Publications

Voluntary Party Quotas: Japan’s Status Quo and Lessons from Germany

Japan has a long lack of female lawmakers. According to the gender gap report released by the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) in June, Japan’s ranking was the lowest ever, 125th out of 146 countries, especially in the political field, where it ranked 138th. In fact, if we look at the percentage of women in parliament: in the first postwar 1946 general election, the ratio of women in the House of Representatives (HR) was 8.4%, and in the most recent 2021 general election, it stood at 9.7%. There has been virtually no increase for around 70 years. Even in the most recent national election, the 2022 House of Councillors election, the ratio of women elected stood at 25.8%.

The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF): Approach, Challenges and Prospects

This introductory chapter, written by Amitendu Palit and Ramita Iyer, serves as an entry point to the IPEF Discussion Paper Series and offers an overview of the IPEF’s approach, challenges, and prospects.

The Great Supply Chain Shift from China to South Asia?

This paper discusses the concept of global supply chains, the industrial rise of East Asia, drivers of supply chain relocation from China, South Asia’s prospects, India as a complementary hub and policy lessons from East Asia’s industrial success. For the purposes of this paper, South Asia is broadly defined as the India and its contiguous countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

G7 in Hiroshima

A critical Juncture

In light of Russia’s war in Ukraine and an increasingly tense international environment, Japan and its fellow G7 nations hope to characterize this year’s summit in the name of peace. Hiroshima, Prime Minister Kishida’s constituency, being the target of the first offensive nuclear weapon on August 6, 1945, in history, serves to remind all G7 nations of their commitment to peace and unity in times of international uncertainties. This year’s meeting is characterized by a more inclusive approach by inviting seven non-member countries as observers in addition to shifting the G7’s gaze toward the Global South to formulate a more comprehensive political and economic approach that includes developing and middle-income nations in future policy drafts. Despite the united stance of G7 member states, each nation brings forward a specific focus of interest to the discussion. For Japan, topics of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation as well as energy security and strengthening the Indo-Pacific are of primary importance, whereas Germany’s emphasis lies on the global impact of the Russo-Ukrainian war and the continuous support of the global community for Ukraine.

Japan’s Self-Defense Capability: “Minimum Extent Necessary”

On the current revision of three key documents defining the future of Japan’s self-defense

The government and ruling parties proactively worked towards revisions of the three key defense documents, including the National Security Strategy, and these have recently received Cabinet approval. At the time of writing of this paper, Russian aggression against Ukraine, China's military actions, and North Korea's intermittent missile launches have had a major impact on the general public’s awareness of national security. Given the current situation, it is reasonable to assume that the security environment around Japan will continue to deteriorate. Japan has long maintained an exclusively defense-oriented policy. Thus, in the event of an armed attack, Japan is constrained to using force to the “minimum extent necessary” beyond proportionality.

Addressing Challenges in EdTech in the Philippines

The second paper of the Future of Work and Education essay series traces the evolution of education policy and strategy for mainstreaming education technology in Philippine schools since the K-12 reform. It looks at the main initiatives undertaken by the Department of Education (DepEd) in increasing the access and use of technology in learning and teaching.

Progress of ICT in Education in Cambodia

Challenges and Recommendations

SOPAS of KAS Japan explores the interplay between education and technology and how this impacts the future of work for young people in Asia.

The Impacts of Japanese-Style Employment Systems on Women

By Akari Yoshida

This paper explains the impact that the Japanese-style employment has had on women and outlines proposals how to reform the system.

South Asia Cannot Afford to Deglobalize

Deglobalisation Essay Series 4

The fourth paper of the Deglobalisation Essay Series looks into developments of trade relations in South Asia and shows the way forward for South Asian countries to capitalise on the region’s strong upside potential.

Trajectory of Deglobalizing Forces: How Resilient Is Germany?

Deglobalisation Essay Series 5

The fifth and final paper of the Deglobalisation Essay Series titled ‘Trajectory of Deglobalizing Forces: How Resilient Is Germany?’ looks into the two key drivers for current discussions on international economic policy-making in Germany: the Russian war against Ukraine and the strategic competition with China.