Commentary: Is Japan ready for a female prime minister?

By:
On:
In: Asia

Kamikawa, in comparison, chose to remain a low-profile figure despite her growing common support for her candidacy for the position of prime minister in Japan. Called a “rising star” by LDP kingmaker Aso Taro, Kamikawa is known for her low-key, practical style and majime ( serious or diligent ) demeanour.

In a similar way to US Vice President Kamala Harris, who re-energized and instilled trust in the Democratic solution ahead of the upcoming US presidential election, the vote of a trailblazing female prime minister was quickly sway the people, especially if the LDP is positively reposition itself as a reformed group that is forward-looking and future-focused.

Unlike President Joe Biden, but, Prime Minister Kishida has no endorsed a leader.

Before stepping down, it would have been hard for Kamikawa to declare his desire to run for the best business as a member of the now-disbanded party led by Kishida. If Kishida decides to put his aid behind her, this might change.

It is crucial that the LDP chooses a candidate who is not connected to the bribery scandals in order to avoid losing in the upcoming general elections. Kamikawa’s standing has mostly remained unaffected by social scandals, despite attention over a gender discrimination comment, and this upbeat image may help the LDP in restoring public trust.

NO OBVIOUS FRONTRUNNER

However, electing a person to the best work would be a problem in Japan’s conservative political environment, and it’s an open question whether radical reforms may ultimately be pursued. Currently, the race for Japanese leadership is wide open, with no obvious frontrunner.

Other potential candidates include former defense minister Ishiba Shigeru, who has received favorable polls as Taro Kono’s top choice for the next prime minister, and Shinjiro Koizumi, a former environment minister and Junichiro Koizumi’s son.

Before running for office, contestants would first need the backing of 20 lawmakers. It’s difficult to predict how the lawmakers might vote because this is the first leadership election since the majority of the LDP’s factions have disdissolved.

Continue Reading

Commentary: Raising the retirement age won’t defuse China’s demographic time bomb

By:
On:
In: Asia

THE NEED FOR Relocation

There is, however, something that can alleviate this pattern: Immigration.

Many of the world’s leading nataliation levels rely on international migration to produce younger laborers, and these younger immigrants also have more children than the local population.

Compare, for example, China’s lower level of 0.1 per share foreign-born with the almost 14 per cent foreign-born in the US and 18 per cent in Germany. Yet the East Asian nations of Japan and South Korea have higher foreign-born ratios than China, at 2 per cent and 3.7 per cent, both.

The Taiwanese government has made a number of attempts to put policies in place to increase the delivery rate into place, but they have failed. In fact, practitioners tend to agree that like “pronatalist” plans tend not to be successful.

However, it wo n’t be simple to implement and implement an active immigration policy in China, a nation with few immigration-related successes and a scheiningly deep-rooted belief in racial purity shared by many Communist Party leaders.

The larger Chinese people may be opposed to multiculturalism. The most affected by an increase in immigrants would be the young Chinese staff. Some Chinese may lose their jobs and need to relocate if any policy that promotes mass immigration were to begin. This would be the case more often for fresh workers.

However, refugees generally seek employment in occupations that the local population does not want, sometimes referred to as” three Wii work” or as dirty, dangerous, and demeaning occupations. In the US and most of Europe, respectively, this has happened.

And the long-term effects will be more agonizing for China. By the start of the second centuries, China may be half as big as it is now and one of the oldest nations in the world, if not the oldest nation.

Beijing is already under the strain of these changes, so pension reforms are necessary. The issues China will face will be much worse, however, without the arrival of a young refugee workforce.

Dudley L Poston Jr is Professor of Sociology, Texas A&amp, M University. This commentary&nbsp, second appeared&nbsp, on The Conversation.

Continue Reading

Commentary: Japan PM’s resignation opens the door to a chaotic era

By:
On:
In: Asia

FUMIO KISHIDA’S MIXED LEGACY

Whoever succeeds him will have a combined legacy of both successes and bag.

His record on defence and international legislation speaks for itself, it’s no coincidence that US Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, Japan’s biggest cheerleader, was among the first to challenge praise. He hailed the “new age of ties” &nbsp, ushered in over the past three years, and has spoken of how the prime minister could do what his father Abe could not: Double military spending, relax defence export laws, and restore relations with South Korea, all without sparking mass&nbsp, demonstrations.

Any successor to China’s birds seem unlikely to rock the boat too much in this situation, despite Sanae Takaichi’s current financial protection minister’s influence having a tendency to be a dying breed these days.

But it’s at apartment where issues need most attention.

Kishida’s” New Capitalism” economic policy was a busted flush, spooking markets and earning&nbsp, him the derisive ( and undeserved ) nickname of” Tax-Hike Four Eyes”. His successor will need to concentrate more on the home economy. &nbsp,

And he departs with his promise of income increases above prices, which are only beginning to have an impact, with real income eventually rising for the first time in 27 weeks in June. Otherwise, the general public also worries about inflation and the poor renminbi, which he should have won.

His successor may have to deal with any additional industry woes brought on by Kishida’s choice to lead the Bank of Japan, Kazuo Ueda, in the wake of the rate increases.

With over a quarter to go, it’s entirely possible that more than air dirty laundry in public, the group will merge around a popular prospect: Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, perhaps, or plan heavyweight Toshimitsu Motegi. &nbsp,

However, possible rivals may take a hint from Kishida, who is known for being a voracious reader. One of the prime minister’s favorite novels is apparently Crime And Punishment. According to Dostoyevsky, “power is simply vouchsafed to the person who dares to bend and pick it up… one has only to try.”

Continue Reading

Commentary: Japan is living in the shadow of the megaquake

By:
On:
In: Asia

NO ONE KNOWS IF IT’S TIME TO Anxiety

The dilemma is exacerbated by the fact that the alert arrives just as the Japanese prepare to depart in droves for Obon, the illegal summer holiday interval when city dwellers usually make their way back to their hometowns.

It’s another looming but inanimate risk in a state that&nbsp, in the last week has faced the possibility&nbsp, of higher mortgage costs for the first time in over&nbsp, a century, and a business fall and rise that few have actually experienced

There will be plenty of conversation going on with family members around the dining table. Ideas will return to the last big quake, which struck on New Year’s Day this January simply as&nbsp, individuals were&nbsp, napping off vacation meal comas.

No one is sure when to start panicking right away. &nbsp, For some, it was a good&nbsp, reminder&nbsp, to check on the status of disaster supplies and equipment. The Nankai Trough was the subject of humorous responses from some website users, with one wit online suggesting that since Google Maps permits reviews, we should appease it with a number of five-star reviews.

Others still, like Robert Geller, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, believe any prediction is a waste of time, and distracts authorities from preparing for disasters that ca n’t be anticipated- a category into which all the country’s recent devastating catastrophe, from Kobe to 2011, have fallen.

One&nbsp, more major danger is that of the boy who cried dog. This alert is disturbing, if nothing happens, does a potential warning be ignored, even though the actual danger may have significantly increased? The attitudes toward North Korean missiles, which previously stopped traffic and then elicit yawns, are something that is less natural.

In all likelihood, the megaquake does not happen this day, and this season will remain forgotten. The alert serves as a reminder that nature does n’t move to  such timelines despite the time we spend thinking about slow-moving issues like exercising to lower the risk of heart disease, reducing carbon emissions to combat climate change, and creating a nest egg to withstand the next recession.

For residents in Japan, it’s a good opportunity to do what we can to be prepared&nbsp, and check evacuation routes. And for all of us, it’s a moment to think about the fragility of the world we’ve built, and how quickly it can be upended. &nbsp,

Continue Reading

Commentary: North Korea faces a troubled succession as Kim grooms daughter to be his likely heir

By:
On:
In: Asia

FOR CHILD TO MORNING STAR GENERAL

Little is known about Kim’s child, not yet his title. His locations are equally mysterious. He would only be 14 then, so he is definitely not a social risk, at least no yet.

Perhaps he is disinterested in elections. Other members of the Kim relatives have experienced this. If he does not want to provide the home business, he is wise to keep a small account. People in the Kim community frequently have unhappy endings.

Ju Ae, on the other hand, has been extremely noticeable in common. Kim has become adept at taking her to public events and demonstrating her various aspects of the state’s influence in North Korea, including marches and weapons. This is the regular route to arrival.

The North Vietnamese media has even taken to giving her numerous honorifics- “respected child”, “beloved baby” and” a wonderful person of guidance”. Media reviews claimed Kim Il Sung had used the name” Morning Star General,” which Kim Il Sung had previously used to describe his daughter, to refer to her in December of last year.

The image of her holding arms with her father during the Hwasong-17 missile launch from November 2022 has also been converted into a mail stamp.

If Ju Ae is the option, Kim is wise to start promoting her then. She may require decades of grooming before she can take over. Kim will need to labor hard to persuade the system of “old boys” to embrace her, even though Kim and the Kim home are only politically literate. For instance, it’s difficult to imagine how the army’s old watch generals would accept a young lady in her 20s or 30s.

Continue Reading

Commentary: Japan’s AI stance is betraying its anime artists

By:
On:
In: Asia

Twice BLOW

For designers, this is a devastating dual blow. &nbsp, Some feel that their job is&nbsp, being taken to create the very instruments that next threaten to their lives. According to a survey conducted by the Arts Workers Japan Association last year, 92 % of illustrators feared that their designs were being removed to train AI tools without their permission. Almost 60 per cent of responders were likewise concerned about&nbsp, fewer job opportunities.

Some of the most well-known Japanese characters now appear to have been incorporated into AI training data. Social media has become flooded with synthetic versions of them, including machine-gun wielding Hello Kitties or body-builder Pikachus. And a kills of open-source AI designs have enabled almost anyone to teach tools based on pictures they send from their favorite artists, producing content that resembles that type.

And it’s not just still craft. Earlier this year, OpenAI teased a first look at its film tool, Sora, rocking the business. Filmmaker Tyler Perry said he halted a planned US$ 800 million development of his workshop in Atlanta after seeing Sora’s “mind-blowing” features. OpenAI, meanwhile, has n’t formally shared details of what information it was trained on.

When asked if videos from YouTube were used, Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati&nbsp responded to questions in an exam earlier this year, saying,” I’m really not sure about that.” &nbsp, A few months afterwards, Murati took temperature for&nbsp, admitting, &nbsp, more inelegantly, that” some innovative jobs probably will go away”. ( She later defended this remark in a lengthy X&nbsp, post ). &nbsp,

However, these statements from the most powerful CTOs in the AI industry should be alarming because they are n’t transparent about the materials being used to train its resources and for their open acknowledgment that this technology will have an impact on the jobs of artists. &nbsp, OpenAI announced it was launching&nbsp, its second Asia company in Tokyo earlier this year, with some suggesting Japan’s hands-off rules playing a part in that choice. &nbsp,

Continue Reading

Commentary: Watch what China does, not just what it says, after unsurprising economic plenum

By:
On:
In: Asia

WATCH WHAT CHINA DOES, NOT JUST WHAT IT SAYS

That said, businesses and investors should watch what China does, not just what it says.

There are useful policies that are already in place, such as the Real World Evidence (RWE) programmes for medical technology companies entering China. The first RWE programme, launched in Hainan province in 2019 and followed by the Greater Bay Area in 2020, gives medtech companies early access to the market through trials and studies for rare diseases and clinically urgent needs, and the opportunity to fast-track regulatory approvals, reimbursement listing, and/or commercialisation, potentially enabling them to influence and shape the market.

The plenum stated that it is focused on creating a “beautiful China”, by accelerating green transformation and pursuing green, low-carbon development, among others. This alone may not say much.

But if taken together with its directions of improving the mechanism for modern infrastructure construction and the resilience and security of industrial supply chains, the opportunities in environmental sustainability could be vast.

For instance, the plenum proposed deeper reforms of its railway system and further develop the “low-altitude economy” (such as drones and flying cars). This means demand for renewable energy will likely increase. The need to secure the supply chain in the production of these assets would be critical.

Perhaps the most telling sign that businesses should keep their eyes on China’s actions is that the plenum specified a timeline to achieve the reforms. In past plenums, the CCP had not set such timelines.

This time, unusually, Beijing has given clear indication of a 2029 deadline – an important year as the People’s Republic of China celebrates its 80th anniversary. Some analysts see this as an effort to focus the CCP on implementing the reforms.

This, in a way, provides a direction for businesses and markets on China’s roadmap.

While the road ahead is fraught with challenges, businesses that can navigate these complexities and leverage emerging opportunities will be well-positioned to thrive.

Thomas Kwan is Managing Director of Hong Kong at Penta Group.

Continue Reading

Commentary: The world came dangerously close to full-scale conflict in the South China Sea

By:
On:
In: Asia

Based on previous encounters with the Chinese, Manila had diligently abstained from the prayer of the agreement. Even though the term “armed attack” in the agreement was not specifically defined, the Taiwanese acts would have amounted to non-kinetic means of the use of illegal force in American military-legal terms.

This day, Manila continued to try to calm the issue, most glaringly due to the severity of the Jun 17 event, which could have put the nations, and perhaps even the Americans, on the verge of total armed conflict.

In a statement to soldiers of the product overseeing the South China Sea on June 23, Mr. Marcos stated that the Philippines is” not in the firm to provoke wars.”

PROBING THE” RED LIN E” IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

All these could be song to China’s lips. Beijing has been able to further examine the American-Filipi “red range”

The Jun 17 incident highlighted two crucial data points: Manila’s resistance to intensify tensions and Washington’s visible ambivalence about offering Philippines more robust support even without using the Mutual Defense Treaty.

China also showed how it would go to stop the Filipinos ‘ movements and its growing supremacy. A few weeks after the conflict, the largest Chinese coast guard vehicle, which displaced more than 10,000 kilograms, was deployed close to the Sierra Madre island.

Continue Reading

Commentary: China’s mission to the moon is rocking geopolitics

By:
On:
In: Asia

THE NEW SPACE RACE’S ROLE OF SMALLER Power

Given that human history is rife with fight over assets, this new sun race may result in military conflict and potential conflict.

China and Russia view the US Space Force as a primary danger, while Japan and China have recently filed a quality accusing Russia of developing nuclear weapons in place and supporting Japan in a solution before the UN Security Council.

Unsurprisingly, &nbsp, Russia vetoed this quality, and its proposed adjustments were&nbsp, counter- vetoed by France, the United Kingdom and the United States. Place security is currently at the forefront of the global peace and security agenda.

Middle and smaller forces may play a significant role in this. Through UN efforts to respond to military threats to space systems, Europe has established itself as the leader in storage politics.

In response to the risks brought on by the overwhelming area customers made up of thousands of observatories and more than a hundred million pieces of dirt, the European Space Agency likewise serves as the lead for the new&nbsp, Zero Debris Charter&nbsp. It will be important to build upon these strategies to maintain relaxing and sustainable new moon activities.

Continue Reading

Commentary: Putin-Kim meeting generates surprising agreement about China in South Korea

By:
On:
In: Asia

South Korea has been a center of economic and diplomatic relations for decades. That was the game under the democratic world attempt, and Seoul did it well. The United States ‘ treaty alliance serves as the foundation of South Korean security, but it has n’t been construed as a factor in how the East Asian nation’s friends and partners would be.

This perspective can be seen in South Korea’s reaction to the Ukrainian military hostility from Russia. In contrast to the cases in Europe and North America, Russia’s conflict with Ukraine is not seen by all as a menace to world democracy.

One of the guiding factors in this opinion was the desire to keep business relations with Russia. Another explanation is that this conflict is never Korea’s: Getting involved you feel like being pushed around by Americans and granting them even more authority over international relations.

Seoul has provided humanitarian aid and non-lethal aid to Ukraine, but it has not yet broken its agreement to not provide weapons during an effective martial conflict. On Thursday, South Korea said it would rethink providing arms.

A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

In this view, Mr Putin’s attend reflects a missed chance, for South Korea, for North Korea, and for the wider region. Maybe Mr. Kim’s foreign entry would not have been the one from Moscow if Washington and Seoul had worked a little harder to encourage dialogue with Pyongyang.

Even though the symptoms are different, there is disappointment in Seoul over the Soviet attend to Pyongyang. Some attributed the North Korean command and its companions to be responsible. Other people view the causes as more complicated, with leaders from the United States and South Korea even being accused of adopting hostile postures that create a charged, philosophical, and Cold War-like tension.

However, anger is not the only positive thing South Korea does. The viewpoints are more flimsy, which suggests prudence when deciding Seoul’s future steps.

For better or worse, South Koreans are not on a campaign.

Erik Mobrand is Professor of Korean Research at Seoul National University’s Graduate School of International Studies. At the National University of Singapore, Hyejin Kim is the Top Lecturer of Political Science.

Continue Reading