Eastern Asia

On 11 September, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reshuffled his cabinet yet again. As a result, one of the most respected politicians in post-war Japan will be the head of his fourth Cabinet since his triumphant return to Japan’s political arena (at the end of 2012). We would like to remind our readers that Shinzo Abe first became Prime Minister as far back…

It was once a British police station, as well as the Victoria Prison Compound. Hong Kong inhabitants used to tremble just from hearing its name mentioned. This is where people were detained, interrogated, humiliated, tortured and disappeared. Now, after Hong Kong ‘returned to China’, it was converted into the Tai Kwun Center…

Mongolia is truly a bridge between Europe and Asia, and its location is fairly important strategically. However, because of economic inequality and numerous social problems plaguing this nation at the end of the previous century, there was limited interest in Mongolia from leading…

In a recent very insightful article, analyst Alistair Crooke argued that the United States was institutionally incapable of making a substantive deal with Iran. Written before the recent removal of national security adviser John Bolton from his position, Mr Crooke argued that decades long sanctions have…

A 3-day visit to China by Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, who was accompanied by a sizable delegation, began on 6 September. The visit itself and its outcomes are quite telling and indicative of the ever increasing pace of the radical transformation the current world order is undergoing…

On August 22, 2019, South Korea’s National Security Council adopted a resolution to withdraw from the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) between South Korea and Japan. According to the Office of the President, the agreement…

The US continues to deny any involvement in ongoing unrest in China’s special administrative region of Hong Kong. However, even a casual look at US headlines or comments made by US politicians makes it clear the unrest not only suits US interests, but is spurred on almost exclusively…

A short while ago, we discussed the question whether the South Korean government was pushing its citizens to boycott Japanese goods or travel to Japan or whether this was an ordinary initiative of the citizens. The picture becomes much clearer if we pay attention…

Continuing to monitor the confrontation between Washington and Tehran, the author of this article can see how it affects the South Korean interests. The sanctions badly hit the country’s economy and, since the summer of 2019, there have been attempts to involve Seoul in…

The New Eastern Outlook has repeatedly noted the sharp increase in the role of Taiwan in the complex relations between the two leading world superpowers. Against the backdrop of a continuous deterioration in these relations, Washington’s desire to restore the format of its pre-1979…

We are continuing to keep a close eye on the trade war between Japan and South Korea to provide you with coverage of the latest chapter of events as they unfold. On August 6, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made it clear that he was not going to consider holding…

From 20-22 August, Beijing hosted a remarkable event: a meeting between Wang Yi, the Chinese Foreign Minister and his Japanese and South Korean counterparts, Taro Kono and Kang Kyung-wha. The meeting included both bilateral and trilateral talks. The event was…