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and Policy] [Information and Research] [News] [Papers]
~
2001 ; 2002-2004 ; 2005
Government
and Policy
The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs very useful site
Foreign Policy Page Japan Ministry of
Foreign Affairs
House of Councilors (National Diet of Japan,
Sangi-in)
House of Representatives (National Diet of Japan,
Shugi-in)
The Constitution of Japan English translated
version
Japan-China Relations, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Japan
Overview - Japan-ASEAN
Relations
Permanent Mission of Japan
to the United Nations Japan's position on issues,
Japan's Policy and Press Releases
Information and Research
NIRA (National Institute
for Research Advancement, Japan)
Japan Institute of
International Affairs (JIIA)
Japanese Journal Information
Web
The National Security-Archive
U.S.-Japan Project Papers on diplomatic, security,
and economic relations between the U.S. and Japan
Japan Center for International Exchange (A nonprofit and
non-governmental institution, Japan)
Japan Policy Research
Institute (JPRI) U.S.-Japan relationship and its implications for the
Pacific Rim
Japan Economic Institute of
America (JEI) information on Japanese economy, politics, foreign policy
and U.S.-Japan relations
Kyodo News Web
Japan Times
Japan, China to Hold Talks
to Narrow History Gap
(Reuters, Dec. 25, 2006) Japanese and Chinese academics will start joint
studies on their long and sometimes war-torn history this week as part of the
two countries' efforts to improve ties strained by persistent disputes over
the past.
Japan, China to Launch
History Talks
(AFP, Dec. 19, 2006) Japan has said it will hold its first joint history
study with China and called for both sides to be open-minded so they can
improve ties strained over the past. A 10-member Japanese team will hold its
first meeting with its Chinese counterparts on December 26-27 in Beijing.
Japan, China Resolve to Hold
Annual Energy Talks
(Bloomberg, Dec. 18, 2006) Japan and China, Asia's two biggest energy users,
agreed to hold annual ministerial-level talks as they seek to repair
relations strained by territorial disputes over oil and gas fields.
Japan to Offer Aid to
Monitor Acid Rain and Yellow Sand in China
(AFP, Dec. 9, 2006) Japan will give China 793 million yen (6.82 million
dollars) to set up a system to monitor acid rain and yellow sand in China,
Foreign Minister Taro Aso said.
China Says Ties with Japan
at "New Starting Point"
(Reuters, Dec. 4, 2006) China and Japan stand at a ''new starting point'' in
their relations following Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to
Beijing in October, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan said.
Japan's Defensive Missile
Launch a Success
(AP, Dec. 2, 2006) The Japanese military, facing a renewed nuclear threat
from neighboring North Korea, have successfully launched a new surface-to-air
defensive missile in a remote area of a US military base.
Japan, China Resume Defense
Talks Eyeing North Korea
(AFP, Nov. 30, 2006) Major General Zhang Qinsheng, assistant chief of general
staff of the People's Liberation Army, paid a courtesy call on Defense Agency
Director-General Fumio Kyuma. The talks are the latest bid by China and Japan
to repair relations.
Japan's PM Asks Denmark to
Oppose Arms Sales to China
(AFP, Nov. 22, 2006) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked Denmark to keep
an eye on China's military spending, reiterating Tokyo's opposition to
European moves to sell weapons to Beijing.
Abe Assures China's Hu That
Japan Won't Go Nuclear
(Reuters, Nov. 20, 2006) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he had assured
Chinese President Hu Jintao Japan would not acquire nuclear weapons, but use
its position as the only country to have suffered atomic attacks to urge
members of the nuclear club to reduce their arsenal.
Abe and Bush Agree to Speed
Up Ballistic Missile Shield
(Japan Times, Nov. 19, 2006) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President
George W. Bush reaffirmed the bilateral alliance in their first summit,
agreeing to accelerate cooperation on ballistic missile defense and
coordinate policies on the six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons.
China-Japan Relations Are
`Back on Track,' According to China
(Bloomberg, Nov. 18, 2006) China-Japan relations are ''back on track'' since
Shinzo Abe became Japanese Prime Minister in September, a top Chinese
official said following a meeting between the countries' two leaders in
Hanoi.
Japan to Create US-style
National Security Council
(AFP, Nov. 15, 2006) Japan's government set up a task force to build a
version of the US National Security Council as part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's
bid to increase his office's authority.
US Mulls Deploying Patriot
Missiles Around Tokyo Area
(AP, Oct. 30, 2006) The US is considering deploying a missile defense system
in the Tokyo area in the wake of North Korea's missile test launches and
purported nuclear test earlier this year.
Japan Repels Hong Kong
Activists in Sea Showdown
(AFP, Oct. 28, 2006) Japan repelled Hong Kong activists who tried to sail to
disputed islands in the East China Sea, with the protesters turning away
after being surrounded and sprayed with water, officials said.
Japanese Official Warns of
Nuke Debate
(AP, Oct. 26, 2006) Japan should not engage in ''careless debate'' on whether
it should posses nuclear weapons, the country's defense chief said Wednesday,
becoming the latest Japanese leader to address an issue with sensitivities
dating back to World War II.
Rice Says U.S. Ready to
Defend Japan
(AP, Oct. 19, 2006) The United States is willing to use its full military
might to defend Japan in light of North Korea's nuclear test, Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice said.
Sino-Japanese Trade Ties Set
to Expand
(Associated Press, Oct. 11, 2006) Bilateral trade may exceed US$200 billion
this year, said the Communist Party's paper People's Daily. Trade volume
reached US$131 billion in the first eight months of this year, up 11.8 per
cent from the same period of last year.
China, Japan Break Ice as N.
Korea Casts Shadow
(Reuters, Oct. 9, 2006) China hailed a visit by new Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe as a "turning point" in relations as they agreed to
upgrade ties and denounced North Korea’s 's plans for a nuclear test as
unacceptable.
Japan's New PM Heads to
China on Fence-Mending Visit
(AFP, Oct. 8, 2006) Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe headed to China in
a bid to ease years of deteriorating ties between Asia's biggest economies,
but a crisis over North Korea cast a shadow over the visit.
Japan, China Begin
Vice-Ministerial Level Talks
(AFP, Sep. 23, 2006) Japan and China began vice-ministerial level talks in
Tokyo just a few days ahead of Japan's new administration, in a bid to seek
ways to ease strained ties between the two Asian powers.
Japan Says Minister's Visit
to Taiwan Was Unofficial, Despite High Level Meetings (AP, Sep. 12, 2006) A recent visit to Taiwan by Japan's vice
agriculture minister was an unofficial trip, Japan said Tuesday, despite a
reported meeting between the lawmaker and Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian
that could upset China.
Japan’s Likely Next Premier
in Hawkish Stand By Norimitsu Onishi
(New York Times, Sep. 2, 2006) Shinzo Abe, the nationalist politician who is
expected to become Japan’s next prime minister, said that Japan should revise
the pacifist Constitution imposed on it by the United States.
China Says Japan 'Generating
New Conflicts' over Gas Field Dispute (Agence France Presse,
Aug. 30, 2006) The statement was referring to Japan's protest this week that
state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp had begun the first stage of gas
production in the Chunxiao field.
Taiwan General Views SDF
Drill
(Japan Times, Aug. 26, 2006) Taiwan's army commander in chief, Gen. Hu
Chen-pu, watched one of the Ground Self-Defense Force's major live-fire
drills conducted in Shizuoka Prefecture.
U.S. Offers Japan 80 More
Patriot Missiles
(Japan Times, Aug. 25, 2006) The United States has offered to provide Japan
with up to 80 more Patriot interceptor missiles. The deal comes a little more
than a month after North Korea test-fired several types of missiles toward
Japan, including a Taepodong-2.
China-Japan Ties 'Cannot
Improve If Shrine Visits Continue'
(Straits Times, Aug. 21, 2006) China's relations with Japan would remain at
low ebb as long as Japanese leaders insisted on visiting a war shrine. But
bilateral dialogue should continue, Chinese State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan
said.
Taipei Activists Fail to
Land on Disputed Isles
(AP, Aug. 18, 2006) Japan protested to Taiwan after a group of Taiwanese
activists tried to land on disputed islands. Japan issued a verbal warning as
the ship entered waters near the East China Sea islands, called Diaoyu in
Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese. The islets are also claimed by China.
Coverage of Shrine Visit
Restrained in China
(Straits Times, Aug. 17, 2006) China's media gave restrained coverage to
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's shrine visit as Beijing tried to keep a
fresh surge of anti-Japanese sentiments in check.
Japan PM Defies China, S.
Korea with War Shrine Visit
(Reuters, Aug. 15, 2006) Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid his
respects at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine for war dead, the anniversary of his
country's World War Two surrender, defying warnings from China and South
Korea not to go.
Japan PM Defends War Shrine
Visits
(Reuters, Aug. 3, 2006) Writing in his weekly email magazine, Koizumi
criticized opponents of his visits to Yasukuni Shrine, saying they did so
because China was against the visits.
Japanese Navy Officer
Quizzed over China Trips
(AFP, Aug. 2, 2004) Japan's navy says an officer illegally copied classified
documents and repeatedly visited China to see a woman, in the latest twist in
an espionage scandal between the Asian powers.
China,
Japan Hold Security Talks
(The
Australian, July 22, 2006) China and Japan held their first security talks in
over two years, with North Korea's missile and nuclear programs on the
agenda.
Ma Grilled
by Japanese Diet Members
(Taipei
Times, Jul. 13, 2006) Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou
was confronted with a series of hard questions in a meeting with scores of
Japanese Diet members yesterday.
Taiwan's
Ma Calls on Japan to Honor Asian feelings on Yasukuni (Kyodo
News, July 11, 2006) Visiting Taiwan opposition leader and presidential
hopeful Ma Ying-jeou on Tuesday called on Japan to honor Asian neighbors'
feelings over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the war-linked
Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.
Special Chinese Team to
Boost Ties with Japan
(AP, July 6, 20060 The Chinese government has ordered a new special team to
improve ties with Japan, apparently after concluding that a hardline approach
has not been effective, a Japanese newspaper reported.
China Rejects Any
Representations Assuming Diaoyu Islands As Japan's Territory (Xinhua News, July 4,
2006) China won't accept any representations from the Japanese side assuming
that the Diaoyu Islands are Japan's territory, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman
Jiang Yu said.
Chinese Survey Ship Near
Diaoyutais Has Japanese Worried
(AP, July 3, 2006) A Chinese ship defied warnings from Japan's coast guard
and conducted a marine survey in waters near disputed islands in the East
China Sea.
Taiwan Urges Japan to Renew
Fishery Talks
(CNA, July 2, 2006) Japan should return to fishery talks with Taiwan as soon
as possible to resolve the long-running fishing rights dispute between the
two countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Taiwan, Japan Deadlocked
over Fishing Vessel
(Taipei Times, July 1, 2006) Taiwanese and Japanese coast guards are caught
in a stand-off in the waters north of Keelung over the fate of a Taiwanese
fishing boat suspected of intruding into Japanese waters.
China's Hu Outlines
Fence-Mending Visit to Japan
(AFP, June 11, 2006) Chinese President Hu Jintao wants to pay his first
official visit to Japan in the hope of repairing ties languishing near their
lowest point in decades.
Japan, China 'Eager to
Resolve' Gas Field Spat
(AFP, June 8, 2006) Japan and China are eager to resolve a territorial
dispute over energy-rich waters but remain at odds about how to mark the
maritime boundary, officials from the two countries said.
China, Japan Fail to Resolve
Row
(Associated Press, May 24, 2006) Foreign ministers from China and Japan met
for their first bilateral talks in a year, but reports said the meeting
failed to resolve a row over the Japanese prime minister's visits to a war
shrine.
Japan Minister Gets Razor
Blade Threat over China Ties
(Reuters, May 24, 2006) Japan's Trade Minister, known for his close ties with
China, received a razor blade in his mail with a letter urging him not to
flatter Beijing and to commit suicide.
US, Japan Reaffirm Pledge on
Taiwan
(Taipei Times, May 3, 2006) The US and Japan reaffirmed a joint commitment
made last year that the protection of Taiwan is a "common strategic
objective" of both countries.
US and Japan Agree on Deal
to Relocate Marines
(Associated Press, Apr. 25, 2006) The United States and Japan have settled
their differences over a payment plan to move thousands of US marines out of
Japan, with Tokyo agreeing to contribute nearly 60 per cent of the US$10.3
billion cost.
New Japan-China Spat over
Gas
(BBC, Apr. 18, 2006) Japan has asked China to clarify reports that Beijing
has imposed a ban on shipping near disputed gas fields in the East China Sea.
Both Japan and China have claimed rights to develop the Pinghu gas field
which straddles an area both countries say is part of their territory.
Challenges, Opportunities
for the Japan-U.S. Alliance
By Brad Glosserman and Christopher Sigur
(Japan Times, Apr. 3, 2006) Ironically, new security threats -- and new
demands for cooperation -- provide the best opportunities to revitalize the
alliance. The bilateral security relationship is in better shape than ever.
Japan Calls China a Military
Threat
(AP, Apr. 2, 2006) Two top Japanese officials called China a military threat
and rebuffed conciliatory gestures by Beijing over a disputed war shrine, in
comments likely to heighten tensions between the two nations.
China's Hu Offers Japan a
Way to Ease Tensions
(Reuters, Mar. 31, 2006) Chinese President Hu Jintao offered to ease tensions
with Japan when he met a retired Japanese leader, but said Japan's current
prime minister must stop visiting a shrine honouring war criminals.
Most Japanese Want Better
Ties with China
(Reuters, Mar. 30, 2006) Nearly four in five Japanese believe Japan and China
should improve bilateral ties, chilled by disputes including Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a Tokyo war shrine, according to a survey
released by Japan's Foreign Ministry.
US Encourages Improved Ties
Between China and Japan
(Reuters, Mar. 17, 2006) The United States urged Japan and China to improve
strained ties, but insisted that weekend security talks with Australia and
Japan will not focus on Washington's wariness of China's rise as an
Asia-Pacific power.
Japan Rejects China Gas
Proposal
(BBC, Mar. 8, 2006) Japan has rejected a Chinese proposal to jointly develop
gas fields in a disputed area of the East China Sea. China and Japan have
recently held talks aimed at resolving their conflicting claims to the rich
oil and gas deposits near their sea border.
Japan, China Meet to Keep
Dialogue Door Open
(Reuters, Feb. 10, 2006) Top diplomats from Japan and China met on Friday in an
effort to maintain dialogue despite a chill in ties due to Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a war shrine seen by Beijing as a symbol of
Tokyo's past militarism.
China Criticizes Japanese
Foreign Minister About Taiwan Comment (Bloomberg, Feb. 6, 2006) China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
criticized Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso for remarks he made over the weekend
about Taiwan that the Chinese government says glorified Japan's occupation of
the island last century.
Japan Reiterates One-China
Policy
(Xinhuanet, Jan. 31, 2006) Japan's Foreign Ministry reiterated that Japan
will stick to the One China Policy. "Regarding these issues, certainly
what is most important is to preserve and enhance the peace and stability of
the Taiwan Strait."
Koizumi Blames China and
South Korea for Rift
(NYT, Jan. 5, 2006) Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi squarely blamed China
and South Korea for worsening relations with Japan, accusing them of
interference in Japan's domestic matters.
China Accused over Japanese
Death
(Financial Times, Jan. 3, 2006) Relations between Japan and China have been
rocked further by clashes over the death of a Japanese consulate staff in
Shanghai more than a year ago.
Japan's War Guilt Hinders
Progress By Orville Schell
(Straits Times, Dec. 30, 2006) China's leaders seem to have taken note of
this moment of Japanese remorse. This implies a ray of hope for a bilateral
relationship - the most important in Asia - that over the past two decades
has been battered by Japan's reluctance to face its past, which has become a
lightning rod for over-heated nationalist sentiment on both sides.
Experts Gloomy on Outcome of
China, Japan's History Talks
(Agence France Presse, Dec. 27, 2006) China and Japan held a second day of
sensitive talks on resolving bitter disputes over their shared history but
experts saw little hope the vast gulf between the giants could be bridged.
China Tops US as Diplomatic
Priority for Japanese Public: Poll
(Agence France Presse, Nov. 28, 2006) China topped a list of countries with
which the Japanese public most want to improve relations, according to a
poll. The United States, Japan's ally, was second, followed by South Korea
the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said.
Japan Shrinks By Fred Hiatt
(Washington Post, Nov. 20, 2006) Japan has embarked on a path no developed
nation has ever followed -- of sustained and inexorable population decline.
Does population decline inevitably sap vitality and doom a country to genteel
poverty? Or is there some way out?
Testing Japan’s Pacifist
Resolve By Colum Murphy
(Far Eastern Economic Review, Nov. 2006) Just a few weeks after Shinzo Abe
took over as Japan’s prime minister, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il decided
it was time to test a nuclear bomb. In so doing, he gave the new Abe
administration the perfect opportunity to pick up the pace for Japan to
become a “normal” nation.
Japan's Nuclear Predicament By Bruce Wallace
(LA Times, Oct. 18, 2006) The prospect of a nuclear-armed Japan is at once
unimaginable and obvious. In the aftermath of North Korea's test, the nation
with the best case against atomic weapons is now, on some level, considering
them.
Japan’s
New Leader Faces Old Problems with China and South Korea By
Carin
Zissis (Backgrounder, Council on Foreign
Relations, Oct. 16, 2006) Experts say that the North Korean nuclear test announcement,
which came within weeks of Abe taking office, presented the three countries
with an opportunity to forge common ground in handling the crisis.
Japan-China Relations in a New Era By Yuan
Jing-dong
(Taipei Times, Oct 11, 2006) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to
China sets a number of firsts. It is the first official visit by a Japanese
prime minister to China in five years; it is the first overseas visit by Abe
since he assumed office; and it is the first time that an official visit was
arranged in such a speedy fashion.
Japan Now Seems Likely to
Rally Behind New Prime Minister’s Call for a Stronger Military By Martin Fackler (International
Herald Tribune, Oct. 10, 2006) The last time North Korea tested a powerful
new weapon, in 1998 when it fired a ballistic missile over the largest
Japanese island, Japan reacted by upgrading its military and swinging politically
to the right.
Leaders Bury Hatchet as
Beijing Summit Sets out Route to Détente (London Times, Oct. 9,
2006) After two years of bitter arguments over wartime history, riots on the
streets, and the suspension of top-level meetings, China and Japan took the
first steps towards pulling their relationship out of its nosedive.
Abe, Hu Agree to Push
'Strategic' Ties
(Japan Times, Oct. 9, 2006) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed with Chinese
President Hu Jintao that the two nations will push forward a
"strategic" partnership, breaking the ice in a diplomatic
relationship that in recent years has grown increasingly cold.
Japanese PM's Ambiguity Pays
Off -- For Now
(Agence France Presse, Oct. 6, 2006) Japan's new prime minister has scored a
quick success with his upcoming trip to patch up regional ties but his
ambiguity on emotive historical issues is a risky strategy, analysts said.
Japan's Abe Eyes Asia Trip
But Won't Budge on Shrine
(Agence France Presse, Oct. 3, 2006) Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
has said he hoped to go on a fence-mending tour of China and South Korea but
refused to give ground on emotionally charged disputes over wartime history.
Asia Will Welcome a More
Outgoing Japan By Philip Bowring
(International Herald Tribune, Oct. 1, 2006) As a nuclear-armed China grows
in strength and benign U.S. hegemony is slowly eroded by resource constraints
and the Middle East mire, Japan can bring a better power balance to Northeast
Asia.
Shinzo Abe's Twin Challenges By Brad Glosserman
and Ralph Cossa
(Japan Times, Sep. 30, 2006) The new prime minister's most immediate foreign policy
concern is likely to be the easing of Tokyo's tense relations with Seoul and
Beijing. At the same time, he must maintain ties with the United States,
which reached new heights under his predecessor. The two tasks are not
unrelated. In truth, improving relations with Tokyo's neighbors will also
serve the long-term interests of the alliance.
Abe Outlines His Vision for
Japan on World Stage
(Associated Press, Sep. 30, 2006) Japan's new nationalist prime minister
pledged to make his country a decisive force on the international stage and
push for a reduction of tensions with China and South Korea.
Japan Defense Minister Says
China "Concern," Not Threat
(Reuters, Sep. 29, 2006) Japanese Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma said that
China's military build-up was a concern rather than a threat, retracting
earlier comments that had triggered a rebuttal from Beijing.
Simmering Discontent in
Japan By Michael Zielenziger
(LA Times, Sep. 25, 2006) Beneath the sheen of high-tech tranquillity that characterizes
modern, conformist Japan stirs an angry, alienated and deeply pessimistic
populace teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown. The country needs to rejoin Asia and avoid unleashing its bubbling
nationalism under the new hawkish prime minister.
Japan’s Relations with Its Neighbors: Back to the Future
By Yuki Tatsumi
(Stimson Center, Sep. 14, 2006) Stimson Research
Fellow Yuki Tatsumi testified before the House Committee on International
Relations on Japan's relations with its neighbors.
Departing Japanese Leader
Shook Up Politics as Usual By Norimitsu
Onishi (New York Times, Sep. 19, 2006) Junichiro
Koizumi swept to power in 2001 promising to “destroy” his ruling Liberal Democratic
Party and, by extension, Japan’s encrusted
postwar order. To a remarkable extent, he succeeded — though hardly as
radically as he had hoped.
Japan Spirals into
Insecurity By Robyn Lim
(Far Eastern Economic Review, September 2006) If Japan were to acquire
nuclear weapons to ward off the North Korea threat, it would at the same time
also be acquiring the ability to deter China. Thus the region could be on the
brink of dangerous nuclear confrontations over which the United States would
have little influence.
Diplomats Seek
'Normalization' of Japan and Taiwan Exchanges
(CNA, Sep. 13, 2006) Taiwan's diplomats stationed in Tokyo, Japan, called for
normalization of official personnel exchanges between Japan and Taiwan after
Japanese media reported earlier that a senior Japanese official had met with
Taiwan leaders.
The Abe Enigma By Bryan Walsh
(TIME Asia, Sep. 11, 2006) Critics dub him a dangerous nationalist. Fans hail
him as a strong leader for an increasingly assertive nation. Meet Shinzo Abe,
the man poised to become Japan's new Prime Minister.
US Faces Tough Balancing Act
Managing Japan-China Ties After Koizumi (Agence France
Presse, Sep. 1, 2006) A key challenge facing the United States after Japanese
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi steps down in September is how to balance
its relations between top Asian ally Tokyo and regional powerhouse China. The
United States wants to maintain its excellent ties with Japan, and at the
same time is eager to court a rising China.
The Rise of Japan's Thought
Police By Steven Clemons
(Washington Post, Aug. 27, 2006) The article expressed concern about the
emergence of Japan's strident new "hawkish nationalism,"
exemplified by anti-China fear-mongering and official visits to a shrine
honoring Japan's war dead.
Japan's History Problem By G. John Ikenberry
(Washington
Post, Aug. 17, 2006) Japan has a serious geopolitical problem -- and increasingly
it is an American problem as well. Essentially, the problem is that Japan has
not been able to eliminate the suspicions and grievances that still linger in
China and Korea about Japan's militarist past.
China Slams Shrine Visit,
But Holds Out for Better Ties
(Straits Times, Aug. 16, 2006) The visit cast fresh doubts on bilateral ties
which had only recently appeared to be on the mend. But Beijing's calibrated
response left some hope that efforts to improve relations would continue,
analysts said.
Japan-China: Nationalism on the
Rise By
Brahma Chellaney
(International Herald Tribune, Aug. 15, 2006) The reality is that revisionist
history is being employed as a political tool not only by Japan but also by
those who have turned Yasukuni, where 14 top war criminals are honored, into
a potent symbol of friction between countries. In fact, resurgent nationalism
has become the single biggest threat to Asia's renaissance.
China Looks Beyond Koizumi's
Shrine Visit
(Straits Times, Aug. 15, 2006) Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's expected
visit to the Yasukuni Shrine will spark protests from China but is unlikely
to make bilateral ties any worse than they already are.
China, Japan Youth Key to
Conflict or Conciliation
(Reuters, July 30, 2006) Differing views -- and the mutual antipathy that
often accompanies them -- are fuelling concerns that the current chill in
relations between China and Japan will worsen as the younger generations in
the two neighbouring Asian nations grow up.
China, Japan 'Key to Vibrant
East Asia'
(Straits Times, July 26, 2006) Success in building a vibrant East Asian
community hinges on China and Japan, the two most important countries in the
region, overcoming their mutual mistrust among other things, analysts said.
Is Taiwan a Pawn in Tokyo's Game? By Tsai Zheng-jia
(Taipei Times, July 17, 2006) Japan is active in the area of cross-strait
relations because it wants to use Taiwan as leverage in its relations with
China.
China
Looks Past PM Koizumi for Better Japan Relations By Linda Sieg (Reuters,
July 10, 2006) But rivalry between a "rising China" and a
Japan that wants a bigger global security role means any rapprochement will
be rocky, analysts say.
Rewriting the Line on Japan By Frank Ching
(Japan Times, June 30, 2006) There are encouraging signs that both China and
Japan are looking for ways to ease the prolonged deadlock between their two
countries and improve relations. The most visible sign is the resumption by
Japan of loans to China.
Japan: Ready for a Real Army By Patrick M. Cronin
(International Herald Tribune, June 15, 2006) Today, Japan's Self-Defense Force
is one of the most capable militaries in the world. In 2005, Tokyo spent
$44.7 billion on defense - just slightly less than Britain, which finds
itself heavily deployed in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Asian Leaders Fear
Japan-China Arms Race
(Reuters, May 26, 2006) Asian leaders warn that an arms race fuelled by the
rift between Japan and China could threaten plans for a regional economic
community. "Our economics is pushing us in one direction, but our
politics is pulling us in another," Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah
Badawi said
First Sino-Japan Talks in a
Year Signal Thawing Ties
(Agence France Presse, May 25, 20060 The Chinese and Japanese foreign
ministers have held their first talks in more than a year in Qatar, and
agreed that their feuding countries should work together to resolve
differences.
Japan's Hard Line: Never
Give an Inch to China By Gregory Clark
(Japan Times, May 8, 2006) Japanese public opinion seems unable to comprehend
that there can be two sides to a dispute, especially when territory is involved. The media and the commentators take it for granted that Japan's
claims are totally correct and the other side is being quite unreasonable.
New US-Japan Pact Unnerving
for China By Roger Mitton
(Straits Times, May 4, 2006) The new US-Japan military pact signed on Monday
involves a major reorganization of US forces in the Asia-Pacific region and a
major beefing-up of Japan's military prowess.
Challenges, Opportunities
for the Japan-U.S. Alliance By Brad Glosserman and Christopher Sigur (Japan Times, Apr. 3,
2006) As its 55th birthday approaches, the Japan-U.S. alliance faces new
challenges and new opportunities. Ironically, new security threats -- and new
demands for cooperation -- provide the best opportunities to revitalize the
alliance. The bilateral security relationship is in better shape than ever.
Japan-Taiwan Ties Blossom As
Regional Rivalry Grows By Anthony
Faiola (Washington Post, Mar. 24, 2006) With
Japan seeking to shed a half-century of pacifism and reassert itself in world
affairs, and China acquiring vastly larger economic and military might,
relations between the two are as tense. Nowhere is their contest more visible
than here in Taiwan
Koizumi's Asia Policy Under
Fire
(Straits Times, Mar. 17, 2006) Lawmakers from Mr Koizumi's Liberal Democratic
Party (LDP) launched a study group on Wednesday to dissect the Japanese
leader's failed Asian diplomacy and to propose a new strategy.
Taiwan-Japan Ties Face
Critical Era
(Editorial, Taiwan News, Mar. 15, 2006) The current erosion of the
substantive, as well as the official, relationship between Japan and Taiwan
is leading to an unwelcome result.
The Past's Long Shadow
(The Economist, Feb. 16, 2006) Can Japan ever acknowledge its atrocities of
the 1930s and 1940s in a fashion acceptable to its neighbors? Every apology for
wartime misdeeds that a Japanese leader offers is swiftly undermined by
others in the ruling party.
Japan Says Managing Crisis
with China Critical
(AFP, Feb. 14, 2006) Japan says managing its deteriorating ties with China
had become critical amid warnings of a potential military conflict between
the neighbors that could drag in the United States.
Japan's Offensive Foreign
Minister
(Editorial, New York Times, Feb. 13, 2006) Japan's new foreign minister, Taro
Aso, who has been neither honest nor wise in the inflammatory statements he
has been making about Japan's disastrous era of militarism, colonialism and
war crimes that culminated in the Second World War.
Japan's History Lesson
(Editorial, Boston Globe, Feb. 9, 2006) Japan's right-wingers will have to
change their bellicose ways and China's communist leaders will have to
refrain from seizing on Japanese provocations to stir up their own people's
nationalistic passions.
Koizumi in Hot Soup with
China over War Shrine Visit
(Financial Times, Feb. 7, 2006) Beijing has underlined its continuing anger
at Tokyo by authorising the publication of an article in an official
newspaper likening the actions of Junichiro Koizumi, Japan’s prime minister,
to someone who purposely eats “rat excrement”.
Cheap Ride on U.S. Security By Robyn Lim
(Japan Times, Jan. 29, 2006) Japan thinks it can reduce defense spending,
continue to rely on the United States for its strategic security, and poke
China in the eye while expecting America to keep China on a leash. A jumble
of contradictions.
Koizumi's Obstinacy Could
Isolate Japan
(Straits Times, Jan. 13, 2006) It takes courage for a leader to start the
year on a sour note against his country's two most important neighbours, even
granted that relations with them are currently at their worst.
The Myth of Rising Japanese
Nationalism By Mitsuru
Kitano
(International Herald Tribune, Jan. 12, 2006) Reports of excessive Japanese
nationalism are fashionable today in some U.S. news media. Their selective
compilation of phenomena that appear to support this idea could well make
many believe it. But is it really true? A check of the facts indicates
otherwise.
War of Words over
China-Japan Rivalry
(Straits Times, Jan. 6, 2006) Professor Akihiko Tanaka, from Tokyo
University, noted that China's defense budget had registered more than
double-digit annual increases since 1989.
Divisions, Rivalries
Threaten New Cold War in East Asia By Kang Sang Jung (Japan Times, Jan. 3, 2005) Japan's diplomacy will certainly be
deadlocked should the post-Koizumi administration be nothing more than a
Koizumi administration without Koizumi.
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