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Wednesday, August 12, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
JAPAN: Okinawa Poll Results Boost for US Military Ties
The victory of a former bureaucrat over a socialist female candidate in Sunday's closely contested gubernatorial election in Okinawa, host to major United States military bases in Japan, has boosted the government's plans to strengthen its military ties with Washington.POLITICS-JAPAN: Peace Vote Will Decide ‘Battle of Okinawa’
Over the past month, Ayano Takaesu, 52, and her husband, Jiro, have allowed the income from the fair-trade shop they run in Okinawa to drop drastically as they devote much of their time campaigning in the run up to the Okinawa gubernatorial election on Sunday.JAPAN: Exploiting ‘Trainee’ Migrant Workers
The story, this week, of three Chinese women workers fleeing a garments factory in northern Aomori prefecture has dealt another blow to Japan's much touted trainee programme for foreign workers-that activists say is a front for cheap labour.ENVIRONMENT-JAPAN: Green Lawmakers Stop Dam Building Spree
Japan's vaunted dam building culture, costing millions of dollars in public funds, is taking a beating these days with the election of environmentally-conscious governors and growing public opposition.EDUCATION-JAPAN: Patriotism as Remedy for Bullying, School Ills?
A spate of new cases of student bullying and other school scandals have boosted Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plans to revise Japan's controversial Fundamental Education Reform Bill, which aims to inculcate patriotism in children.JAPAN: Turning to ‘NEETS’ to Cover Labour Shortages
For the past four years, Naoko Suzuki and her husband Koiji have been trying various ways to coax their 26-year-old son to leave the tight cocoon of his room and join a training programme that may help him get a job and enter mainstream society.JAPAN: Activists Plan to Nip Nuclear Ambitions
Recent remarks by top level politicians and military strategists while discussing the once taboo topic of Japan becoming a nuclear weapons power has raised bitter memories for Shoji Kihara, 57, a peace activist living in Hiroshima.EAST ASIA: Torn Between Japan-US Ties and N. Korean Bomb
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's tour of Japan, China and South Korea last week to rally support for tough measures against North Korea underscored Japan's growing military dependence on Washington.ENVIRONMENT-JAPAN: Readying for Life Without Bluefin Tuna Dishes
Fish vendors in this seafood crazy country are yet to recover from the shock of seeing their government accept a drastic 50 percent cut in Japan's catches of the prized southern bluefin tuna.JAPAN: Economic Reforms Breed Young Underclass
Japan's much acclaimed economic recovery means little to Masami, 24, who has been hopping jobs for the past five years after giving up plans to attend university because his father was ailing.ENVIRONMENT-JAPAN: A Cut Off For Free Chopsticks?
China's decision to raise prices on its exports of wooden chopsticks is proving something of a problem for Japanese restaurants and the like, that have long offered them to customers for free.EAST ASIA: Grappling with Security Crisis Triggered by N. Korea Nuke Test
North Korea's underground nuclear weapons test, the first by the Stalinist state, has plunged East Asia into its worst security crisis - a situation so bad that analysts contend the fallout could be a string of difficult problems in the region.POLITICS-JAPAN: In Two Minds About the Thai Coup
Thailand's 18th military coup, though bloodless and relatively calm, has raised troubling issues for Japan that plays a key role in South-east Asia's development.JAPAN: Shinzo Abe Will Boost Patriotism, Ties With US
The election of Shinzo Abe as head of the powerful Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and prime minister designate is watched with a sense of doom by liberalists, while his backers display satisfaction that a conservative politician will now steer the country towards a dominant role in Asia.POPULATION-JAPAN: Protecting Working Mothers’ Rights
Kaori Tokoro, 37, gave up the job she held down for 12 years with a medium-sized interior design company when she became pregnant six years ago.POLITICS: Indo-US Nuclear Deal Tests Japan’s Policies
Japan's nuclear power industry is under the spotlight again as the world debates the nuclear proliferation controversy in Iran and North Korea and Tokyo comes under pressure from the United States to support its own nuclear cooperation pact with India.POLITICS-JAPAN: Prince’s Birth Setback for Feminists
The birth of a royal prince on Wednesday morning has effectively suppressed a long-awaited debate on a new law, opposed by conservatives, to allow females to succeed to the imperial throne, say analysts.ENVIRONMENT: Japan Swelters Under Urban Heat Island Effect
The gleaming high rise buildings that crowd the cityscape may symbolize Japan's economic recovery but they have also converted this priciest of human habitats into vast heat-trapping canyons in what is known as the urban heat island (UHI) effect.ECONOMY-JAPAN: New Business Model, Koizumi’s Legacy
Japan's rapidly accelerating economy is regarded as Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's major contribution as he prepares to step down next month from the high office he assumed in 2001.ECONOMY-JAPAN: New Business Model, Koizumi’s Legacy
Japan's rapidly accelerating economy is regarded as Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's major contribution as he prepares to step down next month from the high office he assumed in 2001.ENVIRONMENT-JAPAN: Pawning Natural Wealth for Tourism Revenues
Shiratoko peninsula, home to a stretch of pristine forests, lakes and wild life, is facing an environmental crisis thanks to crowds of tourists attracted by its inclusion in UNESCO's World Heritage list last July.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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