VIENNA CONVENTION ON CONSULAR RELATIONS
DONE AT VIENNA, ON 24 APRIL 1963
Article 1
DEFINITIONS
1. For the purposes of the present Convention, the following expressions shall have the meanings hereunder assigned to them:
(j) "consular premises" means the buildings or parts of buildings and the land ancillary thereto, irrespective of ownership, used exclusively for the purposes of the consular post;
One striking example is the behavior of profit ratios of car makers.
For selected Korean and Japanese car makers, profit margin developments in recent years paint
quite contrasting pictures?Hyundai Motors showing a decline in operating margins, while Toyota
and Honda experiencing a sharp pick-up since 2013 (Figure 2).
Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the quarterly operating margins of Hyundai Motors showed
a correlation of 0.8 with the Won’s exchange rate against dollar (KRWUSD) since the first quarter
of 2012. During this time, Hyundai Motors’ operating margin (three quarter centered average)
decreased by 19 percent, while that of Toyota increased by 63 percent.
Toyota’s operating margins have shown a correlation of 0.7 with the Yen’s exchange rate against dollar (JPYUSD).
South Korea’s Prozac Moment July 17, 2015 ? 9:51 AM KST
South Korean President Park Geun Hye recently announced that the Greek
debt crisis would hurt the domestic economy for "some time."
The population is aging, labor markets are rigid, innovation is lagging,
corporate and household debt is rising and confidence has been hit hard
by the threat from an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or
MERS.
The South Korean malaise isn't rooted in a sudden shift, but the
accumulation of economic challenges that still need to be addressed.
South Korea's highly-indebted corporate sector has also seen its export
competitiveness drop off markedly thanks to the appreciation of won
versus other major currencies. Exports have fallen for six months straight.
South Korea is being squeezed on two sides.
A slowing China is hurting export demand short-term, while innovating and
moving up the manufacturing value chain in the long-term. The country is
incubating its own technology giants like Xiaomi Corp. that could someday
take on the likes of Samsung Electronics Co.
"The problem is zombie companies are increasing especially among big
companies recently," said Jeong Dae Hee, a fellow in the macroeconomic
policy department at state-run think tank Korea Development Institute,
in Sejong near Seoul.
"Zombies should be liquidated or restructured in order to gain the
dynamics of economic growth."
How the U.S. is training China's military ? while inching toward conflict
By William Johnson July 23, 2015
Despite tensions between the United States and China over the South China Sea,
the two nations' militaries train together at a very high level. Current
"mil-mil" engagements are robust, with China participating in the world's
largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC 2014, which is hosted biannually
by the U.S. Pacific Command. The drills allowed China to learn a great deal
about U.S. tactics, techniques and procedures (in military shorthand, "TTPs").
* Cooperation between American and Chinese armed forces goes well beyond RIMPAC
and the counter-piracy efforts.
* Chinese and U.S. Naval personnel have also conducted joint training on
Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Response, and plan to conduct joint training
on search and rescue over the next couple of weeks.
末尾
As I have argued before, an aggressive approach to China in the South China Sea
is contrary to U.S. interests.
* The United States should dial down its public rhetoric against China, and
refrain from aggressive military action. Such actions are counter-productive
and short-sighted.
* The United States should enhance mil-mil cooperation, taking care to protect
its most sensitive tactics, techniques and procedures.
So long as there are no shots fired, we should leave the South China Sea to
the diplomats.
South Korea might need stronger medicine than QE
By Andy Mukherjee July 23, 2015
Boosting incomes and avoiding deflation would necessitate a weaker exchange rate.
The won has become a third pricier against trading partners since early 2009.
Japanese exporters are using a weak yen to cut prices, and invest more in product
development. That's a headache for Korean auto and electronics makers.
However, cutting interest rates to weaken the currency is like bringing a water
pistol to a fight with the Japanese monetary bazooka.
With the Bank of Japan buying about $50 billion in government bonds each month,
the Bank of Korea needs to raise its game, and expand its balance sheet.
Open Letter in Support of Historians in Japan
Document published by Jordan Sand on Tuesday, May 5, 2015
This year presents an opportunity for the government of Japan to show leadership by
addressing Japan’s history of colonial rule and wartime aggression in both words and
action. In his April address to the US Congress, Prime Minister Abe spoke of the
universal value of human rights, of the importance of human security, and of facing the
suffering that Japan caused other countries. We applaud these sentiments and urge the
Prime Minister to act boldly on all of them.
The process of acknowledging past wrongs strengthens a democratic society and fosters
cooperation among nations. Since the equal rights and dignity of women lie at the core of
the “comfort women” issue, its resolution would be a historic step toward the equality of
women and men in Japan, East Asia and the world.
Description:
This statement emerged from an open forum held at the Association for Asian Studies annual
meeting held in Chicago during March 2015, and from subsequent discussions on line among
a wide range of Japan scholars. It represents the opinions only of those who have signed it
and not of any organization or institution.
Tsipras Says Greece Won ‘Crucial’ Commitment for Debt Relief
July 29, 2015 ? 7:02 PM KST Updated on July 29, 2015 ? 9:14 PM KST
“The Greek people were prisoners, who after they escaped prison were immediately
arrested and returned to an even smaller cell,”
Tsipras, who turned 41 on Tuesday, told an Athens radio station.
“What’s crucial is that we got a commitment for debt relief, which will take
place after the first review of the program, in November.”
“I don’t regret anything that’s happened over the past five months,”
Tsipras said.
“As for the economy, the situation is reversible.”
