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Tuesday, April 21, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
JAPAN: Economic Woes Hover Over Yearend Revelry
Japanese employees are marking the countdown to the new year with the usual parties that they traditionally indulge in to 'forget the past and start afresh’. But how they celebrate – and how much they spend on these ‘bonen-kai’ celebrations – are a harbinger of the state of the economy.JAPAN: Becoming International, But Not Quite
Forget dropping names or slipping the hostess a bill or two. It’s luck that’s important in snagging a reservation at Dhaba, an average-priced Indian restaurant that has become such a must-go place for Tokyo residents that guests are limited to a maximum stay of two hours.JAPAN: More Economic Woes, More Violence At Home
Japan’s prolonged economic woes seem to have helped worsen the country’s problem with domestic violence.RIGHTS-JAPAN: Lay Judges Open Up Judicial System
It recently handed down two death sentences just a few days apart, leaving many of those against capital punishment upset. But legal experts say Japan’s lay-judge system is changing this country’s criminal justice process for the better, largely because it is making this process closer to the public.NORTH-EAST ASIA: Calls Rise for Sober Response to Pyongyang
The days after North Korea’s shelling of a South Korean island have seen anger rise from Seoul and its allies, but some analysts say this plays into Pyongyang’s agenda and call for a more sober approach to one of Asia’s most serious security flashpoints.POLITICS-JAPAN: Territorial Rows Undercutting Pacifist Stance
Thorny territorial disputes with neighbours China and Russia appear to nudging Japan’s pacifist public toward accepting what has so far been an unpalatable prospect: a more assertive and militarily strong country.G-20: Summit Shows Power Shift for Developing Economies
Currency and trade tensions may have grabbed the headlines from the two-day summit of the Group of 20 advanced and developed economies, but the bigger story is how the tables have turned and given developing countries a much stronger voice at the international negotiating table.DEVELOPMENT: Currency Friction A Test of G-20 Mettle
South Korea’s leadership faces a serious test when it hosts a summit of the Group of 20 advanced and developing economies this month, amid a currency war that is straining relations among its members.ASIA-PACIFIC: Trade Concerns Loom In Yet Another APEC Summit
Yet another Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is around the corner, but questions remain about its impact on trade liberalisation more than 20 years after the forum was born amid grand visions of a world free of trade barriers.RIGHTS-JAPAN: Motherhood Is A Choice, Say Activists
For years, Kanako Nashimura longed to have a child, but was diagnosed as having a blocked fallopian tube. Encouraged by her husband and in-laws, she tried various fertility treatments, but not one of them worked.JAPAN: Foreigners Can Live Here, But Not Vote
Rising opposition is likely to block the passage of a bill giving voting rights to foreign nationals who have permanent residency in Japan – even though the majority of this group has been born here.JAPAN: Climate Change Concerns Give Aid A Green Hue
It may not be easy to imagine Japan as a jolly green giant, but to several Asian countries that have been enjoying environmental projects funded by Japanese aid, that’s what this nation has resembled in the last two decades.JAPAN: Pension Scandals Expose Growing Poverty, Desperation
The son had cared for his sick father, and when the old man died, he buried the body in his garden. But the son did not tell the authorities about his father’s death, as required by law. Instead, he continued to act as if his father was still alive, and collected the old man’s pension.BIODIVERSITY: Japan Cooks Up New Ideas as Fish Consumption Depletes Stocks
A processed fish cake, made of a mixture of deep sea fish species pounded into paste and sold either deep fried or frozen, is the brain child of Takuhira Kaneko, head of Act for Company, which trades in fish and located in western Fukuoka city in Japan.RIGHTS-JAPAN: Death Penalty Still Hangs In The Balance
It has been a long and exhausting wait for anti-death penalty campaigners like Akiko Takada, but there are few signs that capital punishment will be taken off Japan’s law books any time soon.ASIA: Japan Watches As China Passes It By
China’s stepping up as the world’s second largest economy drives home to Japan the point that after decades of ruling the roost in Asia, it will have to share the leadership stage with a new, powerful contender that is here to stay.JAPAN: Househusbands Giving Birth To More Gender Equality
Since their first child was born 16 years ago, Hiroyuki Ozaki has taken care of the household, relinquishing his traditional role as the main breadwinner while his wife held on to her career in the travel industry.RIGHTS-JAPAN: Not All Working Women Are Equal
Fifty-one year old Miharu juggles two part-time jobs at a law firm and at a design company, but is barely able to make ends meet in one of the world’s richest economies.
JAPAN: Tapping Into Tokyo’s Past Pushes Conservation Efforts
When architect Hikari Kurihara built his quaint house five years ago, he hoped to spread a new message of conservation – by revisiting the past.JAPAN: Foreign Caregivers’ Language Exam Triggers Debate
Wahyudin dreams of becoming a full-fledged caregiver, if not a certified nurse, in Japan. But the Indonesian worker must first pass the required Japanese-language national certification examination, which is far from easy.RIGHTS-JAPAN: Social Fallout of Atomic Bombings Hounds Survivors
With her knees shaking and her heart thudding, Toshiko Hamamako rose to address the audience. But it was more than stage fright.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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