[War_ooc] Timeline stuff, part V: The Far East

[John Penta]

Regional Themes:
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.
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.
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.
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Events, written with help of Ian:

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
January 2012: A survey reports that 40% of South Koreans claim Christianity
as their religion, making it the largest religious group in the country.
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.
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.
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.
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