As I discussed here, Japan has little reason to celebrate North Korea's returning to the six-party talks.As this article in the Japan Times shows (link in English), senior cabinet and party officials have been cool to the news out of Beijing. The Japanese government, of course, was not in position to insist on the importance …
Author: Tobias S. Harris
Tobias Harris is Japan analyst at Teneo Intelligence. He is the author of a forthcoming biography of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
A mountain of debt, 1,400 times higher than Mt. Fuji
That would be the height of Japan's debt if converted into ￥10,000 notes, according to a Japanese Ministry of Finance (MoF) budget report cited by FT columnist Guy de Jonquières, in his column, "No need to panic about Japan's debt mountain" (sorry, subscription required).No need to panic, maybe, but certainly need for concern -- and …
Continue reading A mountain of debt, 1,400 times higher than Mt. Fuji
Muravchik’s memo
I want to pause once again and turn from Asian matters to a memo by my friend and mentor Joshua Muravchik in the November/December 2006 issue of Foreign Policy titled "Operation Comeback," addressed to "My Fellow Neoconservatives."His piece reflects on the mistakes made in recent years by neoconservatives, and attempts to restore some meaning to …
Abe reviews the fleet
On the 29th of October, Prime Minister Abe reviewed the Japanese fleet at Sagami Bay in Kanagawa. In this week's issue of his email magazine, Abe poetically recounts the review, speaking of clouds giving way to an autumnal blue sky, of the deep azure of the sea, and of the majesty and magnificence of the …
Chen plays with fire
The FT reports that Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian wants to "freeze" its constitution and replace it with a new one.Given recent difficulties faced by Chen over corruption in his pan-green coalition and his low approval ratings, it seems unlikely, as the FT notes, that his plan will secure the requisite support in parliament and among …
My little survey
Over the past several days, I have given my students essay topics -- explained here -- that have asked for their views on US-Japan and Japan-China relations. My prompts weren't explicitly political; they could address any and all aspects of these relationships, including culture, economics, cuisine, language, and politics.I'm not going to say that I …
Follow the (black, red, and) yellow brick road
The New York Times has an editorial today (registration required) that applauds Germany for its recent white paper on international security policy. The white paper calls for Germany to play a greater role in MOOTW operations -- including peacekeeping, post-conflict reconstruction, and counterterrorism operations.Sound familiar?This is precisely the role that Japan aims to play in …
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Sympathy for Japan
In the midst of the relief that has greeted North Korea's decision to return to the six-party talks, it is important to remember -- as this editorial in the Yomiuri Shimbun does (link in Japanese) -- that Japan cannot relax just because the six-party talks are set to resume.Of the powers participating in the talks, …
Party of Six
So, hoseannas and hallelujahs -- North Korea returns to the fold.Frankly, I think any celebration of the resumption of the six-party talks is premature, as Chris Hill, assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, admitted: "We are a long way from our goal still. I have not broken out the cigars and …
Slippery Abe
David Pilling, the FT's Tokyo correspondent, conducted an interview with Abe Shinzo that is perhaps remarkable only for its lack of firm commitment to anything other than constitutional revision -- which Abe has already voiced his enthusiasm for on previous occasions.And even on constitutional revision he is noncommital. He is long on ideals, short on …
