platform. As the memory of the wartime era has faded, so too has public opposition to new security institutions. For the reforms to succeed, Japan needs to overcome several long-standing problems. First, says Kotani Ken of Nihon University in Tokyo, are the bureaucratic “turf battles” among the producers of intelligence. The second issue is the relative lack of sophistication of Japan’s consumers of intelligence. The country’s politicians are “not used to utilising intelligence in policymaking”, Mr Kotani notes. In its own recommendations, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party calls on Diet members to be more proactive, rather than acting like customers “passively ordering omakase [an instruction to leave the choice to the chef] at a sushi restaurant.” ■ For exclusive coverage of Asian politics, economics and security, sign up to Asia Bulletin, our weekly subscriber-only newsletter. This article was downloaded by zlibrary from https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/08/13/japans-long-overdue-revamp-of-its- intelligence-services
Why India triumphed at Venice and flopped in Osaka The state is a poor representative of the country Aug 13th 2026 THE KINDEST thing that can be said about India’s pavilion at the Osaka World Expo last year is that it was authentic. It opened more than two weeks late. It was chaotic. Its displays of ancient temples and ancient paintings looked like something from an ancient tourism-promotion advert. And, naturally, it included “inspiring talks and speeches” by Narendra Modi. As one Japanese visitor who lives in India put it, “The disorganised parts…were very Indian, so if you want to feel the vibe of India, I definitely recommend you go.” So it was with some apprehension that this columnist stood at the threshold of the India pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale, which runs until
November. This was India’s first appearance at the world’s pre-eminent contemporary art show since 2019. On that occasion the government had instructed curators to take inspiration from the 150th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth. It was a theme that only a bureaucrat could have dreamed up: unoriginal, unimaginative and above all unlikely to get anyone into trouble (the art itself was praised). This year’s effort was overseen by the same ministry—of culture—that mounted the Osaka debacle. Ashoka need not have worried. The pavilion is a triumph. Curated by Amin Jaffer, director of the Al Thani Collection in Paris, it brings together five artists to consider the meaning of home as India undergoes a dramatic physical transformation. Two works steal the show. Sumakshi Singh’s “Permanent Address” recreates in delicate silk, cotton and nylon her grandparents’ home in Delhi, since demolished to make way for something new—a familiar story in every Indian city. And Asim Waqif’s magnificent “Chaal”, a tangle of hundreds of gigantic stalks of bamboo, nods to the ubiquitous scaffolding material of a country permanently under construction. The result is a show that does expertly what Osaka did hamfistedly. It draws on India’s traditions, in this case crafts and local materials, and ties them to the country’s modern condition. Its achievement is to represent India in a way that feels authentic—this time for the right reasons. Reviews have been gushing. India features in several lists of pavilions not to miss. How does the same ministry, working under the same political masters, produce such divergent results just one year apart? The easy answer is that the official in charge changed in the interim. The Indian state produces lumpy outcomes because so much of it depends on individual capabilities rather than institutional processes. But a more substantive answer lies in what Vivek Aggarwal, the newish secretary of culture, actually did. Namely, less. The Osaka project was top-down. It was awarded to a private firm, cancelled without public explanation and then executed by the culture ministry’s own arts body. The Venice pavilion was a collaboration between the government and two of India’s leading art institutions. The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, a lavishly funded and superbly connected organisation in Mumbai, brought its influence and expertise. Serendipity Arts, a non-profit
best known for its annual festival in Goa, handled programming. The government dealt with paperwork, logistics and the inevitable extra costs. Some 12 tonnes of bamboo for Mr Waqif’s work had to be airlifted to Venice after the Iran war disrupted shipping. Mr Aggarwal’s background is in finance and infrastructure, which may have helped. He knew what he did not know. The government trusted its partners, leaving decisions about art to the art people. Its only real demand was that the show represent a diversity of voices. Though pavilions with a single artist tend to be more coherent, it wanted artists from different regions and working in different indigenous mediums. Other than that it granted Mr Jaffer complete artistic freedom. The success at Venice has encouraged the culture ministry to reaffirm its commitment to public-private partnerships. Mr Aggarwal says he has already written to Venice about reserving a space for the next art biennale in 2028. He is planning a big arts event in Delhi later this year, roping in galleries and foundations, and a revamp of how India’s hundreds of historical monuments are managed. The idea is to make heritage and the arts bigger contributors to the economy. The Indian state too often tries to do too much with too little. On the rare occasion that it trusts Indians to deploy their ample talents, the results are dazzling.■ This article was downloaded by zlibrary from https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/08/09/why-india-triumphed-at-venice-and- flopped-in-osaka
In China, treatment for mental-health problems is a luxury Zhu Rongji’s death is a reminder of how much has changed in China China’s officials are obsessed with safety theatre
In China, treatment for mental-health problems is a luxury The government wants to improve a patchy and uneven systyem Aug 13th 2026 HALF OF XIAO Yao’s clients, who are mostly women aged between 20 and 40, do not tell their parents that they pay 500 yuan ($75) for counselling sessions. The 33-year-old psychological counsellor says that older generations tend to take mental health less seriously and ask: “This is just unhappiness, isn’t it? Aren’t you overthinking things?” In a highly competitive society that has undergone deep economic and social change, many Chinese struggle with mental health. A new study shows a surge over the past three decades in mental illness. And though more sufferers now seek help, psychiatric services remain limited. Meanwhile a nascent therapy sector is largely unregulated and often hard to afford.
The study, published in the Lancet, a British medical journal, offers the most comprehensive estimate to date of mental disorders’ prevalence in China, with 191m cases in 2023 (equivalent to about one in seven Chinese). That was 46% more than in 1990, but after allowing for the country being older and more populous, the estimated prevalence was 14.6% higher. Because these are modelled estimates, based on sometimes sparse data and diagnoses, these figures are likely to be an underestimate of the true picture. Anxiety and depression are the most common illnesses, while eating disorders have grown at the fastest rate (see chart). Though social stigma and a reluctance to acknowledge mental illness have long prevailed, calls for help are growing. The pandemic marked a turning- point, says Li Zhang of the University of California, Davis, author of a book on anxiety and psychotherapy in China. Lockdowns led to spikes in depression and anxiety; people grew more sympathetic to others suffering from mental illness and more accepting of their own problems, Ms Zhang says. During the pandemic, many Chinese sought counselling for the first time. Unable to leave home, with the therapist’s sofa out of bounds, they jumped straight to the screen. Self-help and psychological services have boomed online. Tens of millions use apps selling counselling sessions and other
courses. Many also take advantage of free resources: new government hotlines for psychological support got more than 700,000 calls in 2025 and 900,000 in the first half of this year. Another paper in the Lancet, in 2021, found that of 1,007 Chinese surveyed with a depressive disorder, just 9.5% got treatment, while a mere 0.5% were treated adequately. The government now aims to build a nationwide system of psychological support and crisis intervention by 2030, giving more people access to drug-based treatments and psychotherapy. Plans include counselling rooms in every school, psychiatric services in at least one hospital in every county and more mental-health professionals. Fears of social instability inform some of the official urgency. In June a private pilot crashed into Beijing’s tallest tower, killing himself, a rare security breach in the capital. Investigators claim the man suffered from anxiety and suicidal thoughts. In 2024 a spate of violent attacks, including vehicle rammings and stabbings against members of the public, was a source of official concern about mental health. Experts described the attacks as revenge on society, committed by men angry about their financial situation or perceived unfairness towards them. The Communist Party, with its mania for lists and slogans, stepped up the monitoring of “four-lack and five-loss” individuals, ie, those with no spouse, children, job or assets; or suffering from investment failures, life setbacks, relationship conflicts, emotional imbalance or mental disorders. China’s very low rates of identifying and treating mental illness may at last be improving. Yuan Chengmei of Shanghai Mental Health Centre (SMHC), a top mental-health hospital, points to greater public awareness and better identification of milder cases of mental distress. Yet problems of capacity, affordability and sound regulation remain. China has far fewer pyschotherapists per head of population than the West. Dr Yuan says that even SMHC, with a much higher concentration of qualified staff than elsewhere in China, struggles to keep up with growing demand. One response at SMHC has been to institute more group counselling. Elsewhere, however, counselling is a free-for-all, with no standardised licence requirements. Reports of fraud and malpractice abound. Online platforms are strengthening their requirements for trained and experienced