asia & pacific

The worst disaster in Japan since the second world war hit the country's north-east coastal region on 11 March 2011. The combination of tsunami and nuclear crisis presented the media with great practical problems and ethical concerns. Wataru Sawamura, an experienced journalist with the leading newspaper the Asahi Shimbun, reflects on how he and his colleagues sought to fulfil their professional responsibilities as the tragedy unfolded.

Beijing is concerned by Washington's more assertive regional policy in Asia. But here as elsewhere the Chinese leadership's inability to talk to the rest of the world in a natural way blunts its capacity to respond, says Kerry Brown.

Taiwan's presidential election saw the incumbent Ma Ying-jeou win another four-year term in office over his opponent Tsai Ing-wen. But the interpretation of this outcome by Washington and Beijing misses an important dimension of Taiwan's political reality. Their flawed understanding could have damaging consequences over the next four years, say LC Russell Hsiao & Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao.

The aftermath of the death of Kim Jong-Il highlights the obstacles in the way of a clear assessment of North Korea's power dynamics, says JE Hoare.

The tsunami and nuclear accident made 2011 an especially hard year for Japan. But the questions raised by the experience are similar to those being asked across the world, says Takashi Inoguchi.

North Korea's leader of almost two decades has died. What happens next will determine Kim Jong-Il's place in the country's history, says Charles K Armstrong.

After Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, the US has now turned its belligerent attention towards Pakistan. But opening up a new battlefront, this time in Pakistan, in the run-up to the presidential elections, will prove another quagmire for the Obama administration.

Far from being reconciliatory, the government's International War Crimes Tribunal is tantamount to a witch hunt of the opposition.

The return to democracy in Nepal after the decade-long civil war has been bumpy. The question of amnesty for crimes committed during the war now faces the new Maoist-led government with a key choice, says Meenakshi Ganguly.

A pattern of violence against the Ahmadiyah religious community, in which the perpetrators enjoy near-impunity and official indulgence, is disfiguring Indonesia. It also presents a wider challenge to the country’s vital search for a model of religious tolerance in public life, says Charles Reading.

Malaysia is at the crossroads … again. The government is acting with great insecurity in the face of persistent demands for democratic reform. The history of Malaysia's post-colonial settlement continues to weigh

The recent intensification of the dispute between China and Vietnam has highlighted the volatile and unpredictable nature of maritime disputes in East Asia. Despite the prevalence of nationalist sentiments, historical grievances and geopolitical interests, it is domestic politics that render these disputes more complicated, unpredictable and dangerous.

The electoral victory of Pheu Thai, the party led by Thaksin Shinawatra's sister, opens a dramatic new phase in Thailand's politics. Tyrell Haberkorn maps the background, in an article first published on 14 April 2010 (archive)

Benigno Aquino's inauguration as the Philippines' president raised hopes of improvement in citizens' security. A year on the evidence of progress in this area is hard to find, says Jessica Evans in Manila.

An accurate estimate of the population is crucial for conducting elections. The absence of one in Burma illuminates the nature of authoritarian rule in the country, says David Scott Mathieson.

The Dalai Lama's impending retirement symbolises an important transition in the life of Tibet's political-national community. The process underway clarifies both the nature of Tibetan governance and the challenges it must address in face of China's power, says Ramin Jahanbegloo.

In the past year, reporting from Thailand has been dominated by the drama in Bangkok. The confrontation between redshirts and government troops is no doubt of great importance to Thailand’s future. But another conflict also deserves the world’s attention.

To most people Fiji is known as an island paradise: white sandy beaches and crystal clear turquoise water. But beyond the tourist wonderland is a country ruled by a military dictatorship that annulled the constitution in 2009 and drove most international journalists out.

The effects of the catastrophic earthquake in Japan’s northeast will be felt for years to come. How Japan responds will help to define its capacity to meet other 21st-century tests, says David Hayes.