April 22,2019 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (April 2019)

In early spring Japanese media noted the upcoming transition to the Reiwa era on May 1, the plan for Donald Trump to come in late May for a state visit and the first official meeting of a foreign leader with the new emperor, and hoopla over the G20 summit in Osaka a month later. In the distance loomed the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. While the expectations for an Abe-Putin meeting in the shadows o..

Editorial Staff
2020 Tokyo Olympics , comfort women , conscripted labor , Dokdo/Takeshima , shinilpa , US-China trade war
April 22,2019 Country Reports

Country Report: China (April 2019)

In early 2019, Chinese experts assessed Chinese–Korean economic relations, China’s relationship with South Korea, and the potential for extending the Belt and Road Initiative to Northeast Asia. They also evaluated the Trump administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy, long-term shifts in Sino–US relations and the evolution of the US–Japan alliance under the Trump administration..

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
"Belt and Road" Initiative , CPTPP , Indo-Pacific strategy , New Southern Policy , Six-Party Talks , THAAD
April 18,2019 Open Forum

Trump and Asia: Continuity, Change, and Disruption

The election of Donald J. Trump as president of the United States in 2016 sparked intense anxiety about the future of American leadership in Asia and the world. The new president’s attacks on alliances, trade, and global institutions; his praise of erstwhile adversaries such as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un; his adoption of the pre-war isolationist “America First” label;..

Michael J. Green
"Belt and Road" Initiative , America First , Five Eyes , free and open Indo-Pacific , Quad , THAAD , TPP
April 15,2019 Open Forum

Explaining South Korea’s Sharp Shift in 2018 toward Japan

Japan-ROK relations stand at a great crossroads. What brought about this big test was the ruling issued in October 2018 by the South Korean Supreme Court on conscripted labor or, more precisely, the judgment concerning Korean wartime workers.1 With this, the court has recognized the right of these workers to claim compensation from Japanese firms, arousing an outraged response from the Japanes..

Kimura Kan*
comfort women , conscripted labor , Dokdo/Takeshima , Kono Declaration , Rising Sun flag dispute , Yasukuni Shrine
March 19,2019 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (February 2019)

The winter brought disappointing news regarding Japanese foreign policy on many fronts, but at least the worst-case scenario at the Trump-Kim Hanoi summit was avoided. The hopes for a breakthrough with Russia with accelerated diplomacy were dashed in three high-level meetings in January and February. The momentum built with the October Abe-Xi summit was scarcely sustained amidst nervousness..

Editorial Staff
Abe-Xi Summit , BRI , Cold War , free and open Indo-Pacific , Hanoi summit
March 01,2019 National Commentaries

A View from the United States

A powerful, animating ego is a prerequisite to success among national politicians, but US President Donald Trump takes self-confidence—and the blinders that come with it—to unprecedented heights. Characteristic of his drive and ambition is his claim at the Republican National Convention, after securing the party’s nomination to be its 2016 presidential candidate: “Nobody knows..

Brad Glosserman
FFVD , Hanoi summit , Nobel Peace Prize , Singapore Summit , Six-Party Talks , Thae Yong-ho
March 01,2019 National Commentaries

A View from South Korea

Trump: Negotiator-in-ChiefAs US President Donald Trump wraps up his second meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with the announcement of a major foreign policy victory, we are reminded of Senator Howard Baker’s famous words in the Watergate hearings: “What did the president know, and when did he know it?” When the most powerful leader in the world is deeply engaged i..

Lee Chung Min*
Hanoi summit , King Kojong , Munich Agreement , Singapore Summit , US-ROK alliance
March 01,2019 National Commentaries

A View from Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is a very lucky man.  Despite a plethora of scandals that have erupted since he took office for the second time as prime minister in December 2012, scandals that would have toppled previous cabinets—Morimoto Gakuen, Kakei Gakuen, serious shortcomings and gaffes by his cabinet officers, government manipulation of employment data, etc.—he is well on his ..

Glen S. Fukushima
comfort women , Hanoi summit , Kurile Islands , Make America Great Again , Singapore Summit
February 25,2019 Open Forum

Washington Insights Vol. 7, No. 1

The first two months of 2019 have been an anxious time in DC, not only because of the suspense over government shutdowns but also because of the uncertainty over major forthcoming events. There is far more alarm being registered in anticipation of the second Trump-Kim summit than in the run-up to the Singapore summit. The trade talks with China could produce a genuine trade war or, more lik..

Editorial Staff
America First , code of conduct , free and open Indo-Pacific , Hanoi summit , Singapore Summit , TPP-11
February 21,2019 Country Reports

Country Report: China (February 2019)

In the winter of 2018–2019, Chinese experts assessed the Modi administration’s pursuit of closer maritime security ties with Southeast Asia and evaluated the weakening foundations of Chinese–Indian relations. They also examined Japan’s new “strategic independence” and analyzed the implications of the current easing of tensions on the Korean peninsula. Indian–Sou..

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
“One China” , Act East Policy , BRI , free and open Indo-Pacific , Indian Maritime Security Strategy , the Quad , TPP