COMMENTARIES

18 May 2021

Vietnam’s Consumer Finance Goes Global

Nicolas Lainez

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group’s new 49 per cent stake in FE Credit highlights the need for greater regulatory oversight and consumer protection measures.

19 Feb 2021

The State of Southeast Asia Survey

Japan and Southeast Asia – Power and Propinquity

William Choong

The latest State of Southeast Asia Survey is a ringing endorsement of Japan’s decades-long involvement and investment in the region.

ASEAN Indo-Pacfic Japan Southeast Asia State of Southeast Asia Survey

26 Jan 2021

Japan’s Diplomatic Note on the South China Sea: Internationalising the Dispute Amid Chinese Pressure

Nguyen Hong Thao

Japan’s latest note verbale to the United Nations on the South China Sea was done out of its national interest. Nonetheless, it shows that Tokyo – and a growing coalition of countries – are digging in their heels to uphold the aegis of international law in the region.

ASEAN-China Relations Japan South China Sea

29 Oct 2020

Prime Minister Suga Goes to Jakarta

Leo Suryadinata

Prime Minister Suga’s first trip shows that an “independent and active” Indonesia is not an easy partner for Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy.

Indonesia Japan

12 Oct 2020

Japan and Southeast Asia: Kindred Spirits in the era of Trump

Victor Teo

Richard Armitage, a veteran Republican official, has called for an Indo-Pacific that is inclusionary and not directed at any country. His view is markedly different from that of many Trump officials, and is similar to that of Japan and many countries in Southeast Asia.

Japan Southeast Asia