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Tag Archives: Southeast Asia

Nobusuke Kishi and the US-Japan Alliance

From 1957-1960 Japan was led by the rightwing Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, a barely reconstructed figure of the Pacific War. Kishi had gained the trust of US Cold Warriors, however, and they were rewarded when he forcefully pushed Japan into a new treaty alliance with the United States.

Hideki Tojo and the Option for Total War

Imperial Army leader Hideki Tojo commanded the nation from 1941-1944. Once he decided to launch a total war against the Anglo-American Powers in December 1941, his own authority was tied to the success or failure on the battlefield.

Avigan: Shinzo Abe’s Illusory White Knight in the Pandemic

The antiviral drug Avigan was developed by the firm Fujifilm Toyama Chemical in 2014, and it was later envisioned as Japan’s leading prospect to solve the global Covid pandemic. The drug was enthusiastically promoted by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but this October its development was quietly terminated.

Inflexible Laws Hinder Taiwan Migrant Workers

The arrest of a 28-year-old Vietnamese migrant for working jobs unrelated to his original employment has drawn attention to the inability of migrant workers to take on part-time work and other forms of employment, even when their activities may benefit Taiwanese society.

Indonesian Migrants in Taiwan Face Growing Discrimination

Like many of her fellow Indonesians in Taiwan, Etik Nurhalimah works for a family caring for an elderly relative. During her time as a migrant worker, she has also managed to fulfil a lifelong dream: gain a degree in English literature, while also winning a literature prize and having her story made into a film along the way.

Military Coup Unfolds in Myanmar

Long-simmering fears of a military-led subversion of Myanmar’s recent steps toward democracy became reality this week as the nation’s armed forces arrested civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and announced a one-year state of emergency that transfers power to Min Aung Hlaing, the Southeast Asian country’s top general.

US Silence on American Comfort Women

During the occupation of China, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific by the Japanese Imperial Army and Navy, many young women and girls became victims of rape and forced prostitution. New evidence proves that American young women were among the thousands of victims.