Asia

COMMENT

What six hours in South Korea say about democracy and ‘revenge politics’

— South Korea’s swift public defiance of martial law underscores its strength as a model democracy, while its history of revenge politics highlights the risks of partisan divisions undermining democratic norms.

OPINION

Bangladesh polls no longer make ‘battle of the begums’ headlines and that’s sad

— Bangladesh’s 2024 election resulted in PM Sheikh Hasina’s anticipated win, as the main opposition boycotted, alleging a sham to maintain ruling party dominance and raising concerns about democratic decline, underscoring global challenges to democracy in the year ahead.

Japan

How gender inequality is hindering Japan’s economic growth

— In the Japanese workplace, women face discrimination, restrictive behaviour and appearance codes, and a lower glass ceiling than elsewhere. Only a profound cultural shift will change that.

Japan

Watered-down LGBTQ ‘understanding’ bill shows how far Japan’s parliament is out of step with its society – and history

— Japan has a rich queer history and is seeing societal changes in favour of greater LGBTQ recognition. That said, national politicians have yet to catch up.