Politics

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks with the leaders of the U.S., India and Australia online on March 3. (Photo courtesy of Japan's Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
Indo-Pacific

Quad urges India to condemn Russia over Ukraine

New Delhi has abstained from voting at U.N. General Assembly

4 March 2022
A view of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Japan's benchmark index closed lower on Feb. 21 as investors worried about the situation surrounding Ukraine.
Markets

Nikkei index closes down over fears Russia may invade Ukraine

Japanese benchmark recovers some losses as efforts ramp up to prevent conflict

21 February 2022
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's Liberal-National Party coalition is trailing in the polls with an election approaching fast.
Politics

Australia reopens to world as election sparring heats up

Behind in polls, PM eyes tourism boost, accuses foes of doing China's bidding

21 February 2022
Scott Morrison, pictured in Canberra on Feb. 1: the Prime Minister portrays Labor and its leadership as compromised on national security.
Opinion

Chinese reds-under-bed hysteria will not scare Australian voters

Attempts to tie Labor-led opposition to Beijing fall flat

21 February 2022
From left: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi speak to reporters on Feb. 11.
Ukraine war

Ukraine crisis 'impacts' Indo-Pacific, Blinken says at Quad meeting

Foreign ministers gather in Australia with regional order 'under pressure'

11 February 2022
Scott Morrison, pictured in Canberra on Feb. 1: the Australian prime minister has benefited from a benign environment.
Opinion

Defeat stalks Australia's Scott Morrison as May poll looms

Speculation that ruling party could switch leaders before general election

7 February 2022
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head to Australia next week for a Quad foreign ministers' meeting. 
International relations

Blinken's Asia visit to emphasize commitment despite Ukraine crisis

U.S. secretary of state meets with Quad counterparts and Pacific Island states

5 February 2022
Then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, left, shakes hands with then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel during a roundtable discussion in 2014. Emanuel also has served as President Barack Obama's chief of staff.
Biden's Asia policy

Biden's China hands: Trusted allies tapped as Quad envoys

Ambassadors to Japan, Australia and India entrusted to enhance Indo-Pacific alliance

4 February 2022
The EU launched a challenge at the WTO on Thursday accusing China of discriminatory trade practices against Lithuania that it says threaten the integrity of the single market.
Trade

Australia to seek part in China-EU trade row at WTO

Canberra 'opposes use of economic coercion' and 'discriminatory' trade practices

29 January 2022
Fumio Kishida and Scott Morrison attend a video signing ceremony of the Reciprocal Access Agreement on Jan. 6: Japan needs to adopt fresh thinking.
Opinion

Japan's Middle East policy needs fresh thinking

New Asian defense pacts can help set a new tone from the Indo-Pacific to the Gulf

28 January 2022
This photo from the window of a New Zealand Defence Force P-3K2 Orion surveillance flight shows heavy ash fall over Nomuka in Tonga.
International relations

Australia and New Zealand compete with China for Tonga influence

Neighboring countries send ships and aid to help nation after volcanic eruption

20 January 2022
Novak Djokovic practices at Melbourne Park on Jan. 13: the Serbian tennis player was in Australia only to play tennis, not to talk about vaccines and COVID.
Opinion

Djokovic deportation reveals Australia's authoritarian mindset

Personal views now reason enough do deny any high profile person entry

18 January 2022
A screen shows an image of Xi Jinping at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing: 2022 will be a year of recalibration for China's foreign policy.
Opinion

Retirement of China's chief provocateur signals course correction

Former Global Times editor Hu Xijin was equivalent to a three-star general

17 January 2022
The eruption of an underwater volcano off Tonga, which triggered a tsunami warning for several South Pacific island nations, is seen in an image from the NOAA GOES-West satellite taken at 05:10 a.m. GMT on Jan. 15. (Handout photo from CIRA/NOAA)
Natural disasters

Japan's eastern coast hit by tsunami triggered by Tonga eruption

Waves 1.2 meters high reported; agency warns of those up to 3 meters

16 January 2022
Fumio Kishida and Scott Morrison attend a video signing ceremony on Jan. 6: the Reciprocal Access Agreement only goes some way to mitigating the fact that Canberra and Tokyo have at times quite different instincts about how to deal with China.
Opinion

New wave of Asian defense pacts no magic template for countering China

U.S. will need to increase military presence to change Beijing's strategic calculations

12 January 2022
Joe Biden hosts a Quad leaders summit at the White House in September 2021: American, Australian, Indian and Japanese interests are not entirely congruent.
Opinion

The Quad needs an economic pillar to stand on

Four nation grouping needs to focus on more security to maintain relevance

10 January 2022
Disinformation from some of Asia's ruling elites can thrive on Facebook, TikTok and Twitter due to inequality-driven distrust and democratic declines, new academic research says. (Source photo by AP and Reuters)
Politics

Viral lies spread democratic decay from Thailand to Nepal: report

Asia needs structural change, not just tech crackdown, USAID-backed scholars say

9 January 2022
Novak Djokovic waits at an Australian Border Force desk on his arrival at Melbourne Airport on Jan. 5: it is not just Djokovic who will pay the price.
Opinion

Djokovic saga highlights Australia's border obsession

Unsympathetic sporting himbo is an unlikely exposer of injustice

8 January 2022
Officers from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force and the Australian Army coordinate plans during last summer's Talisman Sabre joint exercise in Australia. (Photo courtesy of Australian Department of Defense)
Indo-Pacific

Japan and Australia strengthen quasi-alliance with eye on China

Reciprocal Access Agreement paves way for more joint drills in Indo-Pacific

7 January 2022
Japan is in lockstep with Australia on China.
Opinion

Australia can learn from Tokyo's smarter approach to China

Japan has played its Beijing cards more intelligently than Canberra

5 January 2022
The JS Shiranui destroyer takes part in the Malabar naval exercises in 2021. (Photo courtesy of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force)
Interview

Japan needs more offensive firepower for deterrence: Patrick Cronin

Hudson Institute analyst sees vital role for Tokyo in peace across Taiwan Strait

5 January 2022
Elections in Asia this year will be an important test of several countries' political mood and institutions.
Asia Insight

From Philippines to South Korea: A guide to a busy election year

Democracy under pressure in Asia as pendulum swings toward authoritarianism

4 January 2022
A medical worker administers tests at a drive-through COVID-19 testing center in Sydney on Dec. 22.
Coronavirus

Australia COVID infections hit high as omicron strains politics

Over 11,000 new cases, mandatory self-isolation threaten reopening plans

28 December 2021
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has likened wearing a mask to "slapping on the hat and slapping on the sunscreen."
Coronavirus

Omicron spells new test for Morrison ahead of Australia election

PM stresses 'personal responsibility' over lockdowns as cases set records

25 December 2021
From left, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, then-Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi after a "two-plus-two" meeting in Tokyo in March.
International relations

Japan and U.S. to move 2+2 security talks online over omicron

Kishida weighs trips to Australia and India as hope for Biden summit recedes

25 December 2021