ISDP Voices

On January 20, 2021, Joseph Biden is scheduled to assume the next U.S. President succeeding Donald Trump who had taken presidential leadership since January 20, 2017. It has been observed that foreign and security policy under the Biden administration vis-à-vis Japan may be more predictable unlike the case of President Trump who demanded Japan increase […]

Ever since China in 2015 set its goal of eradicating absolute poverty by the end of 2020, the Chinese state-run media have been reporting on the progress. In late November this year, it announced that China’s remaining impoverished counties had “shaken off poverty”. The news was later followed by an official announcement of China having […]

The Japanese government is slated to pass the fifth Basic Plan for Gender Equality, which will be put into operation from 2021. While new targets will be added, the core of the plan is likely to resemble the plan presented in 2015. Although empowering women was one of the key strategies of the former prime […]

The geopolitical ambitions of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have increased the pressures on overseas Chinese. This growing group is caught between China’s quest for international influence and the racism and exploitation in their host countries. With the launch of the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, the sharp rise in young Chinese […]

“China is”, in the words of Bertrand Russell, “much less a political entity than a civilization”. Chinese civilization would exist even without a Chinese state, just as we may speak of European civilization despite Europe not being a state. It is not easy to define exactly what “Chinese civilization” or “Chinese culture” is, and it […]

As one of China’s least developed areas, Yunnan Province in the country’s southwest is at the epicenter of the Chinese state’s efforts to eradicate poverty. Yunnan is also a historically diverse area with several ethnic groups. Less well off than the dominant Han majority, China’s ethnic minorities are the most beset by economic hardship. The […]

The coronavirus pandemic continues to hamper the travel industry all over the world. The aviation industry in particular is grappling with the economic fallout from the sharp drop in demand after many countries reverted to stringent containment measures to limit the spread of the virus. Although expected to eventually become the world’s largest domestic aviation […]

In March 2020, the Japanese government deployed a cutting-edge vehicle-mounted network electronic warfare system (NEWS) to the Signal School of the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. The Ministry of Defense of Japan moreover plans to establish an electronic warfare capability unit of 80 personnel as part of the GSDF at Camp Kengun […]

In late May 2020, the violent death of a female lawyer in China sparked public outrage – mainly on social media. Allegedly strangled by her 15-year old daughter, the case reignited a nation-wide debate about whether China’s juvenile justice system is too lenient in its approach, despite the girl potentially facing criminal charges if found […]

With the resignation of Abe Shinzô coming as somewhat of a surprise to most, we speak to our Distinguished Fellow Dr. Lars Vargö to seek an understanding of Abe’s legacy and who could take up the role of Japan’s next prime minister. What was the reason behind Prime Minister Abe Shinzô’s resignation? His resignation can […]