Ayaka Hiraki

Apr 14, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Masahiko Takeda |Ayaka Hiraki |Yasuo Takao |Richard Katz

Until recently the Japanese yen was a safe haven currency. When shocks like Brexit hit the global market, Japanese investors — the apocryphal Mrs Watanabe retail investors — brought their savings back to Japan. When there was global uncertainty, the yen strengthened, making Japanese exports less competitive. That was despite three decades of low economic growth and structural headwinds like a shrinking and ageing population. The yen is now the weakest it’s been against the US dollar since 1990.

Apr 14, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Masahiko Takeda |Ayaka Hiraki |Yasuo Takao |Richard Katz

Last month, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) took its first step in the ‘normalisation’ of monetary policy. It raised the Bank’s short-term policy interest rate from negative 0.1 per cent to 0–0.1 per cent and ceased most of its unconventional quantitative and qualitative easing (QQE) measures. Lifting interest rates even by a miniscule 10 basis points certainly heralded a new era in Japanese monetary policy, as policy shifted in the direction of tightening credit for the first time in seventeen years.

Apr 11, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Chhay Lin Lim |Ayaka Hiraki |Yasuo Takao |Shahar Hameiri

The relationship between Male and New Delhi has experienced a downturn since Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu won the 2023 election. In January 2024, the Maldives and China signed a series of bilateral agreements on infrastructure, energy, maritime and agriculture cooperation during Muizzu’s visit to Beijing. The relationship was further deepened in March 2024 as the Maldives and China entered into two defence agreements, with China committing to providing military assistance.

Apr 10, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Chhay Lin Lim |Ayaka Hiraki |Yasuo Takao |Bec Strating

2023 marked a critical turning point in Cambodia’s contemporary political landscape as the reins of leadership passed from former prime minister Hun Sen to his eldest son, Hun Manet, in a once in three-decade premiership change. Cambodia’s leadership reshuffle has heralded a significant transformation with a younger generation of leaders pledging to steer the country towards greater growth, peace and stability.

Apr 10, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Ayaka Hiraki |Yasuo Takao |Richard Katz |Abdul Rahman Yaacob

A shifting balance of power, escalating geopolitical competition and advancements in digital technology have expanded the boundaries of national security. As cutting-edge technologies are increasingly being developed by the civilian sector rather than the military, the nexus between the private economy and national security has deepened. The competition for technological superiority has broadened to include control over civilian technologies.