deanzaZZR comments

Let's check in on Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organization and see what we can find about this amazing "Taiwan has a separate government, borders, air and maritime space, foreign relations, military, political and social institutions, trading relations, passport, currency, dialing and internet codes, etc. etc. etc."

I couldn't find Taiwan. Does Chinese Taipei work?

https://www.apec.org/about-us/about-apec/member-economies

Just to clarify, are you suggesting that the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (Chinese Taipei) be admitted? Details are important we must surely agree.

https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/countries_e/chinese_taipei_e.htm

Hmmmm, Taiwan, Province of China

https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/profile/TWN

The next step must be to include Taiwan.

Quite the spin on this one. Asahi had quite the different spin.

"However, when the phone call began at 11 a.m., Trump’s tone was so relaxed that the Japanese side was taken aback.

“It was as if (Trump) was lying down and talking,” a senior official at the prime minister’s office said.

Trump gave a rundown of his recent trip to the Middle East and praised himself for his “great accomplishments ...

Trump mentioned the F-47, the sixth-generation fighter jet manufactured by Boeing that was announced in March.

He said the “47” in “F-47” is a good number, and asked Ishiba to agree with him."

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15797871

Do this at an American university and you are likely to be referred to the student disciplinary committee.

Chinese civilization has learned patience over the past 5 millennia, young padawan.

It's unlikely that the US Senate would have passed it anyway. Even candidate Hillary Clinton did a reverse on support for the treaty.

TPP failed when Abe was around because the Trump pulled the US out of it.

How to you say shooting yourself in the foot in Tagalog?

The only clear ruling in that scs award I remember atm is that the Philippines lost it's islands because for some strange reason the lawyers representing the Philippines claimed that the islands were not islands.

HaHaHaHa. The ROC, administering less than 1% of the national territory with a population then of around 20 million versus 1+ billion on the Mainland.

One word comes to mind, losers.

The rightful member the ROC itself could have vetoed it otherwise.

What this says about the USA's inability for strategic planning should worry anyone who is not a libertarian wonk.

Meanwhile ...

Japan’s Debt, Now Twice the Size of Its Economy, Forces Hard Choices

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/28/business/japan-debt.html

What an absolutely corrupt regime.

I have that feeling that Lee is going to win the vote and then the Constitution Court (or some other court, whatever) will declare that he is ineligible. Uncle Sam smiles in the distance.

The Supreme Court which rules on the constitutionality of laws. You should know this. Are you OK?

so if congress passes a law who “restrains” them?

Someone skipped Civics class in high school.

Its a bedrock concept in most western democracies, including the USA.

Bravo states Attorney Generals.

If by 'someone else' you mean China then you are correct. See Hainan Island.

probably in someone else's EEZ

Rice harvested almost 4 years ago. Eek. Bring on the imports.

Reserve rice from 2021 will likely be sold at around 1,800 yen per 5 kilograms, more than half the recent average retail price.

You don't say. I'm pretty sure there are nuclear attack capable B-52s now stationed in Australia too. Cause and effect.

The U.S. maintains jet fighter wings in Japan, including on its forward deployed aircraft carrier, and on Guam, which is also home to B-52s.

Recent training exercises and arms sales to Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Pakistan suggest otherwise.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3241241/china-will-host-6-nation-aman-youyi-army-drills-deepen-trust-southeast-asia-disputes-roil-south

BongBongLand is a special creature molded for centuries by colonialism that sadly is now internalized.

When is the last time Tesla released a new model? They all look old to me especially when compared to the newer Chinese NEV models. Innovation is key in this segment.

Spending $1 trillion per year on the military is socialism. Spending $280 billion on the CHIPS Act is socialism. I could go on.

This is LITERALLY Socialism (government ownership of corporations) by the way.

If it was a purely business decision they would walk away. Now it's a geopolitical decision with the Japanese government desperate to please Trump.

 I wish Nippon Steel would just walk away from the deal

This is a very interesting group of countries bringing together the Gulf's financial muscle, ASEANs young, hard-working labor force and China's green tech. infrastructure development and other technologies.

Earlier in the day Malaysia, which holds the bloc's rotating chairmanship, hosted the inaugural summit between ASEAN, China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) -- a regional bloc made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Ethnic Koreans north and south of the 38th parallel are not Koreans? Ethnic Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait are not Chinese? Here's a suggestion. Visit Taiwan. Next take the short flight to Xiamen or Fuzhou in Fujian. Then tell me how little the people in Fujian and Taiwan have in common.

The PRC and ROC have about as much in common as the DPRK and ROK.

There's no doubt Onosato has earned the rank. He should get many championship which will make many Japanese proud. I simply find his brand of sumo uninspiring. That's not a knock on Onosato. He is such a physical specimen that he simply pushes or deflects people. Little sumo technique is needed.

You fear Chinese will nuke fellow Chinese? When Chiang Kai-shek wanted to develop nukes to "protect" the island province of Taiwan the USA wisely shut it down.

What about Taiwan?!?!

The few analyses I have seen on this suggests the best "Golden Throne, I mean Dome" can do is protect from a rogue nuclear power like North Korea. Trillions will be spent and China and Russia will develop far less costly counter-measures.

Meanwhile ...

USA MIC and Congress applauds the fat contracts.

@USNinJapan2 I am pretty sure that if it was IJA/JSDF troops stationed in the USA the expectation would be zero tolerance.

Here we go, the MIC retirees "rationalizing" continued US military crimes in Japan. I am surprised I had to wait as long as I did.

Going with The Times World Rankings it breaks down thusly: (Top 50)

Peking/Beijing #13

Tsinghua/Qinghua #14

Nat'l Univ. of Singapore #17

Tokyo #28

Nanyang Tech. (Singapore) #30

Univ. Hong Kong #35

Fudan (China) #36

Chinese Univ. of Hong Kong #44

Zhejiang (China) #47

This is a good opportunity for Japan and China universities.