Japan

The second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation is about to open in Beijing. It will take place from 25th to 27th April, 2019. The Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to deliver the keynote address.
It is expected to be an event of tremendous proportions and importance: leaders from 37 countries will participate, including Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and President Duterte of the Philippines. Beijing will host 5,000 guests from 150 countries, as well as 90 international organizations.

The annual meeting of political leaders of countries from twenty of the world’s leading world economies (The Group of 20, G-20) will be held this time on June 28-29 in the Japanese city of Osaka. However, there are already reasons to discuss both the significance of the G-20 forum, as well as current issues that will be presented for review to its executive body, which is what a “Summit” is.

What's your take on Assange? Have you heard of Unit 731? And just who is Percy Corbett, anyway? Get James' answer to these and other important questions in this edition of Questions For Corbett.

[audio mp3="http://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/qfc043-lq.mp3"][/audio]What's your take on Assange? Have you heard of Unit 731? And just who is Percy Corbett, anyway? Get James' answer to these and other important questions in this edition of Questions For Corbett.

On 1 April, Chief Cabinet Secretary (i.e. head of the executive body under the Prime Minister), Yoshihide Suga, showed journalists two kanji characters, written in calligraphy, that represent the name of the country’s new epoch. They have been adopted from ancient Japanese poetry, and in Latin alphabet the characters depict the word Reiwa.

Inaam (left), Habib (right) and I (photographer) sharing a good laugh at the Borderfree Nonviolence Community Centre in Kabul

James joins Melody Cedarstrom on the Financial Survival radio show for their regular, bi-monthly conversation. This time we discuss the disappearance of free will and the rise of Big Tech, the demographic crunch in Japan, China's belt and road diplomacy, and the recent crisis in Kashmir.

[audio mp3="http://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/2019-03-21%20Financial%20Survival.mp3"][/audio]James joins Melody Cedarstrom on the Financial Survival radio show for their regular, bi-monthly conversation. This time we discuss the disappearance of free will and the rise of Big Tech, the demographic crunch in Japan, China's belt and road diplomacy, and the recent crisis in Kashmir.

On February 24th the residents of Okinawa voted in a “symbolic referendum”, i.e. one which is purely an expression of opinion, with no obligation on anyone to take any notice of its outcome. In this, they voted heavily against the relocation of the Futenma base, despite the fact this had been agreed twenty years ago.