General Election Outlook 2021 - Opinion Piece

Developments in the Final Racing Rounds of the Political Circuit

According to the traditional Japanese calendar autumn has already arrived, but the unbearably hot summer still continues. We have felt the heat lingering on longer than before in recent years, most likely due to global warming. This tremendously hot summer will transform into a hot fall in the political arena, as Members of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the National Diet of Japan, are fast approaching the end of their term on October 21. In addition, Prime Minister (PM) Yoshihide Suga's term as the party leader (president) of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will come to an end this month. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Olympic and Paralympic Games have proved to be complex political issues for the government. Suga still battles to control COVID-19 and has successfully hosted the Olympic Games in which Japan did surprisingly well. (The Japan team had its highest ever haul: 27 Gold, 14 Silver, and 17 Bronze medals.) But the PM is unlikely to earn any credit for this. It is still difficult to make any definite prediction regarding a general election even now at the beginning of September, with less than two months of the lawmakers‘ terms remaining. (Here the term "general election“ refers to the House of Representatives election). The LDP decided to hold its leadership (presidential) election on September 29 , thus the general election will take place sometime after this, from October to November. In this paper I will discuss possible general election dates and explain why it is so difficult to predict a definite date.

A Closer Look at the Operational Concept for Aegis System-equipped Vessels

In June 2020, Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) abruptly announced it would abandon the Aegis Ashore deployment plan. Then, after twists and turns in policy coordination between the government and ruling parties, the Cabinet decided on December 18 to build two Aegis system-equipped vessels to replace the Aegis Ashore system. How will the shift from deployment of two land-based Aegis systems to construction of two sea-based Aegis system-equipped vessels impact Japan’s “comprehensive air and missile defense”? What are Aegis system-equipped vessels, and what should be their operational concept? Akihisa Nagashima, Member of the House of Representatives of Japan, offers his thoughts on these issues.

Taiwan Contingency- Opinion Piece

Japan: Its situation, recognition, and discussions around the gray-zone issue

An enormous sense of crisis over a possible invasion of Taiwan by China, which is strength-ening its hegemony, was shared and manifested first in the Japan-United States 2+2 meeting, the following bilateral summit meeting, the Japan-EU summit meeting, as well as the G7 summit meeting. It was the very first time in 52 years that Taiwan was included in the joint statement by the leaders of Japan and the U.S. In 1969, Japan and the U.S. had diplomatic relations with Taiwan, hence the situation back then was far different from today. The U.S.-Japan Joint Leaders’ Statement by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and President Joseph Biden stressed the "importance of peace and stability of Taiwan Strait." It is my aim to present Ja-pan’s recognition of situation in the event that China attacks Taiwan. Furthermore, I look at the challenges posed by the gray-zone issue followed by discussions of major political parties around this issue.

The Future of Work for the Asian Youth

Country Profile: Vietnam

The country profile provides a deeper analysis about Vietnam’s youth to ensure better future of work for this sector. It is organized into four main parts. The first part outlines the situation in Vietnam, the demographics of its labor force and in particular, youth labor force. The second part discusses the trend in the future of work for Vietnamese youth followed by the third part discussing the challenges that Vietnamese youth face in the labor market. The final part sets out policy responses and recommendation to support the youth in their future of work.

The Future of Work for the Asian Youth

Country Profile: Malaysia

This country report serves to shed light on the realities of the future of work in Malaysia. The first part will examine the current state of youths in Malaysia from the demographical lenses, education and workforce participation of youths. The second part will discuss the realities faced by Malaysian youths from both the opportunities and challenges for the youths. And the final part will be the policy recommendations to further alleviate some of the challenges faced by youths in transitioning to the work.

The Future of Work for the Asian Youth

Country Profile: Indonesia

This country profile is meant to give readers an understanding about the future of work in Indonesia. The first part will provide information about Indonesian young people, looking through the demographic, education and employment trends. The second part will analyze future of work opportunities and challenges for Indonesian young people. The last part will be policy responses and recommendations to further support young people in transitioning to their work in the future.

Digitalisation, Trade, and Geopolitics in Asia

The papers in this volume “Digitalisation, Trade, and Geopolitics in Asia”, published by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s (KAS) regional program on “Social and Economic Governance in Asia (SOPAS)” investigates how digitalisation is changing our understanding of trade and the international economy. It assesses the impact of digitalization to production, consumption, and trading patterns as well as national and multilateral regulatory frameworks (including those agreed in regional free trade agreements). It also looks at the evolving roles and configurations of economic actors (e.g. WTO, multinational corporations, digital platforms) and provides a discussion on the issues involving e-commerce and new technologies (i.e., block chain).

What's the real deal?

A look inside RCEP

Now that the Electoral College has formalized Biden's win, the U.S. President-elect needs to rebuild trade deals with the Asia-Pacific to counter China's dominance. Below is an analysis of the RCEP and what the U.S. and its value partners can expect from the world's largest trade bloc.

The Path to Success: How Women-owned Businesses Transform in the Era of Digitalization

Case Studies from Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Myanmar

Jointly conducted with Woomentum, the research looks at the effects of digitalization on WSMEs’ (1) access to financing, (2) access to mentoring, networking, and skills, (3) business process and management, as well as (4) COVID-19 crisis management. The common WSME challenges across four countries are highlighted in the introductory chapter. The chapter also discusses a general framework, comprising both policy and practical recommendations that governments and private organizations can take on to encourage women entrepreneurs to take advantage of the opportunities that digitalization offers. The succeeding chapters include country studies on Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar. The country case studies provide a more in-depth analysis of the general findings introduced in the first chapter.

COVID-19 and the Future of Doing Business in Asia

The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s regional program on “Socio-Economic Governance in Asia” (SOPAS) has conducted this research, “COVID-19 and the Future of Doing Business in Asia” jointly with the Asian Institute of Management Rizalino S. Navarro Policy Center for Competitiveness (AIM RSN PCC) to outline how the “new normal” will look like. Asia’s resilience to the shocks brought about by COVID-19 provides a first sketch of how the structural changes accelerated by the pandemic have reimagined and reformed the roles of the State and businesses. As businesses in the region resume economic activity, Asian governments and enterprises are in a unique position to define and structure the “new normal”, providing Germany, Europe and the rest of the world a tentative template of how to respond to these unprecedented challenges.