Guido Alberto Casanova

After 30 years of stagnant wages, trade unions’ demands have the support of the Kishida government, which called for a “new capitalism” during last year’s election. Carmakers agree, but most increases have come as annual bonuses rather than higher basic salaries. About 36.7 of the labour force, which involves part-timers or contract workers, will not benefit.

The conservative candidate beat rival Lee by a handful of votes. The agreement with Ahn Cheol-soo, another opposition candidate, a few days before the vote, was decisive. "Now is the time to unite" were the first words of the former prosecutor, who has built his political rise on intransigence. But parliament remains in the hands of the democrats.

A new president will be elected on March 9. The outgoing president, who cannot be re-elected, had promised a fairer country with less power for large industrial groups, but his plan has remained unfinished. Democratic candidate Lee Jae-myung aims to continue along this path, focusing on minimum income and ecological transition, but it is not certain that South Korea will choose continuity.

During a TV debate, the former Japanese prime minister suggested that, in light of current international situation, Japan should reach an agreement with the United States to share nuclear weapons. Incumbent Prime Minister Fumio Kishida rejects the idea, but the ruling party, to which both Abe and Kishida belong, is divided over the issue. Meanwhile, hibakusha, the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, are outright against it.

Gabriel Osaheni Aghedo has lived in Japan for 30 years. Islamic extremists threaten to kill him if he returns home, but the Japanese authorities refuse to recognise Nigeria as a high-risk country. This is why he cannot work and receive medical treatment in Japan. In 2020, only 47 asylum seekers or just 1 per cent had their application accepted.

The March 9th presidential elections will be a head-to-head contest in which the conservative candidate aims to archive the Moon era. Less public and more private in the economy, a revival of nuclear energy industry, and the elimination of the Ministry of Gender Equality are among the points on his programme.

Three plaintiffs sterilised in the 1960s and 1970s will receive about US$ 240,000. A law remained in force between 1948 and 1996 to prevent people with physical or cognitive disabilities from having children. A 2019 law limited the amount of compensation for victims.

North Korean policy greatest divide between two candidates in the presidential elections on March 9th. The Democrat Lee, in continuity with Moon, intends to act as an intermediary between Biden and Kim to restart diplomatic efforts. The conservative Yoon, on the other hand, would revoke the inter-Korean de-escalation agreements.

The city, home to a large community of Zainichi - the descendants of immigrants from Korea during the colonial era - had adopted them to repress attacks. In recent months there has been a fresh ncrease in this deeply embedded sentiment in Japan.

Religious leaders accuse the government of "discriminatory policies" and of favouring the Christian religion. Democratic Party MP Jung Chung-rae was targeted. The controversy was sparked by accusations of fraud and exploitation of places of worship for money by the Order. In the background, the presidential elections and fears of repercussions on the vote.

The disparity between sparsely and more densely populated areas is too great. The system has been kept to favour rural voters and the Liberal Democratic Party, which has held power almost uninterruptedly since 1945.

An enquiry has been opened into conservative candidate Yoon, who has been accused of favouritism towards a religious sect linked to a shaman close to him. The precedent set by former President Park Geun-hye, who was removed from office for allowing a mystic to interfere in state affairs, has taken a heavy toll.