News
Abe's belt and road pivot signals push to improve bilateral ties
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s conditional support for China’s Belt and Road infrastructure plan tells Beijing that Tokyo is ready to work toward warmer bilateral ties as the future of Asian security grows more uncertain. Abe praised the initiative’s “potential to connect East and West” in ...
Japan's draft growth strategy forgoes far-reaching reform
Japan’s new strategy to stoke growth in key industries includes case-by-case regulatory exemptions to spur innovation, but the government’s piecemeal proposals lack the fundamental changes needed to re-energize the overall economy. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government debuted the draft of its 2017 strategic growth plan Tuesday at a ...
Laos, Japan enhance cooperation
The relationship between Laos and Japan continues to grow and be fruitful, especially under the strategic partnership which has strengthened political, economic, and socio-cultural cooperation. This success was highlighted during a five-day visit to Japan last week by Deputy Prime Minister Dr Sonexay Siphandone when ...
Wattay international airport expansion 11 percent complete
The Vientiane International Airport Expansion Project has now achieved 11 percent of its contractual goals and should be complete by the beginning of 2018, according to a press release from the Embassy of Japan to Laos and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The project is ...
Japan cold to China in TPP
Japan is cold to the notion of inviting China to join a pan-Pacific trade pact abandoned by US President Donald Trump, fearing such a step would boost Beijing’s clout and water down what was meant to be the “gold standard” for rules of trade. Nor are ...
VN expects Japan to become top investor
Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said Việt Nam expected Japan to become its top investor, with more high-tech investments in areas such as green growth, infrastructure development, high-quality agriculture and services as well as privatisation of State-owned enterprises. Phúc was speaking at a business forum ...
Abe vows continued support for Jokowi and ASEAN
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on January 15 called for a peaceful resolution to the South China Sea conflict and pledged Japan’s continued support for ASEAN, as the grouping turns 50 this year. Speaking after bilateral meetings with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bogor, West ...
What does the possible end of the TPP mean for the Mekong Delta projects?
China and Japan remain committed to the region; matter of time before private investment picks up. The future of the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement looks increasingly unlikely to progress in the wake Donald Trump’s U.S. election victory. And Vietnam, once touted as one of the ...
Abe vies with China for influence over ASEAN gateways
The warm welcome afforded Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, here on November 2 underscores Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s eagerness to counter Chinese overtures to a country, like the Philippines, of great geopolitical importance in Southeast Asia. Abe greeted Suu Kyi at the ...
Japan to help transform Laos
Japan and Laos have agreed on a joint plan to spur development in the landlocked Southeast Asian country during a meeting between their leaders. At their meeting held on the sidelines of the ASEAN summits here this week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Lao ...
