Headlines

The week in Japan: Takaichi gets her supplemental budget

The House of Councillors passed the Takaichi government’s JPY 3.11 trillion budget on Friday, June 5, as expected, with the Democratic Party for the People (DPFP), Team Mirai, and the Conservative Party of Japan (CPJ) joining the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Ishin no Kai

Asia

Xi heads to Pyongyang, Moscow on his mind

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to North Korea will be delicate and difficult. The relationship no longer resembles that of “lips and teeth” from the Korean War era — Korean lips and Chinese teeth. It has evolved into far more complex and contradictory ties, not

Asia

Ballot fiasco shakes faith in South Korea’s electoral system

Free and fair elections are the foundation of liberal democracy, and South Korea has long been regarded as one of Asia’s democratic success stories. Power changes hands peacefully between conservative and progressive governments, civic engagement remains robust, and even

Asia