2002-2004
[Government
and Policy] [Information and Research] [News] [Papers]
~
2001
Ex-Taiwan Leader Visits
Japanese Spa, Angering Chinese
(AP, Dec. 28, 2004) Taiwan's former president Lee Teng-hui arrived in Japan for
a weeklong visit to a hot springs resort and university town, despite
warnings from China that the visit by a symbol of Taiwan's independence
movement could damage relations between Tokyo and Beijing.
Japan No. 2 on Buyer List
for U.S. Arms
(Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 26, 2004) Japan imported more arms from the United
States under the Foreign Military Sales program than any other Asian country
last year.
Japan to Let Taiwan's Lee
Visit, China Protests
(Reuters, Dec. 17, 2004)
Japan plans
to allow former Taiwan
President Lee Teng-hui to visit for a sightseeing tour, prompting an angry
protest from China
at a time of already frosty ties.
China Criticizes Japan's New
Defense Guidelines
(AP, Dec. 12, 2004) China
expressed concern at Japan's
new defense guidelines that ease a ban on weapons exports and criticized them
for describing Beijing as a
threat.
Japan Gets More Active in
Defense
(CNN, Dec. 10, 2004) Japan has severed another tie with its post-war pacifist
defense posture, with the government adopting new policy guidelines which
include a more active role in international conflicts.
Taiwan 'Regrets' Japan's
Stance on Sub
(Taipei Times, Nov 27, 2004) The Presidential Office expressed regret over
the Japanese government's denial that Taiwan informed it of the intrusion of
a Chinese submarine into its territorial waters earlier this month.
Chen Claims Taipei Told
Japan About Chinese Submarine
(Taipei Times, Nov. 20, 2004)
President Chen Shui-bian said that Taiwan
had alerted Japan
about China's
submarine intrusion into Japanese waters last week.
China Regrets Submarine
Intrusion
(AP, Nov. 16, 2004) China
expressed regret over an incursion by a Chinese submarine into Japanese
territorial waters last week, Japan's
Kyodo News reported.
China's Sub Intrusion Sparks
Tokyo Protest
(Japan Times, Nov. 13, 2004)
Tokyo lodged a strong protest
with Beijing after confirming
that a submarine that intruded into Japan's
territorial waters off Okinawa earlier this week
belongs to the Chinese Navy.
Unidentified Submarine
Spotted in Japan Waters; MND Monitoring Intruder Closely (AP, Nov.
11, 2004) Japan's
navy went on alert yesterday when an unidentified submarine made a brief
incursion into the country's southern waters near Okinawa.
FM: 'China Attack' Hypes in
Japanese Media Baseless
(China Daily, Nov. 10, 2004) China expressed its grave concerns over Japanese
media reports fabricating the "China threat" and on the three
hypotheses under which China could attack Japan.
Japan Studies Scenarios of
Attacks by China – Report
(Reuters, Nov. 9, 2004)
Military attacks on Japan
by China have
been studied in three scenarios outlined in a discussion paper for officials
at Japan's
Defense Agency, a media report said on Monday, a revelation likely to upset Beijing.
Japan Plans to Develop
Missile Components with US
(AFP, Oct. 12, 2004) Japan
plans to develop components for interception missiles by advancing its joint
missile-defence research with the United States.
The plan will require Tokyo to
ease its decades-old ban on arms exports.
Japan Defense Agency Eyes
SDF Update
(Japan Times, Sep. 1, 2004) The Defense Agency requested 4.933 trillion yen
for its fiscal 2005 budget to update the Self-Defense Forces to make them
better prepared to counter terrorist, guerrilla, missile and other threats.
Japan, China Agree on
Regular Meetings Including South Korea
(Kyodo News, Apr.
5, 2004) Japan
has agreed with China
to hold regular trilateral dialogue involving China,
Japan and South
Korea to strengthen cooperation on regional
issues.
China Tells Japan to Release
7 Arrested on Disputed Island
(NYT, March
26, 2004) China
accused Japan
of violating its sovereignty and demanded the immediate release of seven
activists who had landed on a disputed island chain in the East
China Sea.
Trade with China Boosts
Japan Surplus
(Financial Times, Feb. 24, 2004) China's booming
economy helped push Japan's trade surplus up almost five-fold last month
compared with January 2003.
Mori Begins Three-Day Taiwan
Trip
(Taipei Times, Dec.
26, 2003) President Chen Shui-bian met visiting former Japanese
prime minister Yoshiro Mori, who arrived yesterday for a three-day private
visit despite Beijing's
complaints about the trip.
Japan, ASEAN Boost Security
Ties
(Reuters, Dec.
13, 2003) Japan
and Southeast Asia agreed to tighten security and
economic ties, a day after Tokyo
said it would start free trade talks with Malaysia,
Thailand and
the Philippines.
Japan Must Engage the
Chinese Dragon By Yoichi Funabashi
(Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 14, 2003)
I recently visited Mr Yasuhiro Nakasone, former member of the Lower House, at
his office in Tokyo.
Japan Says Its U.S. Alliance
Helps Maintain Asian Peace
(NYT, Oct. 17, 2003) Japan's defense minister said
that a strong Japanese-American alliance was vital to the peace of the region
at a time of great uncertainty and change.
Million Chinese Sign Anti -
Japan Online Petition
(Reuters, Sep. 17, 2003) More than one million
Chinese have signed an online petition demanding that Japan compensate
victims poisoned by recently unearthed World War II-era chemical weapons and
apologize.
China Slams Japan's Military
Plans
(CNN.com, Sep.
1, 2003) Beijing has
stepped up an attack on Tokyo's
"re-militarization" even as Japan's
defense chief is visiting the Chinese capital on a fence-mending trip.
Japan Defense Minister Seeks
to Reassure China
(Reuters, Aug.
31, 2003) Japan's
defence minister flies to China
on Monday to try to alleviate Beijing's
concerns over Japanese efforts to boost its defence capabilities.
Japan Seeks Shield for North
Korean Missiles
(NYT, Aug.
30, 2003) Hours after North
Korea reportedly threatened to test a
nuclear bomb, Japan's
Defense Ministry asked Parliament here to spend $1 billion a year through
2007 to build an American-designed missile-defense shield.
Japan, China Plan First-Ever
Mutual Warship Visits
(AFP, Aug. 18, 2003) The Japanese and Chinese
governments plan to conduct the first-ever mutual visits by warships this
year as they hope to resume stalled military exchanges.
China Web Site Launches
Anti-Japanese Petition
(Reuters, Aug. 9, 2003) More than 80,000 Chinese have signed an online
petition against China buying Japanese technology for a planned $20 billion
train linking Shanghai and Beijing, an anti-Japanese Web site said.
Japan Nuclear Deterrent Idea
Hit
(Japan Times, Aug. 7, 2003)
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda denounced calls by people who suggest
that Japan
possess nuclear weapons as a deterrent, saying this would only be perceived
as a threat by other countries.
Japanese Vote to Send
Military Forces to Iraq
(AP, July 26, 2003)
Lawmakers voted to send Japanese forces to Iraq
to help with reconstruction, despite delaying tactics by the opposition that
deteriorated into a wild shoving match.
Japan Seeks Defense Chief
Visit to Reassure China
(Reuters, July 22, 2003) Japan
is trying to arrange a visit to Beijing
by its defense minister which it hopes will help ease China's
concerns over its efforts to boost its security role.
Japan Sends SDF Planes,
Troops to Jordan for Iraq Relief
(Kyodo News, July 10, 2003)
Two Air Self-Defense Force transport aircraft carrying 41 Self-Defense Force
officers left Japan
for Jordan to
help deliver relief supplies for the Iraqi people.
Japan's Military on
Risk-Free Route to Iraq By Axel
Berkofsky
(Asia Times, June 12, 2003)
Japan's
military is getting bored. The country's Self-Defense Forces, currently
refueling US, UK,
Canadian and French warships in the Indian Ocean,
would like to move on or sail home
Japan Adopts Laws
Strengthening Military Powers
(NYT, June 7, 2003) Japan's Parliament passed a series of war contingency
bills that give the government significantly increased powers in military
emergencies.
Japan Takes Steps to Boost
Military
(AP, May 15, 2003) A set of bills to bolster Japan's ability to respond to
attack passed a critical vote, marking a major victory for Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi but raising concerns over this country's commitment to the
strictly defensive policy.
Debate Over Japan
Introducing Missile Defense 'Heating Up'
(Kyodo News, Apr. 23, 2003)
The Japanese Defense Agency is studying introducing two types of missile
defense systems. One is a sea-based missile defense system with
Aegis-equipped destroyers. The other is a ground-based PAC-3 system, an
advanced version of the Patriot missile defense system.
Japan Defends Cluster Bombs
(CNN.com, Apr. 19, 2003) Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba has defended Japan's
stockpiling of cluster bombs which can harm civilians and said its military,
whose reach is limited by a pacifist constitution, would never use them
overseas.
Japanese Official Wants
Defense Against Missiles Expanded
(NYT, Apr. 17, 2003) Japan's
defense minister called for expansion of his country's antimissile defenses. To some, Japan
is moving from passive defense to active defense.
Japan to Launch Spy Satellites
(Washington Post, Mar. 26, 2003)
Under tight security, Japan
is preparing to launch two spy satellites Friday that will mark the country's
first military use of space and begin moving its intelligence agencies away
from dependence on the United States.
Japan Debated Nuke Arsenal
(CNN.com, Feb. 21, 2003) Japan
has revealed it considered developing its own atomic arsenal in 1995 to
counter the threat of a nuclear-armed North
Korea. But the proposal was rejected, due to
fears Tokyo would lose U.S.
military protection and also alarm its Asian neighbors.
Japan, US to Conduct Joint
Missile-Interception Tests
(AFP, Feb. 17, 2003) Japan and the United States have decided to conduct
joint tests on intercepting ballistic missiles in Hawaii as fears grew that
North Korea may resume its own missile test-firing.
Japan Ready for N. Korea
Attack
(CNN.com, Feb. 14, 2003) Japan
has warned it would attack North Korea
if it had evidence Pyongyang was
preparing to launch ballistic missiles, Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba has
said.
Japan to Dispatch Two More
Military Vessels to Support Anti-Terror Campaign
(AP, Feb. 1, 2003) Japan will dispatch two more military vessels early this
month in support of the U.S.-led campaign in Afghanistan against remnants of
the Taliban and al-Qaida.
How Japan Befuddles the
Americans
(International Herald Tribune, Jan.
13, 2003) No magician could have done more for Japan's
interests than has America's
tectonic shift of attention to China.
It is taking the critical spotlight off Japan.
China Protests Japan Islands
Lease
(BBC, Jan. 5, 2003) China
has made a formal protest to the Japanese ambassador to Beijing
over a plan by Japan
to assert sovereignty over three disputed islands by renting them from a
private owner.
U.S. Informs Japan Joint
Missile Shield To Be Deployed in 2008
(Kyodo News, Nov. 10, 2002) The United States has told Japan that it plans to
begin deploying interceptor missiles in 2008 under the countries' joint
missile-defense initiative, Japanese and U.S. government sources said.
Japan Courts ASEAN with Eye
on China
(Reuters, Nov. 4, 2002) Japan will greet Southeast Asian leaders with talk of
free-trade agreements and closer relations when they gather in Cambodia later
this week.
China to Catch Japan by
2032: Survey
(Japan Times, Sep. 23, 2002) Some 79 percent of Japanese and 59 percent of
Chinese people believe China will catch up with Japan economically within 30 years.
NSC Chief Asks Japan to
Influence Asia
(Taipei Times, Sep. 20, 2002) National Security Council Secretary-General
Chiou I-jen expressed his hope that Japan can play a more active role in
economic and political affairs in Asia.
Japan Has 'Important Role'
in Cross-Strait Relations, Says Koizumi
(CNA, Sep. 12, 2002)
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said that his country has an
"important role" in creating an environment for Taiwan
and China to
settle their differences in a peaceful manner.
Aide of Japanese FM to
Resign in Protest
(CNA, Aug. 25, 2002)
Kenichi Mizuno, a member of the Lower House of the Japanese Diet, will submit
his resignation from his official post as an aide to the foreign minister in
a bid to protest against the ministry's decision to forbid him from visiting Taiwan.
Taiwan Seeks Closer
Security, Economic Ties with Japan, U.S.
(AFP, Aug. 22, 2002)
President Chen Shui-bian said that Taiwan,
Japan and the
United States
should forge closer security ties because they shared the same democratic
values.
Japanese Argue Over China
Aid
(Financial Times, July 22, 2002) Yoriko Kawaguchi, Japan's foreign minister,
has argued against a further cut in aid to China, pitting herself against
some senior members of the ruling Liberal Democratic party.
Japan, China to Draft
Consular Treaty
(Kyodo News, June 21, 2002) The foreign ministers of Japan and China have
agreed to work on a bilateral consular treaty to avoid diplomatic conflicts
such as the row triggered by China's removal of five North Korean asylum
seekers from a Japanese consulate last month.
Japan: MSDF Lobbied for U.S.
Aegis Request
(Asahi Shimbun, May 6, 2002)
The request by Washington for
the Maritime Self-Defense Force to add Aegis warships to the anti-terror
campaign appears to have had its roots in lobbying by Japanese naval
officers.
China Delays Japan Trip
after Shrine Visit
(CNN.com, April 24, 2002)
China has
responded to the latest war shrine visit by Japan's
leader by postponing a visit from Japan's
defense minister. China
has said it will also postpone a naval vessel visit to Japan
next month.
Japan to Debate Military
Changes
(BBC, April 17, 2002) Japan's
ruling coalition has submitted to parliament a controversial change to the
country's defence law which would increase the military's ability to respond
to an armed attack.
Japan Considering Creation
of East Asia Free-Trade Area Before 2010
(Japan Times,
April 14, 2002) The
envisioned free-trade zone would encompass Japan
and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as China,
South Korea, Hong
Kong and Taiwan.
The grouping, dubbed by Japanese officials as "ASEAN plus five."
China is Not a Threat:
Koizumi
(Kyodo News, April 13, 2002)
Neighbor's growing economic power called an 'opportunity.' Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi said that Japan
and China
need to strengthen their "mutually complementary" economic ties,
denying that China
is an economic threat to Japan.
Tokyo Politician Warns
Beijing It Can Go Nuke 'Overnight'
(AFP, April 8, 2002) A conservative Japanese political leader, Ichiro Ozawa,
has warned Beijing that Japan can arm itself with nuclear weapons overnight
if China goes ahead with an excessive military build-up.
China and Japan Look to
Restore Relations
(Financial Times, April 3, 2002) Li Peng, chairman of China's National
People's Congress, arrived in Japan for the start of an official visit that
may help mend fences between the two countries after relations were badly
strained last year.
Japan to Reduce Assistance
Loans to China
(Financial Times, March 29, 2002)
Japan
indicated that it would reduce loans that form part of its official
development assistance to China
by 25 per cent, in line with Tokyo's
revised aid policy towards its largest trading partner in Asia.
China, Japan Hold
Vice-ministerial Security Talks
(People’s Daily, March 19, 2002) China and Japan held their first
vice-ministerial security meeting in Tokyo on regional security, defense
policies and other issues of common concern.
Japan Differs with Bush's
"Axis of Evil" Take on North Korea
(AFP, Feb. 15, 2002) Japan's
defence minister on said North Korea
should not have been lumped in with Iran
and Iraq by
US President George W. Bush as part of an "axis of evil." "I
think North Korea
is not on an equal footing with Iran
and Iraq
because it has no links with al-Qaeda or the Taliban."
Japan, U.S. Set Defense Talks
(Yomiuri Shimbun, Jan. 27, 2002) The Japanese and U.S. governments are set to
start a vice ministerial-level strategic dialogue on bilateral defense and
diplomatic issues in Washington in early May. Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi and U.S. President George W. Bush are expected to finalize a
timetable for the high-level talks during a summit Feb. 18 in Tokyo.
Strained Japan-China Ties
Bode Ill for Region's Future By Frank Ching (Japan Times, Dec.
25, 2004) Beijing's
relations with Tokyo have been
worsened by Japan's
release on Dec. 10 of a new National Defense Program Outline.
Relations Between Japan and
China Enter a New Phase
(AFP, Dec. 23, 2004) Tokyo's
decision to grant Lee Teng-hui a visa in the face of Beijing's
protests is indicative of a growing power struggle between the two nations.
More Than Half of Chinese
People Nonchalant Towards Japan Due to Its Neglect of History (People’s Daily, Nov.
28, 2004) The results of the second survey on Sino-Japanese public opinion
conducted in September and October 2004 showed that more Chinese have
nonchalant attitude toward Japan.
Chen Shui-bian Intends to Build
a 'New Strategic Triangle' By Sun Shengliang (People’s Daily, Nov. 6, 2004)
Maybe some day in the future, people would suddenly discover that the Taiwan
issue has become a most important and most sensitive question between China
and Japan.
U.S. Forces' Transformation By Yoichi Funabashi
(Asahi Shimbun, Sep. 29, 2004)
Japan should
seek to maintain ''a healthy balance of power'' supported by the Japan-U.S.
alliance. Although China
is not a military threat at present, it presents a security risk.
Japan PM Advisers See China
Military Threat
(Reuters, Sep. 15, 2004)
In a move that could further chill ties between the two Asian powers, an
advisory panel to Japan's
prime minister will say China
should be described as a military threat in a defense review, the Nihon
Keizai newspaper reported.
Japan's Place in the World: Japan-U.S Strategic Dialogue
By
Yoichi Funabashi (Asahi Shimbun, Sep.
7, 2004) The Bush administration is planning to reorganize U.S.
troops and bases in Japan
as part of an overall redeployment of U.S.
forces in the region. But the Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has
maintained a cautious stance all along.
Japan-China Mind Games By Brad Glosserman
(Japan Times, Sep. 5, 2004)
A smooth and cooperative Japan-China relationship is essential to regional
peace, stability and prosperity. Yet increasing interaction at just about
every level of the relationship has generated many irritants.
SDF Role Upgrade: Big Change
Offered for Defense Policy
(Asahi Shinbum, Aug. 26, 2004 ) The Defense Agency plans to revise the law
governing the Self-Defense Forces to make overseas missions part of the
troops' primary duties, a move that could radically change Japan's defense-only
policy.
Japan, U.S. May Increase
Base Sharing
(Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 22, 2004) The number of military bases in Japan designated
for use by both the Self-Defense Forces and U.S. troops may be increased as
part of the planned realignment of U.S. military capabilities.
When Will China and Japan
Let History Be History? By Goh Sui Noi (Straits Times, Aug.
14, 2004) When will China
and Japan
emerge from the long shadow of a bitter past and get on with a relationship
that is essentially in deep freeze?
In Soccer Loss, a Glimpse of
China's Rising Ire at Japan By Jim Yardley (New York Times, Aug. 9, 2004)
The most strident criticism of Japan now comes from a generation born long
after the end of the war, which in China is known as the War of Resistance against
Japan.
What's the Root Cause of
Impeded Sino-Japan Relations?
(China Daily,
July 16, 2004) As we look
over the centuries-old history of China-Japan relations, we find that in
Japan's relations with China, there has never been the notion of
"associations based on equality"
China's Quest for Energy
(Editorial, Asahi Shimbun, June 24, 2004) Japan must listen to Beijing's call
for joint development. There is mounting tension between Japan and China over
Beijing's development of an offshore gas field in the East China Sea.
Japan-China Business
Relations: Yasukuni and the Koizumi ‘Risk Factor' By Yoichi Funabashi (Asahi Simbun, May
18, 2004) Japanese businesspeople are getting increasingly impatient at Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi's stubborn attitude over his Yasukuni visits.
US, Japan Establish Military
Alliance
(People’s Daily, Apr. 13, 2004) March 31 is a
memorable day for the United States and Japan as the two countries signed
Treaty of Kanagawa 150 years ago on that day since which Japan opened its
door to the outside world.
New Sino-Japanese Strain
over Disputed Islands By J Sean
Curtin
(Asia Times, Mar. 30, 2004)
The dramatic arrest of seven Chinese activists on a disputed Japanese-held
island claimed by China
has severely strained Sino-Japanese relations.
Japan's Joyride On China's
Coattails
(BusinessWeek, March
1, 2004) Not long ago, Japan Inc. was deeply troubled by the
prospect of China's
ascendance. Today, Japan's
corporate and political elite are singing a different song.
Japan Wants China-Taiwan
Status Quo By Jamie Miyazaki
(Asia Times, Feb. 20, 2004)
Japan has
been more concerned about Taiwan
President Chen's pro-independence sentiments and actions that inflame Beijing,
especially the referendum.
Major Shift in Japanese
Defense Policy By Michael
Richardson
(Straits Times, Dec. 29, 2003)
AS 2003 ends, Japan
is embarking on some far-reaching changes in its defence policy that will
give it greater strategic flexibility and make it a stronger ally of the United
States. The big question is how China
and the rest of Asia will react.
A Firmer Japan in the Tussle
with China By Eric Teo
Chu Cheow
(Japan Times, Dec. 28, 2003) A triangular relationship is fast developing
between Japan, China and ASEAN -- to the extent that the status of future
ASEAN-Japan relations will become an increasing function of ASEAN-China and
China-Japan ties as well.
'Two-China' Policy Pursued
in '60s
(Japan Times, Dec. 25, 2003) Japan pursued a de
facto "two-China" policy recognizing both China and Taiwan while
officially maintaining a one-China policy, according to declassified
diplomatic documents.
Japan's Defense Maverick By Kwan Weng Kin
(Straits Times, Dec. 24, 2003)
Compared to the hawkish-looking US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, his
Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba looks almost angelic, his personal
feelings always kept under control.
Japan Postures to Play
Catch-Up with China By Brad
Glosserman
(Pacific Forum CSIS, Dec. 20, 2003) It's hard to get excited about last
week's Japan-ASEAN summit. Japanese efforts are likely to be frustrated by
the same political forces that have blocked previous initiatives.
Is Japan to Mainland Asia
What Britain is to Europe? By Ramesh
Thakur and Takashi Inoguchi (Japan Times,
Nov. 9, 2003) Both Japan and Britain choose to identify themselves more
strongly with their U.S. ally than with their continental neighbors. As Asia begins
the search for greater regional economic integration, will Japan repeat the
history of Britain vis-a-vis European integration?
Taiwan Could Stretch
Sino-Japanese Ties to "Breaking Point": US
(Agence France Presse, Nov. 9, 2003) Taiwan is
the main issue that could stretch China-Japan relations to "breaking
point," the US State Department says in newly released documents.
China Must Shake Off the
Past in Ties with Japan By Zhao
Quansheng (Straits Times, Nov. 7, 2003) It is
time for both Beijing and Tokyo to re-examine their foreign policies towards
each other. One of the most important items for Beijing is priority-setting
in its foreign policy directions.
Japan and China Battle for
Russian Oil Supplies
(AFP, Oct 27, 2003) Energy-hungry Asian rivals
China and Japan are locked in a fierce struggle for supplies of Russian
crude, allowing Russia to bargain hard as it chooses where to build a
pipeline from its Siberian oil fields.
High Hopes for Japan's New
Rockets
(CNN.com, Sep.
20, 2003) Japan
is planning to roll out a new generation of rockets as part of an ambitious
program to revitalize its troubled space industry.
China-Japan Perception Gap By Brad
Glosserman
(Japan Times, Sep. 10, 2003)
Bitter past has not prevented the two countries from working out a functional
and progressive relationship. Economics is a powerful driving force. It is
unclear how long that can continue.
'History' Bedevils
China-Japan Relations By Frank
Ching
(Japan Times, Sep. 4, 2003)
On the surface, relations between the two countries are better than ever.
However, the relationship is beset by problems. Historical issues look set to
continue to beset the relationship.
U.S.-Japan: One-Sided
Bilateral Relations By Brad
Glosserman
(Japan Times, Sep. 2, 2003)
The conventional wisdom on the other side of the Pacific is that U.S.-Japan
relations are the best they've ever been. The view is very different in Japan.
Analysis of Japan 2003 White
Paper on Defense By Zhu
Lizhen
(People’s Daily, Aug. 15, 2003)
SDF will
not change its name rashly. But seizing the opportunity of following the US
unilateral hegemonic policy to seek some regional supremacy is actually the
conspiracy behind the new edition of white paper
Pacifist Japan Beefs Up
Military By Robert
Marquand
(Christian Science Monitor, Aug. 15,
2003) The island nation's neighbors watch closely, but not all
experts see reason for alarm. Japan
is closely integrated into an Asian economy; and there is no "imperial
drive" in Tokyo.
Relic of War Adds to Strain
in Beijing Ties With Tokyo By Joseph Kahn
(New York Times, Aug.
12, 2003) China
and Japan are
supposed to be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the normalization of their
relations this week, but they are instead entangled in fresh tensions over
their ugly past.
Nukes Still Won't Help Japan By Brad Glosserman
(Japan Times, Aug. 8, 2003) Japan's study of every security option is
essential to a real national security debate. Like North
Korea, Japan
needs to know that possessing nuclear weapons won't enhance its security.
Japan: N. Korea Is Top
Threat
(CNN.com, Aug. 6, 2003) Japanese defense report has named North Korea as the
number one military threat to the country and called for an improved missile defense
system to counter the danger.
Japan Courts a Public Wary
of Sending Its Troops to Iraq By James
Brooke (New York Times, July
28, 2003) Japanese government officials sought to sell a skeptical
public on sending troops to an area where they could find themselves in
combat for the first time since the end of World War II.
Japan Faces Burden: Its Own
Defense By Howard W.
French
(New York Times, July 22, 2003) No issue is likely to have a greater impact
on the region than how Japan takes up the burden of its defense after a
20th-century past that traumatized it and its neighbors.
Is Japan Advancing Toward a
'Normal Country'? By Li Heng
(People’s Daily, July 3, 2003)
Japan's
political forces are trying to "democratize" their ideas and plans
of defending the national interests by armed forces. It implies that the
nation has deviated more from the "peace constitution" and great
changes have taken place in its national direction.
Japan's Enhanced Role in
Asian Security Seen Helping Taiwan
(Taiwan News, June 7, 2003)
Taiwan can
make use of a renewed strategic role to build closer and more cooperative
relations with the strengthening United States-Japan security axis in the
Western Pacific, said Presidential Secretary-General Chiou I-jen.
Japan's Military Can Benefit
Asia Too
(Straits Times, June 4, 2003) Tokyo's Minister of State for Defence Shigerru
Ishiba spoke about Japan's peacekeeping role at Saturday's Asia Security Conference.
This is an edited excerpt.
Benefits of Closer Japan-U.S
Ties
(Editorial, Japan Times, May 31, 2003) Following his support for military
action in Iraq, Mr. Koizumi appears to be leaning further toward Japan's
alliance with the U.S.
Awakening Japan's Sleeping
Defense Giant By Alan Boyd
(Asia Times, May 28, 2003)
Renewed indications that Japan may be ready to renounce half a century of
pacifism and take responsibility for its own external security.
Japan's 'Peace Constitution'
Threatened By Axel
Berkofsky
(Asia Times, May 14, 2003) The House of Representatives Research Commission
on the Constitution was established to revise the constitution to authorize
the military to defend Japan's security at home and abroad.
China's Policy Has Backfired By Robyn Lim
(Japan Times, May 11, 2003)
What would China
prefer to see -- a Japan
armed with nuclear weapons, or Japan's
alliance with the United States
strengthened by its participation in missile defense? In Beijing,
neither option has much appeal.
China, Japan, and General
Xiong By Marc Erikson
(Asia Times, May 10, 2003)
Reasons for China
to seek better relations with Japan
in the security field are not that hard to come by. A key player on the
Chinese side is the PLA’s deputy chief of staff (for intelligence) General
Xiong Guangkai.
For Japan, Being America's
Ally Is No Longer So Easy By Robyn Lim
(Japan Times, Apr. 30, 2003 Japan must appreciate that America now has much
wider options than it did during the Cold War, and that China is bound to
loom large in Washington's calculations.
Why Does Japan Choose to
Remain Naked to the Threat of North Korean Missiles? By Robyn Lim
(Japan Times, Apr. 16, 2203)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is openly threatening Japan
with his Nodong missiles. Yet Japan
chooses to remain naked to this threat.
Iraq War Shakes Japan's
Asian Diplomacy
(Yomiuri Shimbun, Apr. 6, 2003) Considering the situation surrounding North
Korea, it is urgent that Japan improve its relationship with China, which has
been soured by Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine.
Japan Can Breathe Easy with
Spies in the Sky By Joan
Johnson-Freese and Lance Gatling
(Straits Times, Apr. 3, 2003) Officially called multi-purpose information
gathering satellites (IGS), they will provide information for diplomatic and
defence policy decision-making, and to support crisis management and disaster
relief situations.
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