a different leader.
15 Sep 2020 The making of Prime Minister Suga Titli Basu Abe Shinzo’s “Mr Fix-It” has the top job. Will he make his own mark in a country famed for its revolving door of PMs?
31 Aug 2020 Australia has lost its “best friend” in Asia David Walton , Akimoto Daisuke Whale hunts and submarine deals gone awry caused prickles, but Abe Shinzo sought special relationship with Canberra.
30 Aug 2020 Abe aimed to move mountains, setting Japan high goals for the future Purnendra Jain A strategic thinker and global leader, Japan’s prime minister was bold in foreign policy and politically strong at home.
13 Aug 2020 Japan’s tech industry reboot will have region-wide effects Elliot Silverberg , Patrick Madaj Japan can play a key role in digital debates facing democratic and authoritarian societies alike.
6 Jul 2020 Beyond Covid, the chance for a broader Australia-Japan relationship Donna Weeks Positive public feelings towards Tokyo show how Canberra can move beyond a narrow focus on security ties.
3 Jul 2020 Popular Tokyo governor eyes a second term, and maybe more Purnendra Jain Yuriko Koike’s re-election is almost certain, and with the national government out of favour, she might not stop there.
4 Jun 2020 China and Japan’s island dispute William Choong The issue is not whether Beijing would want to challenge Tokyo over the islands. The question is when, and how?
2 Jun 2020 Who really killed the Quad 1.0? Daniel Flitton Australia has borne the blame for sinking the first Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. The history is not so simple.
15 May 2020 In an Olympic-sized challenge, Japan’s golden chance could go begging André Leslie Cancellation rumblings are understandable, but an all-or-nothing attitude is a risk, not only for sport but diplomacy.
1 May 2020 Japan: Cracks in Abe’s government amid the Covid-19 crisis Purnendra Jain , Takeshi Kobayashi The dream projects of Japan’s longest serving PM appear under threat as his political capital evaporates.
27 Apr 2020 Islands of ire: The South Korea–Japan dispute Olivia Tasevski The Dokdo/Takeshima islands are a flashpoint for memories of exploitation – a hostility that won’t soon be resolved.
23 Apr 2020 Statesman Turnbull steps up: Secret letters, taming Trump, due credit Greg Earl Business with Donald, shared history with Xi and a Pacific ploy are revealing of the former PM’s foreign ambition.
7 Apr 2020 Japan and coronavirus: Abe needs to make bold decisions David Walton , Akimoto Daisuke A tradition of limited touching may slow the virus spread but political missteps leave the country vulnerable.
3 Apr 2020 Japanese whaling is down but not out Daniel Hurst The retreat from whaling in the Antarctic marks a historic shift, but Japan has raised quotas in its own waters.
10 Mar 2020 Coping with Covid-19 as the Tokyo Olympics loom David Walton , Akimoto Daisuke Postponement looks likely – but a complete cancellation could be disastrous for Japan, Abe Shinzo included.
24 Feb 2020 Japan: Article 9 conundrum rears its head again David Walton The next 18 months offer Abe Shinzo his last chance as Prime Minister to amend Japan’s 1946 “Peace Constitution”.
21 Feb 2020 China-Japan-US triangle: Abe’s balancing act Titli Basu China’s rise, alliance management, and hedging against US abandonment is testing Japan’s policy choices.
17 Feb 2020 Japan–South Korea tensions show little sign of easing Kate Kalinova After last year’s steady decline over a spate of issues, reconciliation remains a long way off.
13 Feb 2020 Japan should – like other countries – build and operate hospital ships Akimoto Daisuke Not only in responding to disasters at home, a floating hospital can advance Japan’s interests in the region.
4 Feb 2020 Tokyo Olympics are a chance for diplomatic reset with North Korea Khang Vu The 2018 PyeongChang games eased engagement between South Korea and Kim Jong-un. Japan has a similar opportunity now.
31 Jan 2020 Carlos Ghosn – from rock-star CEO to international fugitive John West The tale of the former Nissan chief exposes the contradictions of the man – and of corporate culture in Japan.
22 Jan 2020 Japan has struck low in climate ambition Daniel Hurst Vague timeframes and inadequate emission reduction targets leave plenty of wiggle room in Abe Shinzo’s claims to lead.
10 Jan 2020 Asia’s shameful gender discrimination John West Japan is a standout for all the wrong reasons in a recent assessment of the gender gap in leading economies.
4 Dec 2019 On the trail of the Pope in Japan Peter Mauch The Catholic Church maintains a minimal presence in Japan, so what was Pope Francis doing there?
12 Nov 2019 Connecting the dots on the Blue Dot Network Peter McCawley Beyond a press release trumpeting “high-quality infrastructure” and “global trust standards”, things are a bit fuzzy.
30 Oct 2019 How Africa is breaking China’s neo-colonial shackles Wenyuan Wu Beijing is fending off African resentment over debt and for importing workers – and facing extra competition, too.
29 Oct 2019 Soft power, hard weather: Japanese resilience David Walton A ferocious typhoon has tested Japan amid the Rugby World Cup and before the Olympics – and taught valuable lessons.
25 Oct 2019 Finally, some plain talk on the Quad Iain Henry The US Secretary of State dropped a fig leaf: Washington thinks the Quad can help put China back in its “proper place”.
16 Oct 2019 Dispatches from the front (row) Rodger Shanahan Japan – through its team and wonderful crowds – put on a rugby festival worthy of the name.
11 Oct 2019 The underappreciated value of Japanese aid in the Pacific Alexandre Dayant , Michael Nguyen Japan has made a significant contribution to regional development, especially in managing lucrative fish stocks.
18 Sep 2019 Abe’s new cabinet includes a rising star and putative Prime Minister Purnendra Jain , Takeshi Kobayashi Koizumi is a famous name in Japanese politics, and Shinjiro, son of the former PM, is capturing plenty of headlines.
18 Sep 2019 Korea-Japan tensions, as seen in the suburbs of Brisbane Melissa Conley Tyler , Mitchell Vandewerdt-Holman When Toowong briefly hit the headlines in South Korea, it signalled another test for Australia’s regional engagement.
6 Sep 2019 China’s Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands ploy to undercut the US-Japan alliance Andrew Taffer The 2012–13 crises revealed Beijing’s wedging strategy, and that needs to be understood before tensions flare again.
5 Sep 2019 Can Japan catch up in the economic scramble for Africa? Anthony Maliki From used-car markets to giant infrastructure projects, Asia’s leading powers see more than a continent in need of aid.
13 Aug 2019 Japan and South Korea’s diplomatic dispute doesn’t need US mediation Lauren Richardson If history is a guide, the interests of Korean victims, not US strategic goals, must be put first.
24 Jul 2019 Japanese lessons for Australia’s relations with China Richard Broinowski Could the Australian response to Japanese trade practices in the late 1970s be a blueprint for dealing with China now?
17 Jul 2019 Abe’s constitutional dream hinges on upper house elections Purnendra Jain Any change to Japan’s constitutional “peace clause” needs securing a two-thirds majority in both houses of the Diet.
5 Jul 2019 Japan is again hunting whales. What can be done? Donald R Rothwell As G20 leaders gathered in Osaka, Japan let loose the whalers and the international response has so far been muted.
28 May 2019 America’s fiscal policy rethink reaches Japan Stephen Grenville A radical call urges Japan delay tackling chronic deficit and huge debt – and, of course, build no bridges-to-nowhere.
29 Apr 2019 Japan: grasping for hope in a new imperial era Tets Kimura The Reiwa era is about to begin and with it springs hope that the national malaise of recent decades can be left behind.
3 Apr 2019 Japan’s very busy fighter force Peter Layton Scrambling to intercept roughly three intruders daily, wear on the fleet raises concern about keeping pace with China.
1 Apr 2019 As South Korea and Japan pick a fight, don’t expect Trump to care Robert E Kelly Washington often been an informal umpire for the depressingly regular spats between Seoul and Tokyo – not this time.
15 Mar 2019 With US out of favour and China doubts, Duterte turns to Tokyo Alexander M. Hynd , Alexine Sanchez Japan has quietly, and successfully, been building ties with the Philippines in a way that could calm a volatile region.
12 Mar 2019 Tokyo may be happy about Hanoi, but has a lot more to worry about Bates Gill With Pyongyang and Washington, the facts on the ground have not changed much for Japan and could get worse.
14 Jan 2019 What I missed last year: Japan, the unlikely overachiever Bonnie Bley Far from being the sick man of Asia, Japan’s strengths appear set to grow.
11 Jan 2019 “The whales have won” – even as Japan sharpens its harpoons Daniel Flitton Japan’s withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission may counterintuitively offer hope to conservation efforts.
6 Dec 2018 Steady but slow in Australia-Japan security cooperation Ian Hall , Michael Heazle Abe’s recent visit to Darwin indicates that Canberra and Tokyo acknowledge the common security challenges they face.
15 Nov 2018 Abe’s visit to Australia: raising the stakes Lauren Richardson A deal for more frequent and larger joint military drills with Australia is part of Japan’s push for stronger partners.
9 Nov 2018 Modi and Abe: judgement waits on India-Japan ties Purnendra Jain <p>The recent summit showcased a strong personal chemistry but this special relationship still faces obstacles.</p>