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Monday, August 17, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
INT’L MIGRANTS DAY-JAPAN: Helping Filipino Workers Help Themselves
Rain or shine, Mercy, a 29-year-old Filipino domestic worker in Tokyo, attends free weekly computer classes for migrant workers. This programme, she says, will soon help her find a better job - paving the way for a more secure future.JAPAN: Simply Irresistible ‘Yonsama’ Helps Cool Bilateral Tensions
Japan's diplomacy with East Asia may have taken a turn for the worse recently but the whopping popularity of several Korean stars among the public here signals how arts can play a more important role than politics in easing bilateral tensions.DISABLED PERSONS DAY-JAPAN: Fight to Get Thumbs Up for Down Syndrome
Kyoko Mita, 52, has never recovered from the shock she suffered when her newborn son tested positive for Down syndrome 23 years ago.DISABLED PERSONS DAY-JAPAN: Fight to Get Thumbs Up for Down Syndrome
Kyoko Mita, 52, has never recovered from the shock she suffered when her newborn son tested positive for Down syndrome 23 years ago.POLITICS-EAST ASIA: Giants Get Ready for Face-to-Face After APEC
As Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi gets ready, on Sunday, to meet China's President Hu Jintao for the first time in over a year, stark realities have become clearly evident.POLITICS-JAPAN: Bush Re-election Means Even Closer Ties
Japan’s role in the U.S.-led war on terror is expected to grow in the wake of the re- election of U.S. President George W Bush, analysts here say.HEALTH-JAPAN: Organ Transplants By-Pass Children
Desperate for an organ transplant for his five-month old son, and up against all odds in Japan from ever finding a donor, Yukio Ohasi decided to bite the bullet and head to the United States.U.S. ELECTION: Japan’s Political Elites Prefer a Bush Return
While eyebrows and heckles were raised when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi displayed unusually explicit support for President George W. Bush ahead of the November presidential election in the United States, observers indicate the premier's behaviour reflects the thinking of the country's political establishment.POPULATION-JAPAN: Friends in Cyberspace Unite in Death
Loneliness, financial insecurity and poor communication skills were highlighted as the underlying causes of a spate of shocking group suicide pacts in Japan this week.IRAQ: Just a Nod From Donors to Release Cash
The desperate plea by Iraq's interim government for more funds from the international community to help stabilise the country, where bombings, kidnappings and ambushes have become a daily part of life, received a tentative nod of support from donors gathered at a conference here that ended Thursday.RIGHTS-JAPAN: Activists Want Foreign Spouse Abuse Acknowledged
While domestic violence is now accepted as a major issue in the country, activists are working hard to draw attention to abused foreign spouses who they say suffer just as much as their Japanese counterpartsRIGHTS-JAPAN: Activists Question the Need for the Hangman’s Noose
Katatsumuri-kai or the Snail Association is a small group of activists campaigning against the death penalty in Japan./ARTS WEEKLY/ASIA: Regional Films Get Top Billing in Fukuoka Festival
Asian films usually play second fiddle to Hollywood in Japan's competitive movie industry, but they enjoyed top billing at a region-wide film festival in Fukuoka, a bustling city in southern Japan.JAPAN: Jenkins’ Hearing Could Expose North Korean Secrets
As the legal drama unfolds soon in the desertion trial of Charles Robert Jenkins, wanted by the U.S. Army for abandoning his patrol, close attention will be paid to his testimony for possible secrets into North Korea - the place where Jenkins made his home for nearly 40 years.LABOUR-JAPAN: Foreign Remittances Become Lifesavers Back Home
Remittances sent home by tens of thousands of foreign workers, both undocumented and those holding working visas, has made Japan a leading source of foreign exchange for developing countries - surpassing Tokyo's foreign aid budget.RIGHTS-JAPAN: Desperate, Kurds Persist with Sit-in Protest
Nearly 50 days have passed since a group of Kurds, desperate for refugee status after years of waiting, launched a sit-in at the entrance of the building in the Japanese capital that houses the offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Although the protest has been largely fruitless, they vow to press on.POLITICS-JAPAN: Global Realities Force Constitutional Review
While Japan tries to seek a permanent seat in the U.N. Security Council, there is a growing perception that the country’s constitution, promulgated in 1946, is out of touch with the present transformed world as well as the realities of Japanese society.CONSERVATION-ASIA: Region’s Affluence Spurs Demand for Wildlife
Conservationists fighting to stop wildlife trade, are now turning their attention to Asia, where they say affluence has made the region a top market for endangered species.JAPAN: Worship of War Dead Rekindles Brutal Memories
Post-war Japan, unlike post-war Germany, has been never able to face its brutal wartime record in any serious, self-reflective manner. And this year's anniversary of the end of World War II, comes at a time when the country is undergoing a nascent nationalist rise - much to the worry of Japan's Asian neighbours, in particular China.JAPAN: Worship of War Dead Rekindles Brutal Memories
Post-war Japan, unlike post-war Germany, has been never able to face its brutal wartime record in any serious, self-reflective manner. And this year's anniversary of the end of World War II, comes at a time when the country is undergoing a nascent nationalist rise - much to the worry of Japan's Asian neighbours, in particular China.ENERGY-JAPAN: Nuclear Accident Shakes Public Confidence
Japan's worst accident at a nuclear power plant has shaken public confidence in the industry's safety record with activists blaming the country's lax nuclear regulations for the mishap that killed four and injured seven others at the plant west of the capital.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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