JAPAN: WHERE YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THE CRIME TO DO THE TIME
MALCOLM KAM WRITES — Japan’s criminal conviction rate of roughly 99.9% is nothing new, but many people seem to misinterpret this as a sign that the judicial system is doing a good job of keeping criminals off the streets. The truth is that Japan’s conviction rate is so high because…
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CHINA: MAKING THE NBA JUMP THROUGH POLITICAL HOOPS
TAYLOR BOSVELD WRITES — It is no secret that China is continuing to grow its influence on the world stage, yet who would think that one of the most culturally impactful institutions in the United States is the National Basketball Association? And what’s the relationship between China and the NBA?…
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JAPAN: ‘THE VOICE OF THE ASIAN CENTURY’ GETS A TUNE-UP
LIAM ROGERS WRITES — On September 29th, Nikkei Asian Review announced its rebranding to Nikkei Asia. Despite a few changes, the integrity of its journalistic reporting remains intact. The rebranding, founded upon The Nikkei’s acquisition of the Financial Times (FT) in 2015, will incorporate several aspects of business that were used in the business model of…
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NEW ZEALAND: WILL THE END OF LIFE CHOICE ACT SURVIVE THE GENERAL ELECTION?
DANICA CREAHAN WRITES — On October 17, New Zealanders will vote in the general election on the Prime Minister, legalizing the use of recreational marijuana and one uniquely straightforward question: “Do you support the End of Life Choice Act 2019 coming into force?” New Zealand is the first country in…
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INDONESIA: WOMEN’S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS…AREN’T THEY?
SIANY GUNAWAN WRITES – In Indonesia, the debate on women’s rights has accelerated in response to political and social challenges. More and more women are being sexually abused and, according to women’s legal counselors, the alleged violence had continued for years. The National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) recorded…
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KOREA: ARE WOMEN’S RIGHTS, NORTH AND SOUTH, AN OPEN BOOK ON THE LITERARY LANDSCAPE?
ANDREA PLATE WRITES — This year, the best-selling North Korean novel Friend was translated into English and approved for publication in the US by the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea – a first in that nation’s history. Immanuel Kim, 42, professor of Korean Literature and Culture Studies at George…
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PHILIPPINES: CONVICTED U.S. MARINE SET FREE
MARY SANDRINE BERNOS WRITES — Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude, a transgender woman, was found dead in 2014 at a local motel in Olongapo City by U.S. Marine Joseph Pemberton. She was found in the bathroom, wrapped in a blanket and slumped over a toilet bowl, after the soldier, upon finding out…
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MOVIE REVIEW: ‘ORIENTAL’ MULAN IS OUTDATED
CADY-BREE ABE WRITES — At first, Mulan was a girl worth fighting for, but the new live action movie released in 2020, starring Yifei Liu, leaves audiences disappointed and devastated. The live action Mulan transforms a beloved Disney princess movie into something nearly unrecognizable to many who held this film…
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CHINA: THE LONG-AWAKENED GIANT
ALI AL-SABAH WRITES — Two hundred years ago, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte famously remarked that “China is a sleeping giant. Let her sleep for when she wakes up she will move the world.” The potential, the sheer will of the people, and the challenge that the country posed were not so…
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JAPAN: THE GUNDAM GLOBAL CHALLENGE HEATS UP POP CULTURE AND ‘COUNTRY COOL’
MALCOLM KAM WRITES – Standing at 18 meters tall, Japan’s 1:1 scale animatronic Gundam is now fully assembled. The animatronic is modeled after the Gundam RX-78-2, a giant bipedal mech that made its debut in the 1979 anime Mobile Suit Gundam. Since then, Gundam has remained wildly popular, both in…
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CHINA: BYTEDANCE SAVES TIKTOK FROM CLOCKING OUT OF THE US
TIA CARR WRITES — Just last week, the popular app TikTok was flooded with frantic posts from prominent figures saying goodbye to their beloved online forum and urging followers to keep up with them on other online platforms. This came in response to President Trump’s executive order, demanding that Apple…
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INDONESIA: WHY I LEFT THE COUNTRY WHERE I WAS BORN
GABY RUSLI WRITES — Beautiful beaches, divine seafood, welcoming people, a wide array of flavors-those are the words I would use to describe Indonesia, my birthplace. I take pride in having lived there most of my life, but at the same time, I grieve the lack of progress in certain…
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TOP PROF ADVISOR GRILLED OVER N. KOREA OUTRAGE
COURTESY OF THE PACIFIC CENTURY INSTITUTE — We are pleased to share PCI board member Dr. Chung-in Moon’s recent interview in a South Korean TV news special on “North Korean Killing of a South Korean Government Worker at Sea: Getting to the Bottom of the Truth with Moon Chung-in” that…
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MYANMAR: ROHINGYA DROWNING IN BLAME FOR SECOND WAVE OF COVID-19
SARA ALTUWAIJRI WRITES — Myanmar is facing a second wave of COVID-19, new cases are skyrocketing and, with general elections coming November 8, officials are accusing Rohingya of spreading the second wave of COVID. Why the blame? So that those aiming for election or re-election can gain people’s support. As…
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US: CAN JUDGE RUTH BADER GINSBURG’S PASSING PUSH FOR A FINAL CHANGE?
TOM PLATE WRITES — There was always something of the Goliath versus David, if you framed such a thesis/antithesis picture: of Ruth Bader Ginsburg up against Donald J. Trump – the diminutive versus the hulk, the thinker versus the non-thinker, the caring versus the uncaring. But someone of stature had…
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