MY THOUGHTS on News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

New York Times: “Federal Policy on Homelessness Becomes New Target of the Right.” And adds: “The approach known as Housing First has long enjoyed bipartisan support. But conservatives are pushing efforts to replace it with programs that put more emphasis on sobriety and employment.” What is wrong with sobriety and employment? Come on, now. That isn’t a “conservative” take but a primal sense of maturity and grownup responsibility. 

       Or let’s study why countries with diverse cultural facts and economic well-being. Iceland, Japan, Thailand, Costa Rica, Chile, and Ghana have the lowest rate of homelessness in the world. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), there are around 582,000 Americans experiencing homelessness in 2022. And over 11,000 homeless shelters nationwide. Shelters are not a fact in other countries but lack/shortage of employment yet homelessness isn’t a national crisis or local level issue. In the U.S., drive around, what we see are “We are hiring!” signs. On a larger context, it is so confounding that America has so much money tossed to a war elsewhere while numbers of the homeless in our midst continue to soar. (Photo credit: The Homeless Charity and Village.) 🚶‍♀️🚶🛖

New York Times: “With Pandemic Aid Ending, Vermont’s Homeless Are Forced From Hotels.” Hotels are emptied of about 2,800 homeless people living there as part of a pandemic-era program — and offering them tents — after federal funding ran out. While White House keeps on trumpeting employment highs. Confounding. Meanwhile, more than 200,000 migrants “freely” cross the southern border monthly since Jan 2021. Yet politics seem unable to stop the surge. 

       As the number of homeless citizens spikes in major cities, border breaches seem unabated. In April, there were 211,401 alien encounters along the Southwest Border, up almost 10 percent from the previous month and up nearly 20 percent from April 2021. In FY 2021, a record 122,000 children were taken into U.S. custody without their parents. Why without their parents? Of course, you know why. Yet the issue stays as is. A partisanship theater of murkthrow. 🚶‍♀️🚶🛖

New York Times: “Republicans’ Problem in Attacking Biden: They Helped Pass His Economic Bills.” Passage of bills is legislature’s job. But implementation of the law to its success rests with the President’s leadership. Overall, Biden’s policies have fallen short of expectations on seven out of the last eight economic growth reports. Meanwhile, in his Springfield VA speech, Biden bragged that his administration funded “700,000 major construction projects.” Fact: 7,000. 🏦🗽🏦

New York Times: “ESPN Announces Layoffs of On-Air Personalities to Cut Costs.” And adds: “The layoffs included several well known broadcasters, including Suzy Kolber, Jeff Van Gundy and Jalen Rose.” Media people are indeed losing their jobs. Big Tech takes over TV, newspaper, and other communications channels as the industry posted a record $4.2 trillion in combined revenue in 2022. Ironically, they also cut employees and workers out. AI rationale? 

       2022’s Big Tech revenue is up from about $4 trillion the year before and $3.3 trillion two years before. BTW, I like Jeff Van Gundy’s interjecting side-comments on ESPN, fun. But I wish they’d taken out the female ESPN late night highlights anchor. Her voice is shrill, eerie, and annoying. Didn’t bother to know who she is. Probably she’d be better in non-talky jobs in the newsroom? If she’s still there, I mean. 🏀🗣⚾️

New York Times: “National Geographic Lays Off More Writers.” And adds: “The company did not specify how many were shed and said that the magazine, known for its focus on discovery and exploration, would continue to be published on a monthly basis.” Layoffs in 2023 have targeted nearly 40 media companies, with at least 17,436 job cuts. The level of cuts is worse than at the outset of the pandemic in 2020, when 16,750 job cuts were announced through May. 

       This year so far, more than 151,054 workers in U.S.-based tech companies (or tech companies with a large U.S. workforce) have been laid off in mass job cuts, according to a Crunchbase News tally. In 2022: More than 93,000 jobs were slashed from public and private tech companies in the U.S. Of course, in his latest speech, President Biden bragged about job gains. Yet per debt limit austerity in next FY, expect more employment terminations in government funded programs. 📜📰📜

Associated Press. “Jeffrey Epstein's suicide was the result of negligence and misconduct by federal jail guards, a Justice Department watchdog says.” However, whatever the cause of Mr Epstein’s death, it’s a sort of “roll of the eyes” situation. Mr Epstein’s one-day in Sept 2014 itinerary, for example, reveals names such as Bill Gates, Leon Black, Thomas Pritzker, and Mortimer Zuckerman. Then there’s Les Wexner, Prince Andrew etcetera. Have I omitted other VIP names? 

       News adds: “The Justice Department’s watchdog says `a combination of negligence and misconduct’ enabled the financier to take his own life at a federal jail in New York City while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.” Jeffrey died by suicide in jail in 2019, as he awaited trial on charges of sex trafficking minors. 🥹🤨😟

Time: “Southeast Asia’s Most Gay-Friendly Country Still Has No Law Against LGBT Discrimination.” I don't concur with western laws that are muzzled via media in other countries with dissimilar sociocultural facts. LGBT is truth back home. But “respect enforcement” is implemented by families, communities, and other institutions beyond governmental interference. Unless crime--murder/homicide, rape, physical abuse etcetera--is committed. 

       The gay issue hasn’t been politicized back home till these days. I was exposed to LGBT facts since I was a boy. In my professional life in media and theater, many friends are gay. But it wasn’t a huge issue at all. Acceptance and respect are accorded to those, whatever gender preference, who attain achievements in the community and gain friendships via sheer goodness.

😒🇵🇭🤨

New York Times: “The Failed Affirmative Action Campaign That Shook Democrats.” And adds: “The Supreme Court will soon rule on race-conscious college admissions, a core Democratic issue.” Affirmative action is a policy of favoring groups regarded as disadvantaged or subject to discrimination. I am an Asian. But I don’t think “affirmative action” benefited us. Yet Asian Americans had the highest educational attainment of any race in America. Why? Figure it out. 🏦🗽🏦

New York Times: “New York’s Shelters Were Packed. Now They Are Bursting at the Seams.” Homeless people hit a record 100,000, driven by an influx of migrants. The system is straining to adapt. Nearly 61,000 migrants have arrived in the city since last spring. Taxpayer money is currently housing 37,000. Yes, New York has the 2nd largest national budget and where the world’s most number of billionaires live. To Mayor Adams, Gov. Hochul and Madame AOC: Fix it! 🗽🏃‍♀️🏃

David Brooks of New York Times writes: “Why Biden Isn’t Getting the Credit He Deserves.” And adds: “It’s the national psychology, not the economy.” Really? LOL! Fact is, the “national psychology” dissed Donald Trump’s economic record in favor of his not so sweet personality. But I don’t think the “national psychology” isn’t aware of Joe Biden’s economic failures and foreign affairs blunders. But trudat. Partisanship dogma blinds people from reading writings on the wall. 🏦🗽🏦

The SWEDEN Story.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page. 

NEWS. “How the Far Right Bagged Election Success in Sweden.” / “In Dramatic Shift, Right-Wing Bloc Wins Slim Majority in Sweden.” Sweden’s political life could be a bit confusing if we follow from the vantage view of American Left/Right party politics. New Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s Moderate Party or Moderata samlingspartiet is center-right that hinges on liberal conservatism. Okay, let’s just say Ulf is a right-wing leader.

       Anyhow, among his first pronouncements as chief executive of Stockholm’s parliamentary democracy is to ensure continuity in Sweden's application process to NATO. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in response to Russia's war on Ukraine, but faced opposition from Türkey, which accuses them of supporting terrorist groups.

       Anyhow, the winning political party, right-wing populist Sweden Democrats, campaigned via the gut per issues such as immigration, religion, crime and the cost of environmental rules and won. And so liberal media is quick to point at SD’s alleged “neo-Nazi roots.”

       Despite the victory of Sweden Democrats, however, they are not expected to be formally part of the governing coalition but, of course, they can influence.

       And I am confused now, LOL! 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪

BEFORE the general election, Ulf Kristersson suggested that he would form a loose right-wing bloc consisting of the Moderates, Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats and the Liberals but expressed uncertainty at SD's demand that they be allocated cabinet positions should the right-wing bloc win a majority.

       Whatever the case, the new PM sounds his plan to form a new conservative government with support from Sweden Democrats although he previously ruled out an alliance with the SD. And so on and so forth.

       The hyphenated categorization of political groupings in massive multi-party system in Sweden, the 3rd largest country in the European Union and the 5th largest in Europe, can cause a bit of confusion for the outsider looking in. Yet Sweden is still a much-emulated nation.

       Sweden maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens. It ranks very highly in quality of life, health, education, protection of civil liberties, economic competitiveness, income equality, gender equality, prosperity and human development. Ideals that you’d probably categorize as uhh Leftist. 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪

SO who cares about the ism when we go to Sweden? It is still a fine country, anyhow.

       Stockholm’s high-tech capitalism/socialism works just fine with its major industries that include motor vehicles, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, industrial machines, precision equipment, chemical goods, home goods and appliances, forestry, iron, and steel. Traditionally, Sweden relied on a modern agricultural economy that employed over half the domestic workforce. Easily, Sweden is one of the world’s richest economies.

       But currently the country, as in majority of Europe, is facing economic crisis borne from the Covid pandemic’s economic dislocation and the Ukraine crisis that hugely affected the region’s energy supply from Russia. Although Sweden has low dependence on Russian oil and it mainly imports gas from neighbor Denmark, still the current downturn brings Stockholm’s inflation rate at 9.8 percent. Sweden’s inflation has always been low, averaging 3.42 percent from 1980 to early this year, until the current high. The highest inflation in Sweden was 15.50 percent in 1980 under Prime Minister Thorbjorn Falldin.

       Meanwhile, let’s see if Mr Nice Guy Ulf can steer his country out of the 9.8 inflation though I’d like his coalition government to simply withdraw its NATO application. 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪

Photo credit: BBC. Rockford Register Star.

The EL SALVADOR Story.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

NEWS. “In El Salvador, the President Cracks Down on Civil Liberties, and Is Beloved for It.” And adds: “Much of the country’s population is willing to tolerate an autocratic leader, if it means that someone will finally solve their most pressing problem: gang violence.” Unemployment is almost 7 percent. Economic pace is at 2.9 percent. These are not unusual numbers in post pandemic years and current global impact of the Ukraine crisis. Considering as well that El Salvador is the third largest economy in Central America.

       So why the tempest? We always see social unrest in economies that aren’t really down, neck-deep, in the pits. It is more complex that what it seems. For starters, maybe because President Nayib Bukele is friendly with China? How relations with China affects the U.S. foreign policy though it’s all political facades.

       San Salvador’s relations with Washington has always been shaky due to America’s controversial moves and operations in the country since its Civil War years from 1979 to 1992, and interference in Salvadoran elections. But El Salvador’s decision to cut ties with Taiwan in 2018 in favor of China sealed the animosity. 🇸🇻🇸🇻🇸🇻

SUCH news can be a bit confounding, ain’t it? Part of the larger competitive fire between the United States and China? Expected? Just the way geopolitics per superpower rivalry goes?

       Meanwhile, Salvadoran and Chinese leaderships have been meeting recently, per trade. President Nayib Bukele, after meeting with counterpart Xi Jinping in June said the forged or pledged investments represented a “gigantic, non-refundable cooperation” for the small Central American nation. For its part, China is all-set to join hands with El Salvador “to promote international fairness and justice, advocate win-win cooperation, implement the Global Development Initiative together, and move forward toward building a community with a shared future for mankind.” Grand words, indeed.

       In 2018, prior to El Salvador’s break from Taiwan, the U.S. was the country’s top trading partner. Info says Washington still dominates San Salvador’s trade. But China in inching in, quietly but surely. In 2019, China inked several major infrastructure projects in El Salvador including a stadium and water treatment plant, which signaled China’s growing role in the region after El Salvador cut ties with Taiwan.

       El Salvador’s chief industries are food processing, beverages, petroleum, and chemicals. 🇸🇻🇸🇻🇸🇻

WHAT’s going on here is a paradox of sorts. El Salvador does huge business with the U.S. despite its leadership’s newfound cordiality with China. Despite Washington’s interference in the country, the people love America.

       Surveys by the Pew Research Center in recent years say around 80 percent of Salvadorans viewed the United States positively respectively revealing El Salvador as one of the most pro-American nations in the world.

       Following decision of the Salvadoran government, under then President Salvador Sanchez Ceren, to cut ties with Taiwan in favor of China in 2018, some Republican senators like Marco Rubio had demanded that economic aid to the country be cut and their expulsion from Alianza Para Prosperidad. The U.S-supported program is aimed to help El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala with education and healthcare to reduce illegal immigration to the U.S.

       But then, these seem like political sideshows. Meantime, gang violence in El Salvador, could be orchestrated or manipulated (refer to the past)—but blood in the streets isn’t showtime at all. 🇸🇻🇸🇻🇸🇻

The ZAMBIA Story .

NEW York Times: “Zambia and Its New President Are Still on Their Honeymoon.” And adds: “Hakainde Hichilema is hailed as a miracle worker for turning around the fortunes of the southern African country. But with his opposition neutralized and a corruption drive focused on his predecessors, some are uneasy.” I guess, there will always be a problem. Meanwhile, Zambia stays as an arena for America vs China tug of whatever. Sadly, that’s how things are in mostly “smaller” nations.

       The fact of the matter is, Zambia’s economy is modest per African standard. Its 3.8 percent GDP growth rate is along the region’s 3.6 percent average, and while unemployment at 12.6 percent is high per global rates, that is a lower than the region’s 20+ percent average. For example, joblessness in Eswatini is 26 percent; Djibouti, 28 percent.

       Perhaps “good” in Zambia means no war? Primal peace is primal heaven for Zambia’s 19.5 million humanity. Not until some proxy war invites strife again, or Mr Hichilema misbehaves?

As we speak though, China and its state-owned lending institutions are battling it out per loans with the West’s International Monetary Fund. 🇿🇲🇿🇲🇿🇲

ZAMBIA’s chief industries include copper mining and processing, construction, emerald mining, beverages, food, textiles, chemicals, fertilizer and horticulture. Top trading partners: Switzerland, China, Congo, Singapore and South Africa for exports; South Africa, China, United Arab Emirates, India and Congo for imports.

       What hugs the country’s economic marquee these days though is the heightened competition between Beijing and IMF. Early in September, Lusaka secured a zero-interest loan of $1.3 billion with a grace period of five-and-a-half years, and a final maturity of 10 years, from the International Monetary Fund.

       Meanwhile, later in the month, some 300 Chinese and Zambian companies (with 90 participating online) met for a two-day event in Lusaka bombastically billed "China-Zambia Trade and Investment Forum in the New Era: All-weather, All-Dimensional and High Quality Friendship.” The opening ceremony was attended by Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and Chinese Ambassador to Zambia, Du Xiaohui.

       No economic amount has been disclosed yet but it is expected that Beijing will waive a comnsiderable chunk of Lusaka’s debt, which is roughly 30 percent of Zambia’s total foreign debt. 🇿🇲🇿🇲🇿🇲

WHILE China zooms in on its characteristic FDI mojo in Africa, the United States stays focused on aid: Political/economic matters and humanitarian issues. USAID has committed $44 million to agricultural development programs in Zambia, promising diversification and increased female empowerment in the country’s economic recovery. That amount though is a lot lower than what the top 15 USAID recipient-countries get annually.

       U.S. officials believe diversification will yield benefits in the country’s economic growth and food security. Just three sectors – retail trade, mineral extraction and construction – constituted almost half of Zambian GDP before the pandemic.

       USAID’s focus on agricultural development will be welcomed in a country where population growth outstrips domestic agricultural production. In the short term, it is hoped that an $8.5 million export deal with agricultural companies Zdenakie and NewGrowCo will also help to relieve pressure on East African grain importers suffering the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

       This is the sort of “competition” that I favor when superpowers U.S. and China sink their teeth in poorer countries. Trade, just trade. Economics, no war. Or no war intrigue. 🇿🇲🇿🇲🇿🇲

The PAKISTAN Story.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

New York Times: “Battered by Floods and Trapped in Debt, Pakistani Farmers Struggle to Survive.” / “A Strong Dollar Is Wreaking Havoc on Emerging Markets. A Debt Crisis Could Be Next.” The West easily blames climate change but for Pakistan’s farming population, 42 percent of the country’s labor force, the recent flooding is a natural disaster that happens all the time and destroys agricultural lands and livelihood. Which means, small farmers in sharecropping arrangements are further buried into debt with their landlords.

       And then comes a rampaging U.S. dollar on a mission. On its path, low-income countries (such as Pakistan), already struggling per Covid pandemic, are severely hit. The dollar’s strength is adding to their woes.

       Site of several ancient cultures, Pakistan is historically resilient. It is bordered by nations that could offer aid in trade. India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China to the northeast. It is separated narrowly from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor in the north, and also shares a maritime border with Oman.

       Pakistan has served as China's main bridge to the Islamic world, and also played an important role in bridging the communication gap between China and the West. The relations between Pakistan and China have been described by Pakistan's ambassador to China as "higher than the mountains, deeper than the oceans, stronger than steel, dearer than eyesight, sweeter than honey, and so on."

       However, the United States remains as Pakistan’s chief export trading partner, despite the fact that more than half Pakistan’s 220 million humanity consider the U.S. to be an enemy. China is the top importer. 🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰

Pakistan's economy is expected to grow by only 2 percent next year from 2022’s 3.5 percent but current indications aren’t hopeful. The country faces a 12 percent unemployment rate and rising. And with a debt crisis surfacing as a result of the stronger dollar, expect bleakness some more.

       Islamabad’s external debt is feared to spike to $138.568 billion as interest rates soar. Manufacturing is Pakistan’s chief industry. With the surging U.S. dollar, domestic manufacturers hoping to sell goods overseas amid red-hot inflation are facing dark days.

       As expected, China looms as Pakistan’s possible lifesaver. Compared with America that is viewed negatively, 75 percent of Pakistanis have a positive outlook of China. In turn, an almost equal 73 percent Chinese are cool with Pakistan.

       Economic trade between Pakistan and China has been recently increasing, and a free trade agreement has been signed. Military and technological transactions continue to dominate the economic relationship between the two nations, and China has pledged to increase their investment in Pakistan's economy and infrastructure.

       As expected, Beijing and Islamabad’s economic agreements are sealed via China’s centerpiece project Belt and Road Initiative, especially with regards the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor. 🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰

China comes to the rescue via BRI’s China–Pakistan Economic Corridor. CPEC will connect Pakistan with China and the Central Asian countries with highway connecting Kashgar to Khunjerab and Gwadar. Gwadar Port in southern Pakistan will serve as the trade nerve center for China, as most of its trade especially that of oil will be done through the port, which is operated by the China Overseas Port Holding Company, a state-owned company.

       Currently, 60 percent of China's oil must be transported by ship from the Persian Gulf to the only commercial port in China, Shanghai, a distance of more than 16,000 kilometers. The journey takes two to three months, during which time the ships are vulnerable to pirates, bad weather, political rivals and other risks. Using Gwadar Port instead would reduce the distance and possibly the cost.

       While China focuses on economics, the U.S. is consistent on politics—and Pakistan is no exception. Islamabad has been a major non-NATO ally of Washington since 2002. Yet after Pakistan's participation in the Afghan peace process and Taliban (re)takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, a sizeable number of U.S. policy makers are revisiting the United States relations with Pakistan. That could be vague though under President Biden.

       I don’t think Biden likes Pakistan, regardless of Islamabad’s positive push for a new geo-economic vision. Biden's hawkish foreign policy approach views Pakistan as a major hub of international terrorism and jihadism. And so it appears redefining U.S.-Pakistan relations isn’t going to be quite easy. Of course, White House obligatorily urged the world to help “underwater Pakistan.” 🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰

Visuals: BBC. Medium. Unctad.

The PUERTO RICO Story.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

NEWS: “In Remote Parts of Puerto Rico, Hurricane Fiona Made Life Even Harder.” / “Can an Island Feed Itself?” The hurricane was in September and yet the storm’s effects remain, mostly evident in areas that have suffered disproportionately from natural disasters and government neglect. Have we heard/read this before, almost on a yearly basis?

       Yet although agriculture constitutes only about 0.60 percent or over $800 million of Puerto Rico’s gross domestic product (GDP), this industry promises salvation to the island’s 3.2 million population. So new visions of local agriculture are taking root. Currently the sector accounts for 15 percent of the food consumed locally, and still got room for improvement.

       Experts from the University of Puerto Rico argued that these crops—primarily rice, sugar cane, coffee, and corn—could cover approximately 30 percent of the local demand, particularly that of smaller vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce, etc. and several kinds of tubers that are currently being imported.

       Top FDIs in the island come from the U.S., Germany, Spain and Canada—but they overwhelmingly favor manufacturing, primarily pharmaceuticals, textiles, petrochemicals, and electronics. And the government is into finance, insurance, real estate, and tourism as well. Hence, there is currently a debate as to whether or not agricultural production in Puerto Rico should be increased or reduced. 🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷

PUERTO Rico’s agricultural economy has been stunted or prevented from growing due to a shift in priorities towards industrialization, bureaucratization, mismanagement of terrains, lack of alternative methods and a deficient workforce. Most venture in nearby New York City. PR’s geographical location within the Caribbean exacerbates these issues, making the scarce existing crops propense to the devastating effects of Atlantic hurricanes.

       Meanwhile, poverty rate is a staggering 51 percent. The poverty rate in Puerto Rico is much higher than any or all of the 50 other U.S. states, or double the 24.2 percent of the next poorest, Mississippi. Currently, inflation is at 6.10 percent; unemployment 6+ percent.

       Why the relative non-concern for Puerto Rico? Remember, Puerto Ricans was granted U.S. citizenship via the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917, the year America joined World War I. In other words, Washington needed additional troops to send to war.

       These days, Puerto Rico seems like a mere factory for U.S. and European consumer needs. Yet the island’s agriculture could be developed—to at least feed its people during times of massive calamity. 🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷

Visuals: BBC. Franciscan Children.

The JAPAN Story.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page. 

JAPAN, which is around the size of California but with almost 3x larger in population at 125.8 million, is a Land of Superlatives. Aptly, this East Asian power is “The Land of the Rising Sun,” especially when we regard its economic miracle after World War II. From the ashes of its defeat in the Pacific War, GDP growth rate rose at an average of 7.1 percent from 1945 to 1956, catapulting the Shinto nation as the world’s second-largest economy in the world by 1972.

       Economy stagnated around the 1990s in what is referred to as the “Lost Decade,” but the country has since recovered. With the advent of China in the 21st century, which in fact aided Japan shake the currency crash crisis in the 1990s, Japan has assumed 3rd rank in global economy without really losing much of its economic poise.

       Japan is a great power due to several reasons. Although Tokyo has renounced its right to declare war, the country maintains Self-Defense Forces that rank as one of the world's strongest militaries. A global leader in the automotive, robotics and electronics industries, Japan has made significant contributions to science and technology. The culture is well known around the world, including its art, cuisine, music, and popular culture, which encompasses prominent comic, animation and video game industries.

       Among other bright spots, Japan ranks "very high" on the Human Development Index and a high life expectancy of 84 years though its overall population is experiencing a decline. Another startling fact about Japan, which is also known as the land the “hara-kiri” or ritual suicide and the infamous suicide forest Aokigahara in Mount Fuji, is the least depressed country on earth with a depression diagnosed rate of less than 2.5 percent. 🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵

WITH a very colorful culture, Japan is a very old nation that has been inhabited since the Upper Paleolithic period (30,000 BC), though the first written mention of the archipelago appears in a Chinese chronicle (the Book of Han) finished in the 2nd century AD. After years under military dictators or “shoguns” and feudal lords a.k.a. “daimyo,” which was enforced by the warrior nobility called “samurai,” civil wars punctuated Japan’s history.

       The country was reunified in 1603 under the Tokugawa shogunate, which enacted an isolationist foreign policy, yet like China—it sustained a formidable internal well-being. The steely resolve not to trade with the West moved the United States to force Japan to open its ports in 1854. That’d then be written in history as Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s infamous “gunboat diplomacy,” which led to the end of the shogunate and the restoration of imperial power in 1868.

       I view that transition or the birth of the Meiji period as Japan’s slide to political darkness as it pursued a Western-modeled constitution and program of industrialization and modernization. Amidst a rise in militarism and overseas colonization, Japan invaded China in 1937 and entered World War II as an Axis power in 1941.

       After suffering defeat in the Pacific War and two atomic bombings, Japan surrendered in 1945 and came under a seven-year Allied occupation, during which it adopted a new constitution. And a new life of coolness, calm, openness, and prosperity. 🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵

JAPAN’s major export industries include automobiles, consumer electronics, computers, semiconductors, and iron and steel. Additionally, key industries in Japan's economy are mining, nonferrous metals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, bioindustry, shipbuilding, aerospace, textiles, and processed foods.

       Another admirable facet of Japan points at its economic management. It has a comparatively low 3.4 percent GDP growth rate at this point, a lot lower than India’s global high of 6.5 percent to 7 percent, but Japan apparently runs its economy better. Its unemployment rate is at 2+ percent, regardless of Covid-19 pandemic, compared with India’s 7.9 percent jobless rate.

       As expected, Japan’s top trading partner is China, surpassing trade with the United States. Tokyo’s economy is increasingly dependent on Beijing, which is now the country's largest export destination. That’d be considering that after China defeated Japan in the WW2, relations have been tense because of the Korean War and the Cold War. Yet trade has expanded greatly in the 21st century.

       True to the Japanese, they healed fast from wounds of war to embrace peaceful demeanor. And the Chinese are lovin’ it as well. Chinese tourists have been the biggest group visiting Japan in recent years. In 2018, some 8.4 million Chinese tourists visited Japan and spent a whopping $13 billion, accounting for nearly 34 percent of all spending by foreign visitors. Today over 2.7 million foreign residents are estimated to be in Japan. Of this, Chinese nationals account for the largest group, with close to 800,000. 🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵

WHAT about Japan’s relations with the United States? Tokyo remains as a top Washington political ally in Asia, irrelevant of China. In fact, Japan hosts the 3rd largest concentration of American troops overseas, after South Korea and Germany. Despite these, Japan hasn’t really bought into or rode with America’s open derision of China.

       Tokyo refused to join Washington’s trade war with Beijing in Donald Trump’s years. To accentuate the stance, just two weeks after the Nov 2020 U.S. presidential election, Japan joined the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Meantime, Japan has also not followed America’s lead against China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It is said to be seeking to cooperate with the project.

       Despite all these, the U.S. stays as Japan’s #2 top trading partner. U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) in Japan was $131.8 billion in 2019, a 16.4 percent increase from 2018. U.S. direct investment in Japan is led by finance and insurance, manufacturing, and wholesale trade. Japan's FDI in the United States was $619.3 billion in 2019, up 25.4 percent from 2018. That’d be #1 FDI country in America, to date. Chinese FDIs in the U.S. is way below the Top 10.

       Meanwhile, the Japanese, 67 percent, favorably view America as their closest ally. A 2021 Gallup poll showed that 84 percent of Americans had a favorable view of Japan as well. In fact, when I stayed in Japan in the 1990s, I was amazed at how the Japanese extremely enjoy American rock `n roll. The country is a top 3 market for U.S. music. 🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵

Photo credits: Papaya Global. The Independent. Wikipedia.