[Government 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.