Asia News Weekly Network - News from the region, Japan's election, Xi’s China Crackdown and much more

Typhoon Hagupit storms over Philippines, the upcoming Japanese election, and Hong Kong streets are cleared. These stories and more are on the December 12th edition of Asia News Weekly.

The Hong Kong protests fade

For nearly three months, the residents of Hong Kong took to the streets demanding electoral reform. They denounced the plan to vet and presumably stack a list of viable candidates in 2017 ahead of the city's first open vote with pro-Beijing supporters. The peaceful movement was dubbed the Umbrella Revolution and this week it came to an end.

Asia News Weekly host Steve Miller recaps the week's events, even as Alex Chow, secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, calls for more action, "It's to demonstrate what we're taking part is an act of civil disobedience action. That means although the government and police might use furious action on the protestors, we still resist till the last moment. It's not simply for us to be arrested, but to demonstrate our spirit and we will resist till the last moment.”

Typhoon Hagupit

In 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan raged across the Philippines, resulting in the death of more than 7,300 souls. This week, it was widely feared that another typhoon, following roughly the same path, would unleash a similar wave of destruction in an area still struggling with recovery.

“Our job really is to calm them down to minimize any of the negative repercussions from an event such as this. So I’m pressing everybody: The checklist of what has to be done, preferably should have been done yesterday,” Philippine President Aquino said last week before Typhoon Hagupit struck.

While there were some unfortunate losses of life from this natural disaster, Miller provides context on why this storm didn't provide the same results as Haiyan and the possible impact for Filipinos still recovering.

Japan’s Election

Sunday, December 14th, Japan heads to the polls in a snap election called by Prime Minister Sinzo Abe. He dissolved the lower house of Parliament following a tour of top-level Asian summits and is using this vote to seek validation of his economic policies amidst a recession worse than previously thought.

Miller shares the latest poll results and projections, and even thought the LDP is predicted to retain its power in the Diet, what it means for the future of Japan remains unanswered.

Xi’s China Crackdown

Over the past two years, President Xi Jinping has initiated a number of programs aimed at extending China’s influence and cleaning up politics to solidify his control across all levels of power. In what some experts have said is his biggest and boldest move yet, Xi arrested former public security czar Zhou Yongkang. Zhou represents the highest level official to be taken down in Xi’s war on graft. What happened, how did Zhou's fall from grace occur, and why the story sounds more like a steamy soap opera are all explained.

The Weekly Brief

Michael Farrell returns to the podcast with a short round-up of other stories from the region. In The Weekly Brief, Farrell gives gruesome details on Chinese organ harvesting practices, an update on a Swiss man escapes from the Abbu Sayyaf terrorist group in the Philippines, how cheap instant coffee is supplanting tea as Aisa's go-to beverage and more.

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