<p><br>Regional Themes:<br>1. Unrest, unrest!: The recession puts pressure on governments everywhere, but nowhere more so than in the Far East, as export-led economies get hit hard by the long, drawn-out length of the recession, and the credit crunch. Country-specific factors might accentuate matters, but the general idea is that things are rapidly becoming unstable across the region.<br>
2. Old Habits Die Hard: Even in the most developed countries in the region, corruption (in varying forms) is a huge problem. In a networked age, corruption becomes ever more of a present burden upon populations; they know now that its happening, it's not isolated, and that it’s widespread, but even the visibility of it doesn't kill it off, crushing popular trust of institutions.<br>
3. A Matter of Faith: Religion is a major issue in the region, whether it’s expressed in extremism, a background noise of the culture, or violently suppressed it has made a deep impact on the lives of people in the region and shows through in their actions. Amoung the results of this impact are the steadfast resistance of suppressed religions in China to government restrictions, a deepening of religious divides in places like the Philippines and Indonesia and the expansion of new faiths on old ground such as the Christian trend in South Korea. No matter what form it takes religion matters in the Far East and will be hard to ignore even amidst the other crises in the region. </p>
<div>----<br>Events, written with help of Ian:</div>
<div><br>August 2009: Large scale protests take place in Tokyo and other major Japanese cities the protests centre on the mismanagement of the Japanese pension system and reluctance of the government to provide real solutions to the declining population.<br>
September 2009: The Japanese Democratic Party makes large strides in the Lower House elections and dangerously reducing the hold of the LDP on government. Prime Minister Taro Aso resigns.<br>January 2010: A truck bomb linked to Jemaah Islamiyah detonates at a resort in Bali Indonesia, and kills 137, and injures approximately 200, mostly western tourists. Indonesian government promises a crackdown and while several arrests are made there is little progress in combating the organization in a meaningful way.<br>
April 2010: Religious groups organize major protests in China pushing for more religious freedoms. The Chinese government cracks down on the protesters and despite their best efforts to contain images of the crackdown some get out and further hurt Chinese interests overseas.<br>
June 2010: Malaysian pirates enter into a stand off with Chinese forces after the hijacking of a Chinese super tanker in the Strait of Malacca. The Chinese with permission of the Malaysian government storm the ship and three hostages are killed along with all the pirates. Insurance prices rise for ships passing through the Strait, increasing the costs of oil shipped from the Middle East, and forcing East Asian governments to seek alternate sources of oil. Serious efforts are made by the local governments as well as the governments of Japan, China and South Korea to combat piracy in the region.<br>
August 2010: The bombing of the refineries in Qatar and Kuwait exacerbate the region’s fuel issues. Prices sky rocket, especially in the region’s island nations. There is considerable speculation about the Spratly Island dispute heating up as the nations involve begin to seek out new sources of oil and gas.<br>
January 2011: Corruption scandals, allegations of a rigged 2010 election and mismanagement of the fuel crisis are stated as the cause of a coup attempt against President Arroyo. The attempt is almost successful and there is limited fighting in Manila and outlying regions. Following the coup an unsuccessful assassination attempt is made against the President, the culprit is discovered to be a frustrated citizen as popular support for the President drops to new lows. <br>
May 2011: May Day labour rallies throughout Japan decry the current government’s corrupt practices and last throughout Golden Week. Similar protests in South Korea are met with more hostility as the day’s communist connotations spark fear in the government of North Korean influence. Several organizers are questioned by the police, and the demonstrations last several weeks in major Korean cities.<br>
June 2011: Riding a tide of returning to traditional Japanese values nationalist elements in the LDP seize the reigns of power during their election for party President. <br>September 2011: Shenyang Mutiny. PLA officers near Shenyang refuse orders in protest of distribution of profits from PLA business interests. The mutiny is quickly resolved and brushed under the table however the incident is extremely embarrassing to the Party and PLA, a number of senior members of both are forced to resign. <br>
January 2012: A survey reports that 40% of South Koreans claim Christianity as their religion, making it the largest religious group in the country.<br>March 2012: Several bombs explode in downtown Manila and a car bomb destroys a Catholic Church on the southern island of Mindanao during Sunday Mass, marking a more violent trend in the country’s Islamic insurgency. Crack downs follow and are ineffective.<br>
April 2012: The Chinese government’s failure to release prisoners taken in the 2010 demonstrations causes new demonstrations. The Chinese government attempts to negotiate, however these fall through and force is used to bring the protesters in line. China again does it’s best to keep the whole thing quiet. <br>
November 2012: Defections of LDP party members to the DPJ or to new splinter parties cause a no-confidence motion to be passed against the sitting Japanese government, forcing an election, scheduled for January 2013. Pundits speculate it may be possible for the LDP to actually lose this time and a new party to take the reigns.</div>
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