Whether Sanae Takaichi can achieve political stability depends on her ability to defy her right-wing supporters’ expectations and reverse the irresponsible policies and exclusionary attitudes she has espoused, writes Jiro Yamaguchi.

China is moving beyond its identity as the ‘world’s factory’ and investing more heavily in cool, cultural intellectual property, writes Jian Xu.

President Lee has left behind the previous administration’s ‘value-based diplomacy’ but maintains their commitment to Japan–South Korea relations , writes Takeo Otani.

Careful policy choices and regional coordination will enable ASEAN to manage the labour force disruptions caused by artificial intelligence and harness it as a force for inclusive development, write Kelly Forbes, Peter Brimble and David Hua.

Support from international partners is crucial to curtailing Indonesia’s slow democratic decline into Suharto-era authoritarianism, writes Muhammad Aqshadigrama.

In July 2025, Taiwan saw a wave of recall votes — ballots on whether to remove sitting legislators mid-term — targeting opposition lawmakers. All failed. In Taipei, pro-ruling-party elites and media outlets framed the result as evidence of ‘democratic resilience’. Yet from the vantage point of Washington and other democratic capitals, the episode did not […] #<p>The post Taiwan needs bipartisan defence consensus first appeared on East Asia Forum.</p> , writes Dennis LC Weng.

Japan’s non-refundable enrolment fees block student opportunities, deepening inequality and undermining the sustainability of the higher education system, writes Ryo Konishi.

Disputes over agricultural market access threaten to delay an India–US trade agreement, writes Biswajit Dhar.

By pulling Afghanistan into the Belt and Road orbit, Beijing and Islamabad have set a new test for India’s influence in the region. , writes Md Obaidullah.

Without stronger childcare, eldercare and community support, China’s pronatalist policies will fall short, writes Shiqi Shen.

To weather the storm of protectionism and shape the emerging international landscape, ASEAN and its dialogue partners must double down on ASEAN-centred regionalism, writes our editorial board.

Only ASEAN can offer credible economic leadership in the region through the flagship Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. , write Mari Pangestu and Julia Tijaja.

ASEAN’s struggle to manage security crisis calls for a new regional maritime cooperation forum to strengthen Southeast Asia’s collective defence at sea, write John Blaxland and Ridvan Kilic.

The Asia Pacific’s Trump-led turn towards economic security may be an undeniable reality, but fragmentation carries serious risks, write Victor Ferguson, Viking Bohman and Darren Lim.

Myanmar’s rare earths are a source of local leverage and conflict, not a game-changer in global great power competition, writes Thant Thura Zan.

East Asia’s current legal framework fails address the tangible impact of manipulated or fabricated media, write Adam Au and Felicia Feiran Chen.

The next leader of the LDP could make or break China–Japan relations, write Shao Jingkai and Wang Guangtao.

Southeast Asian firms are measuredly optimistic in transitioning towards more digitally automated, productive and resilient business operations. , writes Faizal Bin Yahya.

Beijing must leave formal recognition an open question in its engagement with the Taliban. , writes Hao Nan.

Without decisive leadership and inclusive reform, Myanmar’s Spring Revolution risks dissolving into symbolism rather than achieving substantive change, writes Tin Shine Aung.

Pacific island countries can circumvent federal climate inaction by partnering with progressive US states through the Under2 Coalition, forging resilient pathways for cooperation, writes Henryk Szadziewski.

Struggles over hierarchy, not maps, lie behind long running Thai–Cambodian border clashes, writes Tommy Chai.

Coordinated intellectual property frameworks can power sustainable cooling across South and Southeast Asia, improving innovation, investment and accessibility, writes Seemantani Sharma.

Indonesia’s bold decentralisation experiment risks backsliding as more work needs to be done to promote local governments' fiscal autonomy, writes Sandy Maulana.

Indonesia has the credibility and opportunity to be a global player as the political and economic centre of ASEAN, but that will require delivering on its domestic reform agenda, writes our editorial board.