Mr. Aso's Cynical 'Stimulus'
Prime Minister Taro Aso’s five trillion yen ($52 billion) economic stimulus package has been met with lukewarm support by the Japanese public. The plan includes a two trillion yen cash handout program, where every citizen will receive 12,000 yen ($124). Originally, the government wanted a flat-rate tax cut but instead adopted a cash handout, reportedly because of Mr. Aso’s concerns over his flagging popularity. Now that Japan’s economy has fallen into another recession, the government does not have the luxury to experiment with populist policies that have failed in the past.

Taming Korea's Wild Wild Web
In a society where over 97% of households have high-speed broadband access, the Internet has the power to make or break the careers of South Korean politicians and entertainers and to publicize the private lives of common individuals. Live Web-casts of political rallies and street protests, like those this summer against U.S. beef imports, are common. And “netizens” are vigilant in their monitoring of politicians and the press. But there is a downside. Internet bullying is a major problem.

Pakistan Says Yes to the IMF
As Pakistan slips toward financial crisis, with foreign exchange reserves looming dangerously low, the International Monetary Fund has moved in to help. On Nov. 15, amid protests against IMF assistance, the Fund announced it will extend a loan of at least $7.6 billion to help stabilize the Pakistani economy.