Author: Takashi Shirashi, GRIPS and IDE-JETRO

Since the Democratic Party of Japan came to power with Yukio Hatoyama as prime minister, its foreign policy — above all its positions on the Japan-U.S. alliance and the East Asian community building — has come under a spate of criticism at home and abroad.

Critics argue that it is contradictory to call for the building of an East Asian community while pledging to maintain the Japan-U.S. alliance as the cornerstone of Japan’s foreign policy. Read more…

Guest Author: Takashi Shiraishi

The results of the parliamentary elections held in Indonesia on April 9 are now officially out.

The Democratic Party (PD) with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as its patron has emerged as the leading party with 150 seats (out of 560), followed by the Golkar Party, headed by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) led by former President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

The four leading Islamic parties – the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the United Development Party (PPP), and the National Awakening Party (PKB) – did badly, with their combined votes plummeting from 44 per cent in the previous 2004 elections to 25per cent this time.

What does this mean for Indonesian politics, and above all, the presidential election scheduled on July 8?

Read more…