Japan

Although its focus remains the economy, Japan’s government has taken the first steps in reforming its security infrastructure.

Plus Ai Weiwei says that U.S. is behaving like China with domestic spying operations. Wednesday China links.

Plus, South Korea to build a “pre-emptive missile destruction system” by 2020. Wednesday security links.

Despite the rhetoric, little has been done since the Olympus scandal.

For Japan to really be “back” it needs to sustain its growth. Joining the TPP would be an important first step.

Tokyo says it has the right to attack imminent threats. The political repercussions could be huge.

Japan’s refusal to subsidize pro-North Korean schools in Japan “constitutes discrimination” a UN committee claims.

Abenomics provides consumption boost, although investment lags.

Amending Article 9 may seem logical, but it could have implications for the way Japan sees itself.

More than half of China’s massive population live in cities. With hundreds of millions more coming in the next 15-20 years, will they have a place to live?

Having broken through the Y100 barrier, there is considerable potential for the Yen to fall further. How will markets react?

“The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates there could be up to 100,000 trillion cubic feet of gas hydrates globally.”