From 1937-1939, the nation was led by rightwing aristocrat Fumimaro Konoe, regarded by many as a man of destiny who might lead the nation to a glorious future. Konoe, however, proved to be a rudderless leader and soon allowed himself to be dragged into an all-out confrontation with nationalist forces in China.
Now that Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations following their talks in Beijing earlier this month, hopes have emerged that the eight-year civil war in Yemen may finally be coming to an end. However, there is yet to be any specific plan to include the troubled South Arabian nation within bilateral peace negotiations.
Germany, led by Social Democratic Party (SDP) Chancellor Olaf Scholz, considers China both an essential economic partner and a “systemic rival.” This seemingly contradictory stance has produced political fractures within the coalition government, but it is part of a pragmatic geopolitical strategy.
Western nations have recently taken up a mantra that claims they will never allow “changes to the status quo by force,” but when it comes to the dangerous crisis in the Taiwan Strait, it’s not entirely clear that all Western commentators even understand what the diplomatic “status quo” is all about.
As the tumultuous and controversial Tokyo Olympics came to an end, the world set its eyes on Beijing, where the Winter Olympics is to be held in just six months. The 2022 Games could become even more contentious than the event which just closed.
The Covid-19 crisis became a dominating issue for the world, and Japan is no exception. This is a timeline of the events so far.
While New York Times reporters have relocated to Taipei earlier this year due to media expulsions from China, it remains to be seen whether or not other western media outlets intend to open bureaus in Taiwan.
As politicians in Beijing gathered for the annual meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the skies outside darkened, providing grim foreshadowing of events that could alter the fate of Hong Kong forever. Hours later, international news outlets were announcing “the end of Hong Kong.”
SNA (Tokyo) — The following stories were reported in the first half of March 2020 by the Shingetsu News Agency. Rolling Coverage: Covid-19 —The Sakhalin authorities have requested that the Russian central government restrict all air and sea transport connections with Hokkaido from March 5
The Covid-19 crisis has elevated the visibility of the World Health Organization (WHO) as never before. Indeed, this may be the very first time that a bureaucratic agency of the United Nations, not the Security Council or General Assembly, has become a focus of global media attention. It is quite unfortunate, then, that the WHO’s main face at this crucial juncture has turned out to be a political hack.
