Based on the coverage in Japan's newspapers, it seems that Japan was blindsided by the US-ROK free-trade agreement. Perhaps Japanese observers did not quite believe that negotiators would be able conclude an agreement before time ran out. Of course, the agreement's passage in both the US and South Korean legislatures is hardly a foregone conclusion, …
Year: 2007
Asia’s shifting geometry
Last week, on the occasion of Hu Jintao's visit to Moscow, I wrote this post, suggesting that while China and Russia may appear to be moving ever closer together, there are good reasons to think that both Russia and China will be seeking greater flexibility in the Asia-Pacific region.Two recent articles develop this idea further.First, …
China’s emergence at sea
In the midst of concerns about the changing profile of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) -- as suggested by reports about China's "secret" aircraft program, discussed at Wired's Danger Room blog, and this report about China's submarine purchases sparking a maritime arms race (via NOSI) -- it is worthwhile to look closer at …
Redefining the US-ROK relationship
How interesting that on the same day that the US and South Korea conclude a "landmark" trade agreement -- legislative approval in both countries pending -- the Yomiuri Shimbun runs an editorial looking at the impact of North Korea on the February agreement to dissolve the US-ROK Combined Forces Command, giving primary responsibility for the …
Farewell six-party talks?
So the US Department of Commerce has imposed tariffs on imports of glossy paper from China, bowing to pressure from the paper industry.This is one of those cases that lead me to question whether the Bush administration is capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time.At the same time that the administration has …
Japan’s PR problem
Francis Fukuyama has written a brief essay called "The Trouble with Japanese Nationalism," in which he recounts his own encounters with Japanese nationalists -- including the translator of The End of History and the Last Man -- and wonders whether the US wants a normalized Japan that has yet to resolve its historical issues. (Hat …
The DPJ’s dilemma
With the Abe Cabinet determined to press ahead with passage of a bill establishing a national referendum system so that when the time comes a revised constitution can be submitted to a vote, the Democratic Party of Japan finds itself in something of a bind, because unlike previous opposition parties, the DPJ is not opposed …
Murayama’s apology revisited
In this recent post, I mentioned that what Japan needs to do is stop issuing caveats about its wartime behavior, and make a clear, unambiguous apology.Of course, I neglected to mention that a Japanese prime minister has previously made such a statement: Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi's 1995 remarks on the fiftieth anniversary of the end …
Gauging Japan’s normalization
Two articles provide a solid, realistic look at the process of Japan's normalizing its security policy and possibly reducing its dependence on the alliance with the US in its grand strategy.The first, by David Pilling in the FT, provides a belated report on Prime Minister Abe's speech to graduates of the National Defense Academy. (I …
George Bush helping Matsuoka?
George Bush, speaking to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, issued a challenge to Japan (and others):Today, more than 100 countries have fully or partially opened their markets to U.S. beef. The objective of this administration, however, is to make sure that they're better than partially opened, they're fully opened, including the countries like Japan and …
Tobias S. Harris 