Uploaded July 2015 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe continues to face an uphill battle on collective self-defense, a connection between ancient Chinese scripts and petroglyphs in the American Southwest, and consequences of living in a cell phone culture. Plus Martin Libicki called it with the OPM hack and more.
Shinzo Abe and Collective Self Defense
When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took to office, he made no secret his desire to shake things up. Not only did he wish to turn around the economy, but push forward with changes to the nation’s constitution that would allow the Self Defense Force a more active role in the region and elsewhere.
After reinterpreting Article 9 of the constitution last year, the Prime Minister has faced an uphill battle garnering public support for the change. This week, Abe cemented forward momentum when security bills were pushed through the lower house.
Returning to the podcast is Michael Cucek, Adjunct Fellow at the Institute for Contemporary Asian Studies at Temple University Japan to provide context and delve into the broader aspect of the measure and what’s shaping the political landscape and public forums.
Ancient Chinese and The Americas
If there’s one region of the world Asia News Weekly host Steve Miller is truly familiar with, it’s the American Southwest. He lived in Arizona for more than twenty years and explored just about every National Park and Monument (including serving as a volunteer Ranger for Tonto National Monument).
In this week’s podcast, he speaks with Dr. John Ruskamp, Jr. Ruskamp is the Senior Research Analyst for Epigraphic Research, an association dedicated to the scientific investigation of some of the world's most enduring enigmas. For the past ten years, Ruskamp has been searching America’s southwestern deserts for pictograms, but not those from Native Americans, but rather those from ancient Chinese explorers.
Put Down that Cell Phone
The cellphone industry is a multi-billion dollar endeavor. Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi are virtually household names. In fact, it’s easy to see today there’s not one corner of the globe that has not been influenced by these tiny machines. Is that for the betterment of mankind, or are we walking down a destructive path? Today, Asia News Weekly contributor Nate Chai sits down with host Steve Miller to briefly discuss the modern device’s impact on Asia.
The Asia Brief
This week’s news run-down begins with news that Katherine Archuleta, the embattled head of the United States Office of Personnel Management has stepped down. Asia News Weekly host Steve Miller revisits this topic to replay a clip from June, where RAND Corporations’ Martin Libicki pointed out that the head needed to go and why.
The Asia Brief continues by discussing the controversy surrounding Thailand’s decision to repatriate hundreds of ethnic Uighur muslims to both Turkey and China. Plus, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down one year ago today. What’s the latest on the search and where are things going from here? These stories and several more you may have missed are discussed.
If you enjoyed the podcast, please share it with your friends and if you haven’t, subscribe. Subscribing is free and when you do, the next episode is delivered automatically to you. You can subscribe on our website, AsiaNewsWeekly.net, or in your favorite podcast application.
You’ll be able to keep up with news from the region by following Asia News Weekly on Facebook or Twitter and if you have comments, questions, or feedback, be sure to drop a line to podcast@asianewsweekly.net.
Connect with me on social media and the internet!
Twitter: twitter.com/SteveMillerANW
Facebook: facebook.com/asianewsweekly
Podcast: asianewsweekly.net
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe continues to face an uphill battle on collective self-defense, a connection between ancient Chinese scripts and petroglyphs in the American Southwest, and consequences of living in a cell phone culture. Plus Martin Libicki called it with the OPM hack and more.
Shinzo Abe and Collective Self Defense
When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took to office, he made no secret his desire to shake things up. Not only did he wish to turn around the economy, but push forward with changes to the nation’s constitution that would allow the Self Defense Force a more active role in the region and elsewhere.
After reinterpreting Article 9 of the constitution last year, the Prime Minister has faced an uphill battle garnering public support for the change. This week, Abe cemented forward momentum when security bills were pushed through the lower house.
Returning to the podcast is Michael Cucek, Adjunct Fellow at the Institute for Contemporary Asian Studies at Temple University Japan to provide context and delve into the broader aspect of the measure and what’s shaping the political landscape and public forums.
Ancient Chinese and The Americas
If there’s one region of the world Asia News Weekly host Steve Miller is truly familiar with, it’s the American Southwest. He lived in Arizona for more than twenty years and explored just about every National Park and Monument (including serving as a volunteer Ranger for Tonto National Monument).
In this week’s podcast, he speaks with Dr. John Ruskamp, Jr. Ruskamp is the Senior Research Analyst for Epigraphic Research, an association dedicated to the scientific investigation of some of the world's most enduring enigmas. For the past ten years, Ruskamp has been searching America’s southwestern deserts for pictograms, but not those from Native Americans, but rather those from ancient Chinese explorers.
Put Down that Cell Phone
The cellphone industry is a multi-billion dollar endeavor. Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi are virtually household names. In fact, it’s easy to see today there’s not one corner of the globe that has not been influenced by these tiny machines. Is that for the betterment of mankind, or are we walking down a destructive path? Today, Asia News Weekly contributor Nate Chai sits down with host Steve Miller to briefly discuss the modern device’s impact on Asia.
The Asia Brief
This week’s news run-down begins with news that Katherine Archuleta, the embattled head of the United States Office of Personnel Management has stepped down. Asia News Weekly host Steve Miller revisits this topic to replay a clip from June, where RAND Corporations’ Martin Libicki pointed out that the head needed to go and why.
The Asia Brief continues by discussing the controversy surrounding Thailand’s decision to repatriate hundreds of ethnic Uighur muslims to both Turkey and China. Plus, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down one year ago today. What’s the latest on the search and where are things going from here? These stories and several more you may have missed are discussed.
If you enjoyed the podcast, please share it with your friends and if you haven’t, subscribe. Subscribing is free and when you do, the next episode is delivered automatically to you. You can subscribe on our website, AsiaNewsWeekly.net, or in your favorite podcast application.
You’ll be able to keep up with news from the region by following Asia News Weekly on Facebook or Twitter and if you have comments, questions, or feedback, be sure to drop a line to podcast@asianewsweekly.net.
Connect with me on social media and the internet!
Twitter: twitter.com/SteveMillerANW
Facebook: facebook.com/asianewsweekly
Podcast: asianewsweekly.net
