Tag: East Asia
A prominent Japanese seismologist rattled some nerves when he declared there was a 70 percent chance of a major earthquake in or around Tokyo -- in the next four years. Government scientists had proclaimed a similar risk, but over a longer timeframe, 30 years....
Negotiations brought a satisfactory conclusion to human rights activist Chen Guangcheng's stay at the U.S. Embassy in China. Chen campaigned on behalf of women forcibly sterilized in China....
China is at a crossroads. The economic engine that has allowed its political leaders unprecedented peace and prosperity in the Communist nation, is slowing and the leaders there recognize that changes will be need to continue growing. But that's proving difficult, and coming at the same time the nation attempts a power transition and deals with a political scandal....
Researchers in South Korea are field-testing what is believed to be the first robotic, autonomous prison guard. Built in South Korea, the creation will monitor, analyze and report behavior that could be dangerous to the health, welfare and safety of prisoners and prisons themselves....
Never before has such a dramatic power transfer in China unfolded in the Internet era. Making this even more dramatic is controversial news this week that a one-time popular party leader has been suspended from his posts and his wife has been arrested and charged with murder. All this is unfolding on the Internet in China....
North Korea will launch a rocket sometime between Thursday and Monday in what it says is a mission to put an agricultural and scientific satellite into orbit. The United States and other nations in the region say the launch is really a cover for a ballistic missile test — in violation of United Nations sanctions....
China will undergo its once-in-a-decade leadership transition this year -- and the stakes are always high. This year, though, rumors of military coups and political intrigue among top leaders is complicating matters and has political leaders doing their best to retain control....
China's lawyers are hardly independent today, but a new regulation from the country's Ministry of Justice would require all attorneys to swear allegiance to the Communist Party before being granted a license to practice law....
South Korea has long been known for its lack of cultural diversity. Even today, the country is more than 99 percent ethnic Koreans. But things are slowly shifting, with more foreigners moving to the country and having ethnically mixed children -- which has presented new challenges for the government and the Korean people....
In Japan, there's a massive effort under way to figure out how to clean up the contamination from the radiation release at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Some wonder if it can even be done....
