Asia Blog - August 2010

Let's face it. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has been visiting China a little too frequently lately. From the looks of it, Kim was probably trying to avoid former US President Jimmy Carter's visit to Pyongyang to free an American prisoner. For China, North Korea, might be "that crazy uncle who lives up in the attic" but may have an ulterior motive.

Could the news of Pakistani cricket's spot fixing come at a worse time? Probably not. In what is arguably the most sensational sporting scandal ever, an undercover reporter for Britain's News of the World claimed he smashed a multi-million pound cricket match-fixing ring which rigged the ongoing Test match between England and Pakistan over the weekend.

Not too many countries can count 'being cool' among their marketable exports. However, Japan is one of the few countries whose pop culture has exploded overseas. Japanese food, fashion, anime, and manga are just a few components of a cultural niche that is often referred to as "Cool Japan." But what good is being cool if Japan isn't making any money off of its pop culture status?

At the opening of his back-to-school tour, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan cited an Asia Society study on how countries with the best education systems can invest more wisely in teachers. "Nothing is more important... than the quality and skill of the person standing in the front of the class," he said.