In The News

Japan’s Population Outlook and Immigration Talk

April 14, 2017
An April report from Japan’s National Institute of Population and Security Research predicts that the nation’s population will shrink by 30 percent within the next half century unless current government policy aimed at increasing the fertility rate is a rapid success. With a decline of 40 percent, the size of the working population, ages 15 to 64, is forecasted to plunge even further, reports the...

The Diplomat: British Trainers Quietly Help Shape North Korean Education

Charlotte Fitzek April 14, 2017
Education in any topic and choices made by teachers can transform attitudes over time. For 17 years, the British Council has run an English Language Teacher Training Program in North Korea. “Against all odds, this program has grown,” including teachers outside of Pyongyang, and focusing on “best practices and methodology,” notes Charlotte Fitzek for the Diplomat. The project – one of the few...

CNN: Man Filmed Being Dragged Off United Flight Causes Outrage

James Griffiths and Serenitie Wang April 12, 2017
The video of a man bloodied by security guards for refusing to give up his seat on a plane bound for Louisville, Kentucky, is proving to be a global social media sensation. Twitter users are mocking the company by creating new mottos for United Airlines and memes, and Weibo users have made the video its “number one trending topic” with “tens of thousands of outraged posts,” report James...

South China Morning Post: Risks Rising for China’s City Commercial Banks

Laura He April 11, 2017
“City commercial banks across China are increasingly relying on interbank funding and wealth management products as deposit substitutes– but growing investment holdings, waning liquidity and weakened capital buffers have rendered them more vulnerable to financial disruption, according to analysts at Fitch Ratings,” reports Laura He for South China Morning Post. Her article focuses on smaller...

Asia Sentinel: Pyongyang Finds an Ally in Moscow

Alessandra Colarizi April 6, 2017
US President Donald Trump said to Financial Times, “If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will.” Trump may be one step behind as North Korea increasingly turns to Russia for support. “Gone are the days when Beijing was by far the Democratic People’s Republic’s most reliable partner,” reports Alessandra Colarizi for Asia Sentinel. “And although China accounts for 90 percent of North Korea...

Foreign Affairs: The Vatican and China Reach a Promising Accord

Victor Gaetan March 30, 2017
In February, the Bishop of Hong Kong announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pope Francis have negotiated a compromise in the selection of Chinese bishops, a critical religious disagreement that has festered since the 1950s. Although Chinese state and religious authorities will “recommend episcopal candidates,” the pope has veto power and hence “final authority,” reports Victor Gaetan for...

Barron’s: Asia’s Biggest Central Banks Diverge

William Pesek March 21, 2017
The People’s Bank of China, in line with the US Federal Reserve’s March 15th decision, recently increased some interest rates while the Bank of Japan responded by maintaining its negative interest rate target. Divergence in monetary policy “adds a new element of market uncertainty into 2017,” writes William Pesek for Barron’s. The governor of the People’s Bank of China, Zhou Xiaochuan, instituted...