Japan
Australia’s lost appeal: Reversing a downward trend for Japanese students
Australia–Japan educational links are on a downward trend. The number of Japanese students in Australia peaked in 2004 at 16,500. That number declined to 9,400 in pandemic…
Building a Quad that lasts to the next generation
Despite US President Joe Biden cancelling his trip to Australia and Papua New Guinea amid rancorous debt debates at home, leading to the cancellation of the Quad summit in Sydney,…
Japan’s Article 9: Pacifism and protests as defence budget doubles
Golden Week in Japan is so-named for the coincidence of public holidays starting at the end of April and continuing through until 5 May. In a good year, and in between weekends,…
Managing Japan-Australia energy tensions in a time of transition
Yamagami Shingo, who until last week served as Japan’s ambassador to Australia, again voiced criticism of Australia’s energy policy just before leaving his post. The Japanese…
Economic diplomacy: Friends, rivals and diplomatic gaslighting
Hitting the gas
Japan’s ambassador to Australia Shingo Yamagami made himself an unexpectedly public figure in the reserved Canberra diplomatic corps with his witty social media…
Quad should ask ASEAN to a diplomatic dance
In early 1979, fearing the growing security cooperation between Hanoi and Moscow, China invaded Vietnam. A year earlier, the then-Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping met Singapore’s…
China is its own worst enemy
On 3 April, the Philippines government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr formally unveiled four additional locations where US forces will be permitted to operate. Two of those…
To help end war in Ukraine, the Quad should back India to engage Russia
India has grown a reputation as a “global swing state”, an old term that has taken on a new resonance in the context of New Delhi’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
…
What the Quad could learn from AUKUS
The latest AUKUS announcement ignited a furious debate. How should we weigh the risks and rewards of the plan for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines? Critics, from…
Japan feels the pinch as fertiliser costs soar thanks to Russia’s war
For many countries, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had a grave impact on food costs and availability. Grain export bans and pipeline shutdowns by Russia have resulted in a sharp…