2007
[Government
and Policy] [Information and Research] [News] [Papers]
~
2001 ; 2002-2004 ; 2005 ; 2006
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
Tokyo Opposes Taiwan's UN
Referendum: Fukuda
(AFP, Dec. 29, 2007) Tokyo opposes Taiwan's
planned referendum on UN membership, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said after holding talks with Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao.
"We don't want a situation in which Taiwan's referendum leads to
tensions between [the two sides]," said Fukuda.
Fukuda, Hu Agree to Seek Gas
Rights Pact
(Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 29, 2007) Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Chinese President Hu Jintao agreed to
work toward an early settlement to the stalled dispute over gas exploration
rights in the East China Sea before Hu's visit to
Japan, which was confirmed for next spring.
China, Japan Leaders Seek to
Resolve Disputes
(Reuters, Dec. 28, 2007) Japan and China, keen to improve ties plagued by wartime history,
sought to resolve disputes over energy resources, territory and military
build-ups at top-level talks.
Japan Intercepts Missile in
Space from Ship
(AP, Dec. 18, 2007) The Japanese military destroyed a mid-range ballistic
missile in space with an interceptor fired from a ship off Hawaii in a test. The U.S. military has conducted similar successful
tests in the past, but it is the first time a U.S. ally has shot down a
ballistic missile from a ship at sea.
Japan
Infuriated by China's Deletions from Joint Press Communique (Asahi
Shimbun, Dec. 10, 2007) China
deleted two views of Japan
from a joint press communique that the two
countries had agreed upon during bilateral economic talks on Dec. 1, sources
said over the weekend.
China Hails Japan Summit But
Energy Row Clouds Picture
(AFP, Dec. 3, 2007) Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao hailed a summit with Japan as "another step forward" in warming
ties, but the mood was tempered by lingering tension over competing claims to
offshore energy fields.
China - Japan Talks to
Bolster Relations
(AP, Dec. 2, 2007) China and Japan began talks on trade and economic issues
Saturday that are intended to bolster the recent warming of their long-uneasy
relations. Only two modest agreements were struck -- one on a $420 million
Japanese loan to China
to fund six environmental projects, and the other a treaty to allow the
countries' police and prosecutors to work directly on criminal extradition.
Japan Pressured over PLA
Tour: Report
(AFP, Dec. 1, 2007) Japan
canceled a tour for visiting Chinese sailors of an advanced AEGIS-equipped
warship because of US
concern that Beijing
could gather confidential information, a newspaper said.
Chinese
Warship Visits Japan
(New York Times, Nov. 22, 2007) A warship sailed Wednesday
for the first port visit by the Chinese Navy to Japan since the end of
World War II, Chinese state media reported.
Japan
Fires Water Cannon at Chinese Activists
(Associated Press, Oct. 29, 2007) Japanese patrol
vessels fired a water cannon Sunday at a boat carrying Chinese activists who
were protesting Japanese claims to territory in the East
China Sea, the activist group said.
Japanese Attend Chinese
Military Drill for First Time
(Reuters, Sep. 26, 2007) Japanese observers got to attend a military drill in
north-eastern China
for the first time this week in the latest sign of warming ties between the
two sides, Chinese media reported.
China's Military Assurances
Fall Short: Japan
(Reuters, Sep. 1, 2007) A rare
visit to Japan by China's Defense Minister has done little to erase mutual
suspicion over the Asian rivals' military ambitions despite his assurances
that Beijing poses no threat, Japanese media said.
Japan, China Eye Hotline to
Boost Military Ties
(AFP, Aug. 30, 2007) Japan
and China
agreed to work to ease military tensions through a crisis hotline and ship exchanges
despite lingering unease over Taiwan and Beijing's
growing defense spending.
Japan to Develop Stealth
Fighter Jets
(AP, Aug. 12, 2007) Japan is set
to develop its own next generation stealth fighter jets to reduce its
dependence on foreign technology and counter similar moves by China and
Russia, a news report said.
Abe Reaffirms Japan's
Commitment to Nonnuclear Policy
(AP, Aug. 7, 2007) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said
that Japan was committed
to its non-nuclear policy and would work toward the abolition of nuclear
weapons as Hiroshima
marked the 62nd anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack.
Call by U.S. House for Sex
Slavery Apology Angers Japan’s Leader
(New York Times, Aug. 1, 2007) Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe expressed some irritation at the resolution approved by the House of
Representatives in Washington that calls on Japan to
acknowledge its wartime sex slavery. His reaction indicated strongly that the
Japanese government would not offer surviving victims an official apology.
Hsieh Proposes Japanese
Version of 'Relations Act'
(TT, July 16, 2007) Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate
Frank Hsieh said that if he were elected next year, he would encourage Japan
to adopt a "Taiwan relations act" similar to that of the US.
Japan Says North Korea,
China Security Concerns
(Reuters, July 6, 2007) Japan kept up the
pressure on North Korea over its nuclear weapons and
missiles and expressed concern about the lack of transparency on China's
burgeoning military spending in a government defense paper. "There are
fears about the lack of transparency concerning China's military strength,"
the paper said.
Japan Official Resigns over
A-bomb Quip
(AP, July 3, 2007) Japan's
embattled defense minister resigned over his comments suggesting the 1945
atomic bombings Hiroshima and Nagasaki were inevitable.
Japan Should Defend U.S.
from ICBM Attacks: Panel
(Kyodo
News, June 30, 2007) Japan
should be allowed to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles fired at
the United States, a government panel agreed, indicating the Constitution
would need to be reinterpreted so the country could come to the defense of an
ally under attack.
House Panel Calls for Japan
Sex Slave Apology
(Reuters, June 26, 2007 ) A
resolution calling on Japan to officially apologize for pressing thousands of
women into sexual servitude in World War Two won strong approval from a U.S.
congressional committee. The resolution was approved 39 to 2 by the
U.S. House of Representatives International Relations Committee in a step
that allows the nonbinding measure to move to the full house.
Japan, China to Resume Talks
on Gas Dispute
(AFP, June 26, 2007) Japan and China
are set to resume talks on a longstanding dispute over drilling rights in the
energy-rich East China Sea after the last
round ended in deadlock.
Ties Soar as China, Japan
Launch New Shuttle Flights
(Straits Times, June 26, 2007) In yet
another sign of improving ties between Japan
and China, the two
countries yesterday agreed to begin shuttle flights between Tokyo
and Shanghai. Four round-trip flights a day
between Tokyo's Haneda Airport
and Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport will start on Oct 8.
China Allows Small Anti-Lee
Protest at Japanese Embassy
(Reuters, June 19, 2007) China allowed about a dozen people to protest a
visit to Japan by former Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui
and the arrest by Japanese police of a Chinese citizen who threw a water
bottle at Lee.
Japan Plants Coral to Save
Sinking 'Territory'
(AFP, June 18, 2007) Japan
has begun planting baby coral on a remote Pacific atoll in a
multi-million-dollar project to save sinking islets and defend a territorial
claim disputed with China,
officials said. Japan
regards the rocky isles of Okinotori, 1,700 kilometres south of Tokyo,
as the southernmost point of its territory, letting it set its
200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone around them.
Taiwan's Lee Fires Shots at
China from Japan
(AFP, June 10, 2007) Taiwan's
former president Lee Teng-hui fired a defiant shot
at China during a visit to
Japan, urging Tokyo to take a harder
line in an emotive row over a war shrine.
Japan and China Play Up Ties
after Taiwan Row
(Reuters, June 9, 2007) Japan
and China emphasised their friendly relationship at a bilateral
meeting on Friday, a day after Beijing had
shown irritation with Tokyo
for allowing a visit by a former Taiwanese president.
Taiwan Ex-Leader Visits
Japanese War Shrine
(AFP, June 7, 2007) Taiwan's
former president Lee Teng-hui made a pilgrimage to
a controversial Japanese war shrine to mourn his brother in a visit expected
to anger Beijing.
Japan 'Risking Ties with
China over Lee's Visit': China
(AP, June 1, 2007) China warned Japan yesterday that it was putting relations
at risk by allowing former Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui
to visit, as he courted more controversy by suggesting he might go to a Tokyo
war shrine.
Japan Dangles Subsidies to
Towns to Support US Bases
(AFP, May 24, 2007) Japan
approved a plan to award subsidies to towns that drop their demands for a
greater pullout of US
troops based in the country. Tokyo and Washington agreed last year to transfer 8,000 troops
from the southern island chain of Okinawa to the US
territory of Guam.
Japan Wants Better Ties with
China
(AFP, May 9, 2007) Japan
said it hoped to keep improving relations with China
after Beijing
refrained from criticizing the Japanese premier for sending an offering to a
controversial war shrine.
Japanese Premier Makes Gift
to War Shrine but Does Not Visit
(New York Times, May 8, 2007) Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe of Japan made a ceremonial offering to a controversial Tokyo war shrine
last month but did not go himself, a shrine official said.
Japanese PM Recovers Support
(AFP, Apr. 16, 2007) Support for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe has topped 50 percent for the first time this year after a landmark
visit by China's
premier, a survey said.
China and
Japan Pledge Closer Ties
(AP,
Apr. 12, 2007) Strengthening a fragile detente, Japanese and Chinese leaders
meeting in Tokyo pledged to work together on North Korea, energy development and
the environment, while defusing thorny disputes over history and territory.
China's
Wen Hopes To 'Melt Ice' in Japan
(WP, Apr. 11, 2007) In what he called a mission to "melt the ice,"
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao
opens a long-delayed visit to Japan
on Wednesday to demonstrate China's
new willingness to play down historic and strategic differences in favor of
stable relations between Asia's two major powers.
Abe to Make
2nd Trip to China in Fall, Convey Plan as Wen Visits Wed (Kyodo News, Apr. 11,
2007) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided he will
visit China again as early as in the fall, and will officially convey the
plan to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao
when they meet in Tokyo on Wednesday, Japanese government sources said.
Abe Asks
China to Come Clean on Military Budget
(Taipei
Times, Apr. 8, 2007) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe called on China to explain its swelling defense budget, days before
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao
was set to arrive on an ice-breaking visit.
Japan,
China Begin Experts' Meeting on E. China Sea Gas Dispute (Kyodo
News, Apr. 6, 2007) Japan
and China began a meeting
of technical experts aimed at resolving a dispute over gas exploration rights
in the East China Sea, an official of the Japanese Embassy in Beijing said.
China's
Wen Hopes for Successful Japan Trip, Warns about Shrine (Kyodo
News, Apr. 4, 2007) Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said he hopes his trip to Japan next week will end in success, and that
top-level exchanges will continue in the form of a second visit to China by
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by the end of
the year.
Chinese
Premier Wen to Visit Japan
(AP,
Mar. 27, 2007) Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will visit
Japan April 11 for a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the first
such trip in seven years, Japan's top government spokesman said Tuesday.
Abe's LDP
Backers Seek Taiwan-India China Foil
(Kyodo
News, Mar. 25, 2007) Some 20 Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers who see China
as a threat will form a parliamentary league to push closer ties with Taiwan
and India, possibly in May, LDP sources said.
Japan, China Start New Talks
on Tangled History
(AFP, Mar. 19, 2007) Scholars from Japan and China on Monday opened new talks
to draft a joint study of their history, a frequent source of friction
between the Asian powers.
Australia, Japan Sign
Landmark Defense Pact
(Straits Times, Mar. 14, 2007) Japan
and Australia signed a
ground-breaking pact to boost bilateral security ties in order to jointly
tackle regional security threats such as terrorism, nuclear proliferation and
even North Korea.
Japan-Aussie Security Deal
Not Aimed at China: Abe
(Reuters, Mar. 13, 2007) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe denied that a ground-breaking security agreement he is to sign with
Australian Prime Minister John Howard today is aimed at reining in China.
Australia-Japan Defense Pact
Won't Hurt China Ties, Howard Says (Bloomberg, Mar. 11,
2007) A security agreement between Australia
and Japan won't harm the
nation's ties with China, Australia's
Prime Minister John Howard said. The two are scheduled to sign a security
agreement in Tokyo, Japan's
first such agreement with a country besides the U.S. since World War II.
China Says Japan Should 'Face
Up' to History About WWII Sex Slaves
(WP,
Mar. 7, 2007) The Japanese government should acknowledge that thousands of
foreign women were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese troops in World
War II, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said.
Prime Minister Denies Women
Were Forced Into WWII Brothels
(AP, Mar. 2, 2007) Japan's prime minister denied that the country's military
forced women into sexual slavery during World War II, casting doubt on a past
government apology and jeopardizing a fragile detente with his Asian
neighbors.
Japan Successfully Launches
Its Fourth Intelligence Satellite
(AP, Feb. 25, 2007) Japan launched its fourth spy satellite, stepping up its
ability to gather intelligence from orbit and to keep an eye on neighbor
North Korea's nuclear program.
Japan Anger over US 'Sex
Slave' Bill
(Reuters, Feb. 20, 2007) A proposed U.S. House of Representatives resolution
calling on Japan to apologize for forcing women into sexual slavery in World
War Two was groundless and regrettable, Foreign Minister Taro Aso said.
Japan to Join US in WTO
Action against China
(AFP, Feb. 16, 2007) Japan
has decided to join in a US
complaint against China at
the World Trade Organisation over Beijing's industrial subsidies. In the
complaint, Japan
will explain how Japanese firms have also been damaged by the subsidies, the
Nikkei newspaper said.
China Warns Japan Not to
'Sensationalise' Island Dispute
(AFP, Feb. 6, 2007) China
has warned Japan
against "sensationalising" research
activities by a Chinese vessel in disputed resource-rich waters. China issued
the warning, which also appeared to be a tacit recognition that a Chinese
vessel had indeed carried out research in the Diaoyu
archipelago.
China and Japan Vow to Build
Ties
(AFP, Jan. 29, 2007) Ministers from China and Japan wrapped up three days of
closed-door strategic talks at the weekend, vowing to build 'mutually beneficial'
ties.
Japan, China Plan Military
Port Exchange
(AP, Jan. 22, 2007) Japan
and China
are hoping to send warships to each other's ports for courtesy calls soon to
help ease tensions between the two Asian giants, an official said.
Japan Formally Upgrades
Defense Agency to Ministry
(Reuters, Jan. 10, 2007) Japan formally elevated its Defense Agency to
full-fledged ministry status, the latest sign of Tokyo's desire to emerge
from the shadow of its defeat in World War II.
China Opposes U.S.-Japan
Contingency Plan on Taiwan
(Bloomberg, Jan. 5, 2007) China opposes a U.S.-Japan military contingency
plan over the Taiwan Strait, saying that such a plan must take into
consideration the fact that the island is a part of China.
Can China and Japan Think
Together? By Shiping Tang and Haruko Satoh (PacNet 52, Pacific Forum, CSIS, Dec.
2007) The thorny problem of history – which must be confronted – is as much a
problem of domestic politics and nationalism of both states as it is a
diplomatic one. And then there are conflicting issues of sovereignty, such as
the disputes over gas field, the Senkaku/Diaoyu
Island or a potential mishap over the issue of Taiwan that could saddle the
process of reconciliation. Nonetheless, China
and Japan
have been learning to cooperate on a wide range of issues that may not each
be fundamental but constitute important building blocks.
Fukuda Brings New Warmth to
China-Japan Ties
(Reuters, Dec. 28, 2007) China and Japan made no major breakthroughs in resolving a row
over natural resources in the East China Sea on Friday, but a visit by Japanese Prime
Minister Yasuo Fukuda signaled a new warmth in
bilateral relations.
Japan Emerges as Key Battleground in Taiwan Presidential
Race By Max Hirsch (Kyodo News, Dec. 18,
2007) Such is the significance of Japan
to Taiwan's
Mar. 22 presidential election, in which tacit support from the vital trading
and strategic partner could make or break the diplomacy platforms of Ma and
Hsieh. Hence, Japan has
emerged as a key battleground in the political fight for Taiwan's top job, as both frontrunners
scramble to curry favor with Tokyo.
China and Japan's Regional
Tug of War
(Straits Times, Nov. 24, 2007) The competition between China and Japan
to win the hearts and minds of the leaders and people of South-east
Asia was almost palpable at the Asean
meetings this week. The China-Japan competition for influence appears to be
benefiting the region, going by the flurry of economic activity it has
spawned. However, it would lead to uncertainty in the region of how to
accommodate the different interests of China
and Japan,
especially in creating an East Asian identity.
Japan-China Relations at a Turning Point
(Editorial,
Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 21, 2007) China is a
nation of primary importance in Fukuda's diplomatic policy in this part of
the world. Japan's relations with China
is a decisive factor for success, or a lack of it, in efforts to build
a good framework for international order in East Asia.
China and Japan
(Editorial, Japan Times, Oct. 29, 2007) China may not ever dominate Japan in the
way many alarmists fear, but the balance of power between the two countries
will undoubtedly continue to shift in the near future. The readjustment in
relations, though, may occur in unexpected ways that are less obvious than
government policy statements.
Abe's Battle for Overseas
Mission
(Straits Times, Sep. 11, 2007 Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe, staking his job on extending Japan's refueling mission in aid of US-led
operations in Afghanistan, embarked on his toughest-ever political battle. In
a policy speech at the start of what is expected to be a very turbulent
parliamentary session, he held up the mission by Japan's
Self-Defense Force (SDF) in the Indian Ocean
as an example of his country's international contribution.
China, Japan Race for the Moon
(Associated Press, Aug. 25, 2007) Japan claims its project is the biggest since Apollo. China says it is readying
its probes to study the lunar surface to plan a landing. With Asia's biggest
powers set to launch their first unmanned lunar missions, the countdown has
begun in the hottest space race since the United
States beat the Soviet Union to
the moon nearly four decades ago.
Will Japan Follow India on
the Nuclear Road? By Robyn Lim
(Straits Times, Aug. 22, 2007) Japan's Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe has arrived in New
Delhi at the height of controversy about whether the Indian
Parliament will ratify a nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States.
In 1998, Japan was
appalled when India
tested a nuclear weapon. But times have changed. If the new US-India deal
goes through, as seems likely, will Japan
be encouraged to think that, like India, it needs nuclear weapons
for its security?
As Japan and India Forge
Economic Ties, a Counterweight to China Is Seen
(New York Times, Aug. 21, 2007) When Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe of Japan touches down in India this week, it will be the highest-level
step yet in what analysts say is a long-term effort to balance, if not
contain, China’s growing economic and political might.
Japan PM Seen Avoiding
Shrine on WW2 Anniversary
(Reuters, Aug. 15, 2007) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was
expected to stay away from a Tokyo war shrine
on the anniversary of Japan's
World War Two surrender, avoiding friction with Asian neighbors who see it as
a symbol of the nation's past militarism.
Japan Loses Chance for
Leadership in Asia By Richard Halloran
(Straits Times, Aug. 3, 2007) An opportunity for leadership in Asia has faded. A chance to overcome the 'demons of
history' left from World War II has slipped away. The time to revise the
pacifist Constitution and to shoulder more of the common defense has been
delayed. In Tokyo,
Mr Abe has been severely censured by his voters and
now confronts a legislature.
Bomb by Bomb, Japan Sheds
Military Restraints By Norimitsu Onishi
(New York Times, July 23, 2007) To take part in its annual exercises with the
United States Air Force here last month, Japan practiced dropping
500-pound live bombs on Farallon de Medinilla, a tiny island in the western Pacific’s
turquoise waters more than 150 miles north of here. In a little over half a
decade, Japan’s
military has carried out changes considered unthinkable a few years back.
Rise of Liberal Japan By Joseph S. Nye
(Straits Times, June 14, 2007) In May, Asahi Shimbun,
a major newspaper known for its left/liberal inclination, proposed an
alternative vision for 21st-century Japan in a series of 21
editorials. Asahi rejected the idea of revising Article 9, and proposed
instead that the Japanese Diet legalize the role of the Self-Defense Forces.
The US-Japan Cross-Straight
Nod By Philip Yang
(Taipei Times, May 10, 2007) One should of course not make the mistake of
thinking that the objective of the US-Japan treaty is to contain China or build an alliance with Taiwan. The
treaty stipulates that the two countries' military forces -- lately with the
addition of Australia
-- comprise a military mechanism for the active defense of the status quo in
order to stabilize the regional situation and to prevent war from breaking
out.
The Silence in the US-Japan
2+2 Statement By Kurt Campbell
(Taipei Times, May 10, 2007) The emerging US-Japan consensus on the
maintenance of stability across the Taiwan Strait
had already been established and further elaboration was unnecessary and seen
to be potentially counterproductive.
Japan Necessary to Deter
China, US Official Says
(Taipei Times, May 3, 2007) The former commander of US forces in the Pacific,
Admiral Dennis Blair, back in the US after observing Taiwan's annual military
exercises, on Tuesday called on Japan to continue supporting the US policy of
deterrence against Chinese military action against Taiwan.
And Now to Trilateralism By Brad Glosserman and Bonnie Glaser
(PacNet 24, Pacific Forum, CSIS, May 1, 2007)
U.S.-China-Japan cooperation can help build the trust that is needed in
China-Japan relations. With the various sets of bilateral relationships
strong and forward looking, Washington, Tokyo, and Beijing
have a unique opportunity to build genuinely trilateral relations and, in
particular, transform Chinese perceptions of the U.S.-Japan alliance.
The Burden of Japan By Christian Caryl
(Newsweek International, Apr. 30, 2007) Shinzo Abe
faces a tough balancing act: keeping his conservative base happy, charting a
new, moral foreign policy—and finally facing up to the past.
Japan and Australia: A
Bridge Too Far? By Robyn Lim
(Far Eastern
Economic Review, April 2007) Australia
signed a security agreement with Japan. With the security
agreement, Australia is
hoping to moderate Japan’s
military influence in the Pacific by embedding it within a wider framework.
Whether this strategy will work remains an open question. But the underlying
impetus to these changes—on both sides—of course, is China.
China's Soft Power By Philip Bowring
(International Herald Tribune, Apr. 15, 2007) Given the recent
history-obsessed relations between China
and Japan
it was perhaps inevitable that the past should again get more attention than
the future. But broadly it looks to have been another success for Chinese
diplomacy, and for Wen's projection soft power.
Wen Pushes the Right Buttons
(Straits Times, Apr. 14, 2007) Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has won plaudits from experts for his masterly
diplomacy in Japan.
However, genuine reconciliation between the two countries may be some way
away.
China and
Japan in Delicate Minuet to Ease Deep Diplomatic Tensions By Norimitsu Onishi (NYT, Apr. 12, 2007) Little progress was made, in recent months or
on Wednesday, on the flash points: disputed gas and oil fields in the East
China Sea; visits to Yasukuni and other problems
related to history; and suspicions each harbors about the other’s military
ambitions.
Hopes Rise
for China, Japan Thaw By Jing-dong Yuan
(Taipei Times, Apr. 11, 2007) Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will pay a visit to Japan this week. Five years after
the last Sino-Japanese summit, Wen's visit brings
with it high hopes for a thaw in bilateral relations.
Japan's
Wartime Deeds not Easily Forgotten in China By Ben Blanchard (Reuters, Apr. 7, 2007) The war may have ended more than 60 years
ago, but in this Beijing suburb gaggles of schoolchildren and office workers
daily relive battles the Chinese fought with Japanese invaders so long ago.
China Gives Muted Response
to Defense Pact
(Straits Times, Mar. 14, 2007) Japan's
landmark security pact with Australia
could well bolster calls within China to further increase its
defense spending and accelerate its military modernization, analysts here
said.
Howard's Risky Japan Deal
(The Bulletin, Mar. 13, 2007) As John Howard signs a defence
agreement with Japan, many
regional experts wait nervously for China's reaction. Some defence analysts believe Canberra may have made a mistake.
In Asia, the Past Divides
and Alienates By Howard W. French
(International Herald Tribune, Mar. 8, 2007) Imagine a world where Germany
denied the Holocaust, the United States denied the slaughter of Native
Americans and Europe denied organizing its immensely profitable and
centuries-long trans-Atlantic trade in African slaves.
Japan's 'Spy Net' Puts It
Ahead in Space Race
(Associated Press, Feb 27, 2007) After nearly a decade of trying, Japan has
succeeded in establishing a network of spy satellites that can peer in on any
point on the globe once a day, officials said.
China and Japan Patching Up
Diplomacy
(LA Times,
Feb. 17, 2007) Anyone seeking signs that China and Japan are working hard to get
their fraught relations back on track should consider this: After a four-year
ban, the Chinese have agreed to resume eating Japanese rice.
The US-Japan Alliance:
Getting Asia Right Through 2020 By Richard L. Armitage & Joseph
S. Nye
(CSIS, Feb. 16, 2007) With half the world's population, one-third of the
global economy, and growing economic, financial, technological, and political
weight in the international system, Asia is key to a stable, prosperous world
order that best advances American interests. The goal of this report is to
outline a vision that offers the best prospect for achieving "a balance
of power that favors freedom."
MND Official Says Taiwan
Seeking Japan Military Trade
(Taiwan News, Feb. 2, 2007) Taiwan would welcome and looks forward to seeing
Japan adjust its national defense policy regarding the export of military
techniques and weapons sales to Taiwan, a senior official from the National
Defense Ministry said in an interview with a Canadian magazine released.
US-Japan Pact Matters to
Taiwan By Randall Schriver
(Taipei Times, Jan. 24, 2007) The US-Japan alliance is evolving. This is
partly as a result of internal developments in Japan,
and partly in response to dynamic change in Asia.
Political leaders in Taiwan
should take note of this evolution as the future course of the US-Japan
alliance may have a direct impact on Taiwan's security.
China and Japan Eye April
Date at Regional Summit
(Reuters, Jan. 15, 2007) Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will make an ice-breaking visit to Japan in April, Japanese officials said, while
China
warned the two countries' wartime past could still derail efforts to heal
ties.
Japan's Defense Agency
Changes Name and Reality By Richard Halloran (Taipei Times, Jan. 8,
2007) The North Koreans and Chinese have criticized the changes, but what
they fail to realize is that their belligerence toward Japan has
accelerated a Japanese revision in their thinking regarding military power.
Japan, U.S. to Discuss Asia
Emergency Plans: Media
(Reuters, Jan. 4, 2007) Japan and the United States are to discuss joint
plans for their troops to deal with a potential stand-off between China and
Taiwan, in a move that could irritate Beijing, Kyodo news agency said.
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