Asian Studies

This month, prolific author Michael Yahuda talks about how the two great powers ('tigers') of East Asia compete and cooperate with each other. His brand new textbook, Sino-Japanese Relations after the Cold War explores in detail the ways in which politics has shaped the thinking about history and identity in both China and Japan and explains the role political leadership in each country has played in shaping their respective nationalisms.

Order your complimentary exam copy today!

Shinzo Abe has a landslide victory in Japan’s elections, marking him out as one of the strongest political mandates for a Japanese leader in years. ‘Abeconomics’ (a word that has been used to describe Mr Abe’s economic policies) is without a doubt a strong factor in his victory, as Abe plans to try and pull Japan’s economy out of its long-term decline.

Daya Thussu, editor of the Routledge Advances in Internationalizing Media Studies series, provides an informative overview of the series in this concise interview.

Roshan de Silva Wijeyeratne, author of Nation, Constitutionalism and Buddhism in Sri Lanka, talks to us about Sinalese Buddhism, the election of President Rajapakse in 2005 and why we should all read his recently published book. 

Bali Tourism
By Arthur Asa Berger

Bali Tourism is an ideal book to read before visiting Bali yourself—or recommending/planning a trip for others. The fresh insights it presents will help make any trip to the region more rewarding for the traveler. It is also a unique scholarly resource, complete with informative tables, references, and a bibliography, for academics and students at all levels of tourism studies.
 

Want to know more about the Indonesian Genocide issues of the mid 1960s?

Why not take a look at our FREE chapter about Indonesian Massacres in Centuries of Genocide.

‘The Act of Killing’ is a new documentary movie that explores the Indonesian killings.

The 60 million yuan Jibaozhai Museum opened in China in 2010 in the midst of a culture boom that sees many new museums opening every year. However, the ticket offices were shut this week amid claims that “many of the 40,000 exhibits were in fact knock-offs which had been bought for between 100 yuan and 2,000 yuan” (Tom Philips, The Telegraph). This has caused a media storm, with satirical comments and criticisms reaching the attention of journalists worldwide.

Over the past thirty years, whilst Japan has produced a diverse set of youth cultures which have had a major impact on popular culture across the globe, it has also developed a succession of youth problems which have led to major concerns within the country itself. Hikikomori, a collective term defining the young people who withdraw, is a word that everyone knows in Japan.

In the last week the problem has been widely reported by the media (notably in this viral article on the BBC News website). But are we any closer to helping sufferers?