JICA, the development agency of Tokyo's Foreign Ministry, has been forced to abandon its twinning initiative between four Japanese cities and Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana and Mozambique. Perceived as encouraging immigration, it sparked demonstrations and alarm. This is a serious blow to development cooperation in a political climate marked by the rise of the far right.
The race to replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the helm of Japan’s hitherto dominant right-wing party is underway. The spotlight is on Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, a relatively young member of the party’s liberal wing, and Sanae Takaichi, a nationalist close to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who could become the country’s first female prime minister. While inflation and the cost of living dominate the campaign, the candidates discuss how to rebuild the party’s base eroded by new far-right movements.
The 42-year-old blogger and lawyer who was jailed for reporting on the pandemic in Wuhan will spend more time behind bars for “causing a public disturbance”. Her "crime" was attempting to meet and defend a trade unionist in Gansu. Friends and supporters highlight the deep Christian faith that inspires her courage.
Friends report that Zhang Yadi, 22, has been missing since 30 July, a few weeks before she was supposed to start an MA in anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies University of London. She had founded “Chinese Youths Stand for Tibet”, a pro-Tibet group based outside of China. In Changsha, lawyer Jiang Tianyong, who was making inquiries about her case, was also arrested. Beijing is increasingly cracking down on criticism, even among Chinese communities abroad.
According to Japan’s National Police Agency, more than 40,000 lonely deaths at home were reported in the first half of this year. More than one case in four is discovered after more than a week. The causes include an aging population, weakening relationships, and a reluctance to seek help. “A person told me that [. . .] he has only one friend left, whom he talks to twice a year,” says Father Marco Villa, head of a counselling centre in Koshigaya. Loneliness is the country’s greatest tragedy.
The Chinese Communist Party has recruited the Bamboo Union to promote unification with the People's Republic. Chang An-lo and other key figures have been exploited to boost China’s political influence on the island through intelligence gathering and psychological operations. Meanwhile, Taiwan is cracking down on a pro-Beijing party and prosecuting its members.
