Walter Sim

1 week ago | straitstimes.com | Yew Lun Tian |Walter Sim |Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja

SINGAPORE/TOKYO/JAKARTA - US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s rousing call in Singapore recently for Indo-Pacific countries to ramp up their defence spending and, if one reads his lips correctly, buy more American weapons, is likely to fall on deaf ears across much of Asia.

1 week ago | straitstimes.com | Walter Sim

TOKYO/CHONGQING– South Korea’s East Asian neighbours Japan and China on June 4 quickly congratulated President Lee Jae-myung on his resounding election win, even as both countries are closely watching for clues to how the liberal leader will approach bilateral relations. This scrutiny stems from perceptions that South Korean diplomacy oscillates wildly depending on the ruling party of the day.

2 weeks ago | straitstimes.com | Walter Sim

TOKYO – The two main conservative media outlets in Japan are waging a battle for public opinion, after the Yomiuri newspaper broached an idea long held to be taboo and one that breaks from right-wing values. “We should not rule out the possibility of a female emperor, or an emperor through a female line,” the Yomiuri newspaper declared in its Page One story on May 15, as it unveiled policy proposals on the question of imperial succession.

2 weeks ago | straitstimes.com | Walter Sim

TOKYO– The 21st century is meant to be the “Asian century”, but will the world’s largest continent live up to its brimming potential, or will it be derailed by conflict? This was the biggest question weighing on the minds of politicians, business leaders and academics who convened in Tokyo for the Future Of Asia conference, held by Japanese media conglomerate Nikkei Inc on May 29-30.

2 weeks ago | straitstimes.com | Walter Sim

TOKYO – Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong on May 29 appealed to Asia to form agile partnerships and double down on regional integration amid deepening global strife. While many countries in Asia are already part of overlapping partnerships of varying permutations – bilateral, regional, plurilateral – the inherent danger is if they rest on their laurels and not work on growing and strengthening these links, he said.