Trilateral coast guard exercises between Japan, the Philippines and the U.S. in June: Countries with shared interests should coordinate for efficient capacity building.
Scott Edwards

Southeast Asia's partners must coordinate maritime security support

Programs are boosting regional capacity, but overlap distracts from missions

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Scott Edwards
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Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina contends that the U.S. is pursuing a strategy of regime change in her country. (Pool via Reuters)

Uneven U.S. treatment of Bangladesh and Pakistan makes little sense

Sanctions against Dhaka officials unlikely to help cause of democracy

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Foreign students in Tokyo prepare for Japanese university entrance exams. Of the 230,000 foreign students in Japan last year, 93% were from other Asian countries. (Photo by Wataru Ito) 
Takashi Kumon

Japan is looking in the wrong place for talented graduates

Targeting students from South and Southeast Asia would be more effective

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Takashi Kumon
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Andrew Yates, CEO of KPMG Australia, testifies in Canberra on June 7 at a Senate hearing related to the PwC tax scandal. (AAP)
Chris Wallace

Australia is finally waking up to the 'Big Con'

Hearings on PwC's leakage of tax plans have uncovered shocking web of conflicts

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Chris Wallace
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A startup incubator in Nagoya, Japan: The country is emerging as a power player in terms of entrepreneurship due to its pro-business policies and cross-border focus. (Photo by Yuki Nakao) 
Harley Finkelstein

Asian entrepreneurship has room to grow

Better connectivity and cultural shifts will benefit economies in region

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Harley Finkelstein
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has failed to cut the regulatory cholesterol that is discouraging entrepreneurship and job creation, and in turn GDP growth.

Gravity will pull Indian economic growth back down to Earth

Absent revival of demand or private investment, GDP pace will slow

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SBI is expected to pay a higher price for the government's shares in Shinsei than it is offering to general shareholders. (Photo by Yutaka Miyaguchi)
Stephen Givens

Shinsei shareholders shouldn't bear cost of Japan's 1998 bailout

As SBI bids to privatize bank, FSA is focused on recouping funds from LTCB rescue

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Stephen Givens
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ASEAN leaders pledged to work on a road map to expand regional payment links to all 10 bloc members at the summit in Indonesia in March. (Pool via Reuters)
Dedi Dinarto

Instant cross-border payments can tie ASEAN together more tightly

Indonesia makes case for reducing reliance on external currencies within bloc

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Dedi Dinarto
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The problem for Japanese workers is that inflation-adjusted wages have not been looking so good. Factoring in inflation, pay actually fell 1.8% during the last fiscal year.
Norihiro Yamaguchi and Makoto Tsuchiya

Pay in Japan is finally rising, but this won't boost growth much

Higher wages will have limited impact on overall inflation

Norihiro Yamaguchi and Makoto Tsuchiya
U.S. President Joe Biden at the IPEF launch in Tokyo in May 2022: Washington must do more to prove the viability of the new regional economic order it has been championing.
Rena Sasaki

Hollow supply chain pact no way to win over IPEF skeptics

U.S. should be offering to share stockpiles or compensate coercion victims

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Rena Sasaki
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An image released by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency shows what appears to be the country's new Chollima-1 rocket being launched in Cholsan, North Korea, on May 31. (KCNA/Reuters)
Nikkei Editorial

Trust between Tokyo, Seoul essential for regional security

Two democracies should extend current positive momentum to more fields

Nikkei Editorial
PBOC Gov. Yi Gang had earlier appeared set to retire on a high note. 

Silence of China's central bank adds to risks facing economy

PBOC should remember key lesson from Japan's 'lost decade'

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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, with U.S. counterpart Joe Biden at the G7 Hiroshima summit: The West has leaned excessively toward values. (Handout via Reuters)
Masahiro Matsumura

The West must get real and seize chance for Ukraine settlement

World needs peace and Kyiv cannot overcome Russia

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Masahiro Matsumura
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If the tax debate goes for an extended period, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will feel rising pressure from leading party stakeholders not to increase rates.
Jonathan Grady

To pay for defense buildup, Kishida must act swiftly on taxes

Resistance will only grow over time, pushing Japan toward costly deficit spending

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Jonathan Grady
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True reform requires governments taking full responsibility for monetary and fiscal policy as well as bank regulation. Central banks should assume an instrumental role.  
Satyajit Das

Australia's central bank review missed its mark

Real RBA reform is needed, beginning with a rethink of its independence

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Satyajit Das
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People gather for a fireworks show at Meiji Jingu Stadium in Tokyo in 2022: Built in 1924, the stadium is the second oldest in Japan. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumida) 
Robert Whiting

Showcasing Japanese baseball requires saving Meiji Jingu stadium

Tokyo Station renovation illustrates power of citizen action to drive preservation

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Robert Whiting
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Migrant children play at a nursery provided by their parents' employer on the outskirts of Bangkok: Companies have a responsibility to respect children's rights. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Debora Comini

Business must help protect ASEAN children affected by migration

Awareness of risks key to ensuring respect of rights

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Debora Comini
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TSMC is just one of many parts of China's invasion calculus. 
Jared M. McKinney

TSMC's fate will indeed be at stake if China attacks Taiwan

U.S. shouldn't threaten to bomb foundries, but self-destruction can be deterrent

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Jared M. McKinney
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While traditional Thai political parties paid canvassers to mobilize voters, Move Forward leaders went all over the country to spread the group's message of reform and change.

Thailand's traditional elite should seek compromise while it can

Move Forward's victory shows forces of change have momentum and broad support

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz poses with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in November 2022. (Pool via Reuters)
Max J. Zenglein

Germany can ignore anxious CEOs while setting China policy

Economic stakes are much lower than often portrayed

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Max J. Zenglein
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Cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure, including health care, energy and transportation, could result in widespread disruptions to economic activity and social stability.
Michaela Browning

Cross-border cooperation vital for Asia's cyber defense

Restrictions on data flows can undermine resilience

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Michaela Browning
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U.S. President Joe Biden reacts as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sings at a White House state dinner in April: The U.S. promised to keep its nuclear umbrella over South Korea. 
John Merrill and John Burton

Washington Declaration isn't slowing North Korea's nuclear program

U.S. must accept that 'all or nothing' approach to Pyongyang has failed

John Merrill and John Burton
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to supporters at the presidential palace in Ankara on May 29 following his reelection victory. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Nikkei Editorial

Turkey must rebuild democratic institutions after Erdogan's win

Ankara has unique role in global affairs, but serious reforms needed at home

Nikkei Editorial
A Taiwan Coast Guard ship off the Matsu Islands, where broken subsea cables highlighted the vulnerability of Taiwan's digital infrastructure.
Jason Hsu and Charles Mok

Taiwan's island internet cutoff highlights infrastructure risks

Region has to improve security and resiliency of critical undersea cable networks

Jason Hsu and Charles Mok