December 20,2013 Topics of the Month

Japan-Russia Relations – 6

The monthly articles that I have been writing since July on Japan-Russia relations are at an end, and this is going to be my final contribution to the series. There have not been vital events that need commentary in December; so in this last contribution I want to touch on one issue that was not discussed in depth in the past articles, and then introduce a short wrap-up of my views on current Japa..

Kazuhiko Togo
eco-tourism , fisheries , hikiwake meaning , historical literacy , joint rule , right of residence , Territorial agreement
December 20,2013 Topics of the Month

The China Dream – 6

This last monthly posting on the “China Dream” discusses the development related to the “China Dream” since November 18 and reflects on what I have learned for the past six months. The recent rejoinder by the Editorial Staff has also provided food for thought. Now that the Third Plenum is over, the Xi Jinping government continues to push for reform and consolidation of power. As portra..

Ming Wan
ADIZ , ethnic assimilation , Third Plenum , Xi Jinping
December 20,2013 Open Forum

A New Type of Relationship between Major Countries and South Korea: Historical and Strategic Implications

After the Sino-US summit at Sunnylands on June 7-8, 2013, the Chinese idea of a “new type of great power relations” (xinxingdaguoguanxi, 新型大国关系) has, more than ever, attracted attention. During the summit Xi Jinping and Barack Obama emphasized cooperation for international peace and stability and jointly solving global problems. The shirt-sleeve diplomacy between them had some succ..

Kim Hankwon*
ADIZ , Balance of power , collective security system , Document No. 9 , landmark Sino-US summits , missile defense , New type of great power relations , pivot to Asia
December 09,2013 Open Forum

Washington Insights: Issue 3

With this issue we begin an addition to the Open Forum, reflecting on recent conferences and talks in Washington, DC and by high US officials on the themes covered in The Asan Forum. Our objective is not to report specifically on who said what, apart from speeches by top officials, but to give a sense of the tenor of remarks by those knowledgeable about US policies. There is no place comparable fo..

Editorial Staff
No. 1 ally , North Korea’s priority , principled realism , Trustpolitik , what is rebalancing , Who is No. 1
December 06,2013 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (December 2013)

In 2013 attitudes toward other countries did not substantially change in contrast to the tectonic changes of 2012, when Japanese awakened to a dangerous region. In the annual survey, Yoron chosa, issued in November, one reads of further improvement in relations with and friendly feelings toward the United States, already at record high levels, and slight improvement in these measures with Russia, ..

Editorial Staff
2+2 Meetings , Active pacifism , cultural arrogance , feeling friendly , historical honor , schools toward South Korea , spheres of influence , status quo power
December 06,2013 Open Forum

The Indo-Japanese Strategic Partnership: Asia’s Response to China’s Rise

For all the focus on China’s ascendancy, the developing strategic and economic entente between Japan and India may eventually prove to be as important in shaping Asia’s future. In many respects, India and Japan could not be more different: one has more poor people than any other nation on Earth; the other was the first non-Western society to fully modernize. The order and discipline of Japanes..

Daniel Twining
Act East Policy , Confluence of the two seas , freedom of the seas , India , ODA , Republic Day celebrations , trilateral groupings
November 22,2013 Topics of the Month

The China Dream – 5

The highly anticipated Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee was held in Beijing on November 9-12. The Chinese leadership had sent strong signals that this Third Plenum would be comparable to the famed Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee in December 1978, which adopted reform and opening and profoundly changed China. Liberals wished for but knew they would not get any..

Ming Wan
civil society , soft power , State Security Committee , Third Plenum , Xi Jinping
November 22,2013 Topics of the Month

Japan-Russia Relations – 5

Japan-Russia relations in November saw a certain degree of activation. At the October 7 meeting between Abe and Putin in Bali, an agreement was reached to hold the “2+2” meetings in November. They did take place on November 2 in Tokyo, and as the rejoinder by the Editorial Staff to my previous “Topics of the Month” showed, they attracted considerable attention internationally. The Japan..

Kazuhiko Togo
2+2 Meetings , Article 9 , Korean self-righteousness , new national security offices , Yachi Shotaro
November 22,2013 Review Article

New South Korean Academic Writings on Contemporary Japan and Japanese-Korean Relations

South Korean academic writings of 2013 provide a useful window through which students of Japan worldwide can observe Japan and Japanese-Korean relations. So far this year, I found that six books have been published on Japan and Japanese-Korean relations, as well as six articles in the two most prestigious journals of political science (The Korean Journal of International Relations and Korean Polit..

Kim Jiyoung*
Abe Shinzo , comfort women , lack of common goals , military power , threat perceptions
November 22,2013 Special Forum

Introduction to Special Forum on Sino-Russian Relations in Triangular Context

The year 2013 is memorable for the increasing liveliness of discussions about the future of Sino-Russian relations. When Xi Jinping made his first visit as president in March to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin, whose posture in starting his third term as president was decidedly more critical of the United States, interest was mounting in how much closer bilateral relations would be. Already there we..

Editorial Staff
Alliance , ASEAN , Eurasian Union , infographics , Multipolarity , triangularity