Taiwan appoints Japanese ex-military chief as advisor
Shigeru Iwasaki remains an influential figure in Tokyo and his appointment is meant to strengthen political and military ties with Taiwan.
•Ben McGrath
Ben McGrath
South Korea: Verdict in president’s impeachment trial expected this week
The end of the impeachment trial will not end the political crisis. Instead, the bitter divisions in ruling circles will only deepen amid worsening economic conditions at home and rising geo-political tensions internationally.
•Ben McGrath
Japan experiences largest wildfire in 50 years
The rapid spread of the wildfire in Ofunato was caused by both government neglect and the worsening of climate change around the world.
•Ben McGrath
South Korea: Final Constitutional Court hearing on president’s impeachment
Whatever the outcome of the trial, the country’s political crisis will continue as President Yoon whips up far-right forces in the face of the spinelessness of the opposition Democrats and their allies.
•Ben McGrath
South Korean president arrested
The political crisis in South Korea is only continuing to intensify and will not be resolved with Yoon’s detention.
•Ben McGrath
South Korean investigators seek extension of arrest warrant for president
As Yoon continues to stonewall efforts to investigate his martial law declaration last month, the political crisis in South Korea is deepening.
•Ben McGrath
Japanese cabinet earmarks record 8.7 trillion yen for war
Tokyo has all but thrown out the legal limitations set in Article 9 of the constitution, which bans Japan from acquiring military weaponry and waging war overseas.
•Ben McGrath
Impeached South Korean president blocks arrest
The danger of another declaration of martial law or military coup remains in South Korea as Yoon makes clear he intends to cling to power, emboldened by the rolling back of protests by the opposition party.
•Ben McGrath
Plane crash in South Korea leaves 179 dead
Aviation experts have raised numerous questions about the cause of the tragic Jeju Air accident, but at this stage many details are still unknown.
•Ben McGrath
South Korea’s acting president impeached amid ongoing protests
Han assumed presidential duties on December 14, when President Yoon Suk-yeol was also impeached and suspended from office over his failed attempt to impose martial law on December 3.
•Ben McGrath
South Korea’s Democrats sow complacency and roll back protests
While President Yoon is impeached and suspended from office after his failed attempt to impose martial law, his removal by the Constitutional Court is by no means certain.
•Ben McGrath
South Korean president impeached, suspended from office
Whether or not Yoon is finally removed from office, the underlying economic and social crisis will continue to fuel political instability and the resort by the ruling class to anti-democratic methods to impose new burdens on working class.
•Ben McGrath
South Korean president faces second impeachment vote
The opposition Democrats have pledged to repeatedly reintroduce the impeachment motion to parliament, after the first was defeated on December 7, until President Yoon is forced from office.
•Ben McGrath
South Korean president attempts to impose martial law
The failed military coup is a sharp warning to workers in South Korea and internationally: Mired in worsening crises, dictatorship is the order of the day for the ruling classes around the world.
•Ben McGrath
South Korean railway workers to strike
While workers are seeking to defend their jobs and conditions, the struggle is being consciously undermined by the rail unions.
•Ben McGrath
Three Hyundai Motor workers killed in South Korea
Auto workers cannot place their faith in the company or any section of the ruling class to protect their safety on the job or conditions overall.
•Ben McGrath
Japan’s prime minister preparing pro-war, economic stimulus package
While the government’s proposed policies are presented as a means to assist workers, the true agenda is the preparation for war and to slash jobs to boost corporate profits.
•Ben McGrath
South Korean auto parts workers strike
The auto workers’ union in South Korea is attempting to prevent a broader struggle against job cuts as the car industry around the world prepares a jobs bloodbath as part of the so-called “just transition” to electric vehicles.
•Ben McGrath
Suharto-era general inaugurated as Indonesia’s next president
As social and economic conditions decline and the danger of a US-instigated war against China looms, the Indonesian ruling class believes Prabowo is best equipped to suppress workers’ growing anger.
•Ben McGrath
Taiwanese president promotes US war drive against China
Taipei’s position is bound up with its support for US imperialism, the promotion of war in defense of capitalism and the belief that the Taiwanese bourgeoisie will ultimately enrich itself as a result.
•Ben McGrath