Category: East Asia,

An imprecise term I’m using to refer to the region composed of China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Nepel, Tibet, and perhaps Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia – depending on the context

Murder of North Korea’s Kim Jong Nam: Timeline of intrigue

On By peanutgallerynhIn East Asia,, Southern Central Asia,Leave a comment

The latest news — Malaysia is recalling its ambassador over Kim’s death and summoning Pyongyang’s own representative in Kuala Lumpur after he accused his host country of conspiring with “hostile forces” in its investigation.

...After news of the death broke Tuesday, Malaysian authorities announced they would be conducting an autopsy as part of its investigation — something North Korean officials later said they would not accept unless their officials can witness the procedure.

Pyongyang’s ambassador to Malaysia, Kang Chol, said Friday the country would reject the results of a “forced” autopsy on one of its citizens and demanded the immediate release of the body.
But Selangor Police Chief Abdul Samah Mat said without DNA from a next of kin, they wouldn’t hand over Kim Jong Nam’s body or release the autopsy report, which could reveal the cause of death.

CNN: Murder of North Korea’s Kim Jong Nam: Timeline of intrigue

Whaaaaa???? So fricking weird!

Japan PM Shinzo Abe in Hawaii for landmark Pearl Harbor visit 

On By peanutgallerynhIn East Asia,, Hawaii,, Military,, Pacific Basin,Leave a comment

Mr Abe will be accompanied by US President Barack Obama, making the visit the first by the leaders of both countries since the attack.

Mr Abe will pray for the dead but will not issue an apology.

The attack on Pearl Harbour killed 2,300 US servicemen and propelled the US into World War Two.

Japan PM Shinzo Abe in Hawaii for landmark Pearl Harbor visit – BBC News

hmmm

Donald Trump brought his daughter Ivanka to meet Japan’s Shinzo Abe as she was doing a deal with Sanei International 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, East Asia,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

When president-elect Donald J. Trump brought along his daughter Ivanka to meet Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in mid-November, observers raised their eyebrows. While family members often accompany heads of state on diplomatic visits, Ivanka’s presence in the meeting itself was highly unusual.

It also came as she was negotiating a deal with a Japanese company, which is backed by a government-owned development bank. As the New York Times reports (paywall), Ivanka is in the midst of closing a licensing deal with a Japanese retail company company known as Sanei International. The potential partnership highlights the troubling overlap between the Trump family’s corporate deals and president-elect Trump’s diplomatic efforts.

Donald Trump brought his daughter Ivanka to meet Japan’s Shinzo Abe as she was doing a deal with Sanei International — Quartz

Forget not prosecuting the child for the sins of the father, forget giving things a chance to shake out before coming to judgement.

These people are disgusting, greedy monsters.

Disgusting, immoral, and just plain trashy.

The worst humanity can produce, a cancer on the soul of humankind.

Trump slams China for currency manipulation and ‘massive military complex’ in South China Sea 

On By peanutgallerynhIn East Asia,, Pacific Basin,Leave a comment

President-elect Donald Trump again took Twitter again to criticize China for manipulating its currency and its buildup in the South China Sea.In a further sign of his foreign policy intentions toward China, President-elect Donald Trump has sent out two tweets that criticize China for devaluing its currency, imposing taxes on U.S. goods, and building a “massive military complex” in the South China Sea.

Trump slams China for currency manipulation and ‘massive military complex’ in South China Sea | Taiwan News

Sweet Mother of…..

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is warning citizens against using sarcasm 

On By peanutgallerynhIn East Asia,Leave a comment

Having already curbed free speech, the government has now caught on to dissent in the form of sarcasm. In the latest round of cautionary meetings, it was made apparent that subtle digs at the regime are no longer permissible.

Officials pointed to the phrase “this is all America’s fault” as an example of sarcasm it doesn’t want uttered. It’s common for North Koreans to use the phrase ironically to criticize the country’s leadership. Another blacklisted phrase is “a fool who cannot see the outside world,” which government workers in the capital city Pyongyang had used to describe Kim Jong-un because he was absent at celebrations in Russia and China marking the end of World War II.

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is warning citizens against using sarcasm — Quartz

Oh, my….