Japan has increasingly become the major economic partner of the ASEAN countries. As for ASEAN , it is clear that Japan is the strongest foreign investor.Futhermore,it is obvious that,apart from Austraria, Japan is the only critical developed country within reasonable distance of the region. Japan considers herself very much a part of Asia.Her foreign policy mentions expricitly that, as an ASEAN nation. She has the greatest interest in her relationships with Southeast Asia countries.Inbact Japan looks to Southeast Asia as her sphere of influence ...

Retaining trained teachers is an issue for almost every country despite its socioeconomic differences. A small developing country, Bhutan is facing the problem of retaining its trained and experienced teachers. Teachers leaving the profession on a voluntary basis have been increasing year by year. It became more serious in 2017 where the Ministry of Education had to train and employ 360 fresh graduates as contact teachers to overcome the problem of teacher shortage.  Cross-sectional data were collected through a questionnaire distributed randomly ...

Contributing to the growing discourse on political parties in Asia, this book looks at parties in Southeast Asia’s most competitive electoral democracies of Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. It highlights the diverse dynamics of party politics in the region and provides new insights into organizational structures, mobilizational strategies and the multiple dimensions of linkages between political parties and their voters. The book focuses on the prominence of clientelistic practices and strategies, both within parties as well as between ...

Charismatic pastors, fast-paced worship sessions, inspirational but shallow theology, and large congregations -- these are just some of the associated traits of Pentecostal megachurches. But what lies beneath the veneer of glitz? What are their congregations like? How did they grow so quickly? How have they managed to negotiate local and transnational challenges? This book seeks to understand the growth and popularity of independent Pentecostal megachurches in Southeast Asia. Using an ethnographic approach, the chapters examine Pentecostal ...