Aimed at the wrong target

First it was Baroness Ashton, on behalf of the European Union. Then came Hugo Swire, British foreign office minister.

Bridge over troubled waters

The Liberal Democratic Party won 294 of the 480 seats in the Japanese parliamentary election on Dec 16. Together with its coalition partner, the Komeito (Clean Government Party), that won 31 seats, it now controls more than two-thirds of the seats, enough to amend Japan's constitution.

China pivotal to Australia's success

Nearly half a century ago, Geoffrey Blainey's The Tyranny of Distance argued that Australia's geographic position shaped Australians' psychological attitudes. The long distance between Australia and its colonial forebears in Europe, and also the United States, made Australians unsure of their future economic prosperity.

Christmas calling Chinese parents

The Christmas season is here again and Chinese cities seem to be catching on the festive spirit with Christmas trees displayed in or in front of many shopping malls. But, and it is a huge but, if Christmas is about anything it is about children and the beautifully gift-wrapped presents they receive from their parents, families and friends.

Investment good for both sides

The world's largest economies should promote direct input in each others' businesses and help the global recovery

Cartoon

Japan still haunted by idea of militarism

A new day is dawning in Japanese politics, or so its next prime minister, the nationalist Shinzo Abe, whose grandfather-in-law served in the Hideki Tojo war cabinet, would have us believe.

Park makes history in ROK

In a closely contested presidential elec-tion held on Wednesday in the Republic of Korea, Park Geun-hye, the conservative ruling New Frontier Party candidate, beat her liberal rival Moon Jae-in to make history as the country's first female leader. How she will deliver her pre-election promises and create "a new era" for Asia's fourth-largest economy will have far-reaching significance for the 29th-richest country in the world and beyond.

Rein in housing prices

The recent rise in domestic housing prices in defiance of real estate regulations highlights the need for the authorities to take more forcible and targeted measures to tame the speculation-prone housing market.

Avoid detailed reporting on violence

Do newspapers, TV channels and new media know that their vivid coverage of the knife attack in a school could instigate another Min Yongjun to target children?

Syrian crisis could push Mideast into chaos

The Syrian crisis has turned into a civil war. The Syrian Free Army, the main armed opposition in Syria, has launched consecutive attacks on the suburbs of Damascus and even plans to shell the presidential residence. So bloody has been the recent violence that on Sunday UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed alarm at the situation in Syria.

Letters

Love is the most vital thing in life