Toward Higgs inflation in the MSSM

Adopting a recently proposed single-superfield framework of supergravity inflation, we consider large field inflationary models in which MSSM Higgs-like fields play the role of the inflaton. In the simplest cases, the inflaton potential has a fractional power, which is different from that of the original Higgs inflation, and it can be tested by cosmological observations in near future. We find difficulties in identifying the inflaton with the MSSM Higgses and discuss possible candidates of the inflaton.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; a contribution to the proceedings of The 2nd Toyama International Workshop on "Higgs as a Probe of New Physics 2015" (HPNP2015), based on a poster presentation given ther

Generalized Pole Inflation: Hilltop, Natural, and Chaotic Inflationary Attractors

A reformulation of inflationary model analyses appeared recently, in which inflationary observables are determined by the structure of a pole in the inflaton kinetic term rather than the shape of the inflaton potential. We comprehensively study this framework with an arbitrary order of the pole taking into account possible additional poles in the kinetic term or in the potential. Depending on the setup, the canonical potential becomes the form of hilltop or plateau models, variants of natural inflation, power-law inflation, or monomial/polynomial chaotic inflation. We demonstrate attractor behaviors of these models and compute corrections from the additional poles to the inflationary observables.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures; v3 published version (minor revision) + additional materials (Figures 1, 4 and Table 1). A one-minute introductory movie is available at https://youtu.be/pLod18Z0EV

The Japan - Australia Partnership in the Era of the East Asian Community - Can they Advance Together?

This paper aims to examine the implications of the rise of East Asian regionalism for the Australia-Japan partnership. In particular, it investigates whether both nations can sustain their partnership, which evolved around Asia Pacific regionalism over the last few decades, by exploring the upsurge of Japans interest in East Asian regionalism and examining characteristics of Australias foreign policy under the Howard government, which lacked a regionalist approach in its first three terms but has shown a keener interest in furthering relations with East Asian countries and promoting East Asian regionalism since late 2004.East Asia, Japan, Australia, foreign policy, Howard government, Regionalism

The Making of Asia’s First Bilateral FTA : Origins and Regional Implications of the Japan–Singapore Economic Partnership Agreement

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi ushered in a new era in Japans international trade policy in January 2002 when he and his Singaporean counterpart, Goh Chok Tong, signed the Japan-Singapore Economic Partnership Agreement (JSEPA), the first bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed between Asian countries. This trade strategy also reflected Japans interest in launching its so-called multi-layered trade policy which meant the pursuit of bilateral and regional trading arrangements, including FTAs, in an attempt to complement multilateralism based on the GATT/WTO to reinvigorate efforts to achieve global trade liberalisation. This paper aims to examine how and why Japan and Singapore decided to pursue FTAs, what interests both perceived in their pursuit of FTAs, what elements contributed to both countries being linked in this trade policy arrangement, and what implications the JSEPA has had for the FTA movement in East Asia. It argues that the JSEPA was made possible mainly through Singapores initial offer to exclude agricultural products from tariff elimination. But Japan faced problems in seeking FTAs with other ASEAN countries which were less developed than Singapore and had a higher proportion of agricultural exports, as the exclusion of specific agricultural products, such as rice and sugar, would contradict Japans claim that its FTAs would bolster the WTO-based multilateral system. The proliferation of FTAs in East Asia may generate a spaghetti-bowl effect with varying rules of origin that may divert and distort trade, but the new age aspects of the Japan-Singapore agreement will also have some positive economic effects. Although the preferential trade elements of the agreement are detrimental, the smaller portion of tariff elimination results in a smaller trade diversion effect on trading partners. Therefore, the Japan-Singapore agreement carries symbolic meaning in terms of trade policy debates as well as signifying a paradigm shift in Japans international trade policy.FTA, Japan, Singapore