Bread & Roses: Osaka Court Overturns Welfare Cut
A Japanese court overturned a welfare reduction for the first time ever on February 22, 2021.
US Farmers Declare Solidarity with Protesters in India
US farmers and food justice advocates have published a statement of solidarity with Indian farmers who are protesting unpopular new laws and “the forces of neoliberalism” imposed at the prompting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s far right, Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party
Speakeasy: Japan at the Center of Trade Rulemaking in Asia-Pacific
This SNA Speakeasy features Hiroki Takeuchi on the theme of “Japan at the Center of Trade Rulemaking in Asia-Pacific.”
Amnesty International Rebukes Facebook for Blocking Australian News
Amnesty International has expressed concern after Facebook blocked the content of Australian news outlets from its platform—a move the social media giant took in response to a proposed law to make large technology platforms pay publishers for linking to Australian news stories.
United States Urged to End “Forever Wars”
The US Congress and President Joe Biden are facing fresh pressure to end “forever wars” abroad and to pursue a US foreign policy that is “consistent with the nation’s legal, human, and civil rights obligations, and the moral authority that the United States has long claimed on these issues.”
Pachinko Mogul Accused of Racism by Own Daughter
An ugly legal battle has broken out in recent months between one of the biggest names in Japan’s multi-billion dollar pachinko industry and his own daughter, who accuses him of trying to pressure her financially to divorce her husband because he is black.
Pelosi Announces Probe Into Insurrection Incited by Trump
After the Senate’s decision over the weekend to acquit former US President Donald Trump for inciting the January 6 violence on Capitol Hill, Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has announced that she has authorized a 9/11-style commission to further probe the events of that day.
Visible Minorities: Yoshiro Mori’s Overdue Comeuppance
Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori represents the worst of Japan’s politics, melding misogyny with racism.
Healthcare Privatization Undermined US Response to Covid-19
A panel of policy experts and medical professionals convened to examine the healthcare legacy of Donald Trump have concluded in a detailed report that the former US president’s sweeping regulatory rollbacks and full-scale assault on the already decimated public health infrastructure severely undermined the nation’s fight against Covid-19 and caused tens of thousands of preventable deaths.
Sri Lanka Halts Another Joint Development with Japan
Sri Lanka has announced that it is pulling out of a deal with Japan to develop a section of its main port of Colombo, marking the second time within six months that a major agreement has fallen through.