Against the backdrop of China and India’s rise, Japan looks to Africa to help assert its position in a contested regional order Africa is becoming a new strategic playground for Asian nations, especially Japan, China and India. While China and India are relatively new to the contemporary African game, Japan’s engagement of postcolonial Africa has
Japan deepens its engagement of Africa Read More »
Japan’s recent Upper House elections had special significance—it was the first time 18 and 19-year-olds were allowed to vote For the first time in a Japanese national election, 18 and 19-year-olds voted on 10 July 2016 in the 24th Upper House election, which saw the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Kōmeito, returned with
Will Japan’s lowered voting age reverse decreasing voter turnouts? Read More »
Mothers under pressure as Japan pushes return to a traditional diet The Japanese government’s shokuiku (food education) campaign entered a new phase recently that again places rice-based dishes at the forefront of the national diet. Shokuiku started in 2005 in response to concerns over rising lifestyle-related diseases, food safety and national food sufficiency, and for
Japan’s food education campaign takes on a nationalistic flavour Read More »
Japan’s latest aid charter has introduced new and controversial measures Foreign aid is a key instrument of international engagement in Japan’s foreign policy toolkit. Although Tokyo is no longer the world’s top aid donor that it once was in the 1990s, it still is one of the leading ODA (official development assistance) donors within the
New thinking redefines Japan’s foreign aid policy Read More »
Another rape and murder on Okinawa reignites long-simmering anti-US protests On 19 May 2016, the body of a 20 year old local woman was found in a mountainous region in Okinawa. She had been throttled and stabbed. She had gone missing on 28 April 2016 after telling her boyfriend she was going for a walk.
Okinawa road map leads to another dead end Read More »
Contrary to popular belief, the number of juvenile offenders and cases in Japan has decreased significantly in recent years. In an interview with Ms Yoshiko Ohmachi, a Family Court probation officer for the Supreme Court of Japan, Stacey Steele explores the reasons behind the decline. SS: Ohmachi san, thank you for visiting the Melbourne Law
Japan’s declining youth crime? Read More »
